Upgrading to BA Hartzell: New Spinner?

[Pat Hatch]

Anyone know if I will need to order a new spinner if I upgrade from my straight-blade Hartzell to a new blended airfoil? I'm up against the 6-year overhaul on the original Hartzell on my RV-6, so if I have to pull the prop for an overhaul, I might as well upgrade and gain 3 knots in TAS.

Comments from anyone who has done this would be much appreciated!

By the way, anyone interested in a used HC-C2YK-1BF/F666A-4? This was a new OEM prop from Vans and presently has 240 hours TT. I'll be asking $3,000 for it when I get notice of the new prop shipping. It is perfect in every way and is a "B" hub, so no ADs that I am aware of.

[Garage Guy]

Originally Posted by Pat Hatch

I'm up against the 6-year overhaul on the original Hartzell on my RV-6, so if I have to pull the prop for an overhaul...

Pat, I have to question the "have to" in that sentence! I've had at least one A&P who I respect tell me he'd have no hesitation signing a condition inspection with a well cared for, low-hour Hartzell that had gone past 6 years.

Trying to find out what's behind the calendar limit, personally I'm not that impressed with Hartzell's content-free, buzzword-heavy answer to the question, from their FAQ http://www.hartzellprop.com/service_support.php?id=88:

"Why do I have to Overhaul my propeller after 5 or 6 years when it has limited time since last overhaul and the aircraft has been stored in a heated hangar?"

"The overhaul limits published in Service Letter HC-SL-61-61Y protect your safety and investment and maximize the safe operating limits of your propeller."

So anyway, this doesn't help you with your spinner question, just maybe some input for anyone thinking about buying your used prop.

--Paul

[Pat Hatch]

Paul,

Hope my wife doesn't see your response!

You know I just needed an excuse--any excuse! Hey, but thanks for the plug for the old prop!

[lancef53]

You will need a new front bulkhead, because the holes will very likely not line up.

I am interested in the Prop--I will send you a PM

[Alan Carroll]

Originally Posted by Pat Hatch

Anyone know if I will need to order a new spinner if I upgrade from my straight-blade Hartzell to a new blended airfoil? I'm up against the 6-year overhaul on the original Hartzell on my RV-6, so if I have to pull the prop for an overhaul, I might as well upgrade and gain 3 knots in TAS.

Comments from anyone who has done this would be much appreciated!

I did this recently with no significant problems. I think I had to move the spinner backplate by one washer (forget which way), and did some very minor enlargement of the holes on the existing spinner. The front bulkhead holes will likely be misaligned as mentioned earlier, due to different orientation of the mounting holes on the front of the spinner. I was able to fix this by using the existing screw holes in the spinner to drill a new set of holes in the bulkhead. You could also just buy a new front bulkhead from Van's.

[Pat Hatch]

Alan,

Good information, thanks. Did you pick up the advertised 3 kts TAS?

[Alan Carroll]

Originally Posted by Pat Hatch

Alan,

Good information, thanks. Did you pick up the advertised 3 kts TAS?

As near I can tell yes, but haven't collected really good data yet. Certainly this prop looks faster!

[Bob Axsom]

No new Spinner, got the 3 knots. I slotted the holes in the fwd bulkhead and made a doubler disk to clamp it down. I also had to adjust the washer distribution on the read bulkhead to position it forward toward the propeller to regain for&aft alignment with the mounting holes at the rear of the spinner.

Bob Axsom

[Pat Hatch]

Thanks, Bob!

I'm thinking about just ordering a new forward bulkhead. Overkill?

[Mitch757]

Pat,

Another angle: My FSDO (Boston) says this is a "major change", and required me to put my plane back into flight test for 5 hours and get an assigned test area.

Mitch Garner

RV4 flying
RV12 under construction