dhmoose

dhmoose

Well Known Member
I'm about to mount my CS Hartzell blended airfoil prop on my -10. What is the best way to manually change the pitch of the prop to make sure I have the appropriate spinner clearance throughout the pitch range?
 
I used a strap wrench to twist the prop blades, wrapped closely to the round part of the blade root.

Roberta
 
I use a copule of stiff boards and a length of rope - sandwich the blade between the two boards, lash then together tightly with the rope, and you can then use the boards like a lever to change pitch.
 
Take two boards, 1"by2" about 3' long. Wrap a bit of foam, bubble wrap etc around the center of each board. It should be wide enough to protect the blades, thus a non scratching type of material. Now, put the boards together and tape the ends together securely. Slide them over the prop blade and twist away.
If the prop has been used pull the lever all the way back before shutting the engine down, this will remove the oil pressure from the hub. This was shown to me by the service people at the Hartzell service center in Piqua OH.
 
No need to manhandle it! Use the blow gun with a rubber tip on your air hose and hold it against the center tube inside the hub. Apply a little air pressure and presto - the pitch changes.

Martin Sutter
Building and flying RV's since 1988
EAA technical counselor
 
This is the way I do it. Loosen the locknut on the low pitch stop and take it out but count the number of turns of the allen screw that it takes to remove it. Write the number on the face of the hub with pencil. When you're done put the stop screw back in the # of turns you wrote down and lock it back down. You can temporarily thread in a long bolt with a rounded end to dial in whatever pitch you want.
 
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What's wrong with just grabbing a blade and twisting? It does not take much back and forth to work all the oil out of the hub, and if its a new prop, it should move stop to stop pretty easily.
 
Great!

All responses are much appreciated! It's a new prop and not yet mounted. Based on the responses, I think I'll mount the prop since it'll be easier to work with up there. Once mounted, I'll use the board trick.

(The air hose idea sounds like a good method as well but is it ok to put pressurized air (vs oil) in there? I'd guess its fine, but this is the first I've heard of this method).

Again, thanks everyone!
David
 
Great timing on this question.

I just mounted my CS prop and am preparing to cutout the spinner prop holes. I made up a cardboard spinner by taping strips of cardboard over the spinner. I will now use the cardboard spinner clone to get close on the prop cutout then trace it onto the actual spinner.

I will need to actuate the prop to make sure the shape is right for full fine and full pitch.

Are the factory stops adjusted approximately correct or is there futher adjustment (and spinner trimming) required after the initial setup?
 
mikeasselin said:
Are the factory stops adjusted approximately correct or is there futher adjustment (and spinner trimming) required after the initial setup?
Click to expand...

I have never had to adjust my props from the factory settings, and have had no issues.
 
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