Wing removal question

PCHunt · #1 09-29-2009, 10:12 PM

How much more difficult is it to remove and reinstall wings from an RV-6 than from an RV-7? (Taildragger in each case.)

Removal would be for either painting or shipping overseas. Or both.

Any and all hints/suggestions will be appreciated.

tinman · #2 09-30-2009, 03:46 AM

My understanding is that the -7 would be quite a bit easier than the -6. I would bet that you could get the wings off of a -7 in a couple of hours with the help of one other person.

pierre smith · #3 09-30-2009, 04:55 AM

....compared to the -7's 10 per side and they're much more accessible.

The difficult part is that you can't have a -6 on its gear when you remove the wings because the gear attach weldment shares bolts with the spar. The -7 does too but is engineered differently and you can remove the wings and have it on it's gear at the same time. We had a wooden spar mockup inserted in our -6 so we could have it on it's gear to roll around the hangar and put the airplane on sawhorses when we got ready to install the wings/landing gear weldments permanently.

Many of them have had their wings removed...it just takes a little longer. The -6 spars almost touch each other in the center of the airplane, whereas the -7's spars only penetrate about 6" into the fuselage.

Regards,

N941WR · #4 09-30-2009, 06:14 AM

Having just removed the wings from my -9, check out this thread:
http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=45533

dhall_polo · #5 09-30-2009, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pierre smith

The difficult part is that you can't have a -6 on its gear when you remove the wings because the gear attach weldment shares bolts with the spar. The -7 does too but is engineered differently and you can remove the wings and have it on it's gear at the same time.

I think this applies to the A models only, not the taildraggers.

jmbrwn · #6 09-30-2009, 07:11 AM

That is correct. We just removed the wings from my newly purchased RV6...quite a bit more work compared to a -7. I counted 36 bolts per side. It took us 10 hrs to get both wings off. Half way thru, we obtained an air ratchet which greatly sped the process. I would highly recommend using one. Use the air ratchet to turn the bolt while using something to pry under the head of the bolt. When reinstalling the bolts, we froze them beforehand, which I believe helped greatly. Installing is much easier than removing. Use the search function and you'll find much info.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhall_polo

I think this applies to the A models only, not the taildraggers.