[Freebird]

Hey everyone,

This is my first time posting. I bought an -6 this last summer and have started a long list of upgrades including fancy glass panel, redoing most the electrical system, electric flaps, and electric trim. I'll be sharing the other parts soon, but today I'm hoping to get some advice on converting from manual to electric trim in the RV-6.

I know Vans sells a kit that involves installing the servo inside the elevator and requires rebalancing. Does anyone know what all is involved in this conversion. I have seen other conversions with the Gretz kit, but those kits don't seem to be available anymore.

Also looking for a kit to convert the manual aileron trim to electric. I already have one Ray Allen servo, can I make the rest myself?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[Pat Hatch]

Brian,

We recently converted an RV-8 from manual to electric trim. Definitely get the Van's kit for this as well as the one for the electric aileron trim. It will save a lot of work. You'll have to pull the manual trim cable out through the back end but this will allow a route for the wires for the electric trim motor in the elevator. For the electric flaps, I recommend that you wire it so that the flap motor shuts off automatically when the flaps are up. I have a post on my web site that explains why you should do this. So if you go this route your flap switch should be spring-loaded down and fixed position up. That way when raising the flaps you can just flip the switch up and the flap motor will stop when flaps reach full up.

The most difficult part really is figuring out how you'll be wiring everything: whether on the grip, the panel, and how you'll be routing the wires, especially those coming from your grip. You may need a couple of reversing relays. Anyway, I would take a read of the blogs on my web page below for some of the issues involved. Let me know if I can help.

 

[Isaac]

RE: Electric Elev Trim RV6

One thing to be aware of is whether the elevator for your RV6 was built per the original design or the newer design. In the original design, the retention of the manual trim cable where the manual trim tab cable exits the elevator is a nut welded to a 1" x 1" steel plate that is pop riveted to the lower surface of the elevator , with the nut inside the elevator and screwed onto the trim cable. If you have this version the Gretz conversion method is probably your only option unless you want to do extensive surgery to your elevator.

The newer design has a small removable panel on the lower surface of the elevator (like the RV7, RV8, RV9) where either the manual trim cable retention nut or the electric trim motor is mounted and the push rod to the elevator trim tab exits. If your elevator has this design, conversion would be straight forward.

Personally, if you all ready have manual trim, I would keep it and not bother with electric trim.

 

[RFazio]

Second keeping the manual trim

I have manual trim elev & ailerons. No reason to change. The only possible reason in my mind is if you are going with a Dynon or similar EFIS and auto pilot with auto trim. Auto trim is nice. I've got a Dynon Skyview and AP buttons and auto trim could be something I would like. But for normal flying, you don't need electric trim. Yes change your panel, I did 4 times, yes electric flaps.

 

[Bubblehead]

The one reason I can think of in a -4 or -8 is if the guy in front is incapacitate the guy in back can trim the plane for landing. Other than that I like the manual trim in my -8.