flybye

Well Known Member
Here is my dilemma. I don't have the door width in my shop to remove the fuselage with the gear installed. Right now, the fuselage is supported on a dolly and I'm wondering if the structure of the fuselage can support installation of the engine or whether the tricycle gear needs to be in place. If necessary, I can provide support at some strategic points but would those be on the frame or the engine itself?
 
With a mig welder, you can do almost anything.

I'll bet you could do the following. The spar can easily host a trimmed 2x6 running straight thru it protruding the sides a little. I would use thru bolts to secure the wood to the spar. Not the wing bolts, but Home Depot bolts. The 2x6 could form the basis of a horse onto which the middle of the plane could rest. In other words, the airplane would be borne by the spar residing on a horse built into the spar.

I'd probably use steel for verticals on the horse and weld it all together so nothing comes apart. If the horse was sturdy enough, you could probably weld casters to facilitate movement. Two triangles should be formed at the end of the horse, joined together under the airplane. That might be overkill, but I wouldn't risk it falling apart especially when you move it. And don't forget the support the tail too. Sure, you could rest the airplane on a table, but dents in the bottom of the fuse will be hard to get rid of.

The nose gear would have to be installed but between the horse that utilizes the 2x6 running thru the spar, I would imagine you could safely install the engine and move the fuse out of the garage and then install the side gear.

In this photo, you can see the rotisserie we welded together for our 9A but also notice the stubs of the 2x6 we ran thru the spar to facilitate getting it off the floor.

rotisserie2.jpg


Second idea.... if the only obstacle to removal is the garage door, can you place wheel casters under the airplane wheels and then walk it outside caddy corner?

Third, don't underestimate the amount of fitting the gear will require. You may want to make it work before you leave the shop.
 
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I like that welded frame.

Another option I'm considering is to assemble an "A" Frame over the Fuselage and have it extend through the door way. I'll raise the fuselage using a trolley on the "I" Beam, remove the gear slide it through the door then reinstall the gear. An alternate plan is to do a similar method using an engine hoist for lifting. The engine's not here yet so I've still time to pick the best route.