Flyboy Accessories tail wheel lift

[scsmith]

Yesterday I received my Flyboys tailwheel lift. You might recall a posting a little while ago soliciting interest in putting the tail wheel lift back in production, after the original producer stopped making them, at least I think that is how the story goes. Anyway, I responded at that time that I would be interested. When I do oil changes, I have to lift the tail up on a stool to get the sump level enough to drain completely. There are other times when it is handy to have the fuselage level too. I'm just getting a little too old to keep risking my back lifting the tail up onto the stool. Also the airplane is very vulnerable with the tail on a stool, even with the wheels chocked. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Flyboys saying that the lift would be ready for shipment in a few weeks and would I like to buy one. So I paid them and it arrived yesterday.

Experimental Aero Tail-Lift

There are a number of good reasons you might need to lift the tailwheel of your airplane and there are precious few good ways to do the job. You could lift the tail by hand and stack a pile of junk to create a wobbly platform to put the tail on. If you're lucky, you might throw out your back in...

flyboyaccessories.com

I put it together at the hangar today and tried it out. It was easy to assemble, and it works exactly as advertised. If I were to find any complaint, it would be that at one step in the assembly, you have to remove an existing bolt in the supplied hand-crank-winch to change the lift strap, and of course that bolt and nut are metric. Since (as far as I know) there is not a single metric fastener in my airplane, there are no metric tools at the hangar. I had to improvise.

I think if I swiveled the tail wheel around to the normal position, the rudder would clear the lifting post.

As a product development suggestion, I would say to design a companion system that is beefier for heavier tailwheel airplanes. This one has a capacity of 150 lbs, and I am pretty sure the C-180 Skywagon tail is heavier than that to lift (ask me how I know).

 

[danny]

Yesterday I received my Flyboys tailwheel lift. You might recall a posting a little while ago soliciting interest in putting the tail wheel lift back in production, after the original producer stopped making them, at least I think that is how the story goes. Anyway, I responded at that time that I would be interested. When I do oil changes, I have to lift the tail up on a stool to get the sump level enough to drain completely. There are other times when it is handy to have the fuselage level too. I'm just getting a little too old to keep risking my back lifting the tail up onto the stool. Also the airplane is very vulnerable with the tail on a stool, even with the wheels chocked. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Flyboys saying that the lift would be ready for shipment in a few weeks and would I like to buy one. So I paid them and it arrived yesterday.

Experimental Aero Tail-Lift

There are a number of good reasons you might need to lift the tailwheel of your airplane and there are precious few good ways to do the job. You could lift the tail by hand and stack a pile of junk to create a wobbly platform to put the tail on. If you're lucky, you might throw out your back in...

flyboyaccessories.com

I put it together at the hangar today and tried it out. It was easy to assemble, and it works exactly as advertised. If I were to find any complaint, it would be that at one step in the assembly, you have to remove an existing bolt in the supplied hand-crank-winch to change the lift strap, and of course that bolt and nut are metric. Since (as far as I know) there is not a single metric fastener in my airplane, there are no metric tools at the hangar. I had to improvise.

View attachment 61941
I think if I swiveled the tail wheel around to the normal position, the rudder would clear the lifting post.

As a product development suggestion, I would say to design a companion system that is beefier for heavier tailwheel airplanes. This one has a capacity of 150 lbs, and I am pretty sure the C-180 Skywagon tail is heavier than that to lift (ask me how I know).

Very cool! I have one of the original lifts. I can lift the tail high enough to level it. Love it.

 

[gmcjetpilot]

That just does not look right to me, and the Fly Boy price is A-Fly-No for me. Yes rudder clearance is an issue (especially RV7 with wide cord rudder).
The side to side stability is likely not an issue, unlss tempted to push at top of lift or one wing to rotate plane. Tiny wheels hits crack in hanger floor?
How do you lock wheel into cradle? If wheel locks in and weight of lift keeps chance of nose tipping that is great.
If all it does is lift tail wheel, I don't see the value unless you can freely move the plane around like it was on the tailwheel.
You can make things for less..... For me it is lift with knees and a milk crate. Seems to work OK.
Sorry Fly Boy you have cool stuff, but this lift might be tempting at half the price.

 

[Jaypratt]

Yesterday I received my Flyboys tailwheel lift. You might recall a posting a little while ago soliciting interest in putting the tail wheel lift back in production, after the original producer stopped making them, at least I think that is how the story goes. Anyway, I responded at that time that I would be interested. When I do oil changes, I have to lift the tail up on a stool to get the sump level enough to drain completely. There are other times when it is handy to have the fuselage level too. I'm just getting a little too old to keep risking my back lifting the tail up onto the stool. Also the airplane is very vulnerable with the tail on a stool, even with the wheels chocked. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Flyboys saying that the lift would be ready for shipment in a few weeks and would I like to buy one. So I paid them and it arrived yesterday.

Experimental Aero Tail-Lift

There are a number of good reasons you might need to lift the tailwheel of your airplane and there are precious few good ways to do the job. You could lift the tail by hand and stack a pile of junk to create a wobbly platform to put the tail on. If you're lucky, you might throw out your back in...

flyboyaccessories.com

I put it together at the hangar today and tried it out. It was easy to assemble, and it works exactly as advertised. If I were to find any complaint, it would be that at one step in the assembly, you have to remove an existing bolt in the supplied hand-crank-winch to change the lift strap, and of course that bolt and nut are metric. Since (as far as I know) there is not a single metric fastener in my airplane, there are no metric tools at the hangar. I had to improvise.

View attachment 61941
I think if I swiveled the tail wheel around to the normal position, the rudder would clear the lifting post.

As a product development suggestion, I would say to design a companion system that is beefier for heavier tailwheel airplanes. This one has a capacity of 150 lbs, and I am pretty sure the C-180 Skywagon tail is heavier than that to lift (ask me how I know).

I use a Genie Lift. On my RV and Skywagon.. metric bolts? What were they thinking?

 

[BruceW]

Yesterday I received my Flyboys tailwheel lift. You might recall a posting a little while ago soliciting interest in putting the tail wheel lift back in production, after the original producer stopped making them, at least I think that is how the story goes. Anyway, I responded at that time that I would be interested. When I do oil changes, I have to lift the tail up on a stool to get the sump level enough to drain completely. There are other times when it is handy to have the fuselage level too. I'm just getting a little too old to keep risking my back lifting the tail up onto the stool. Also the airplane is very vulnerable with the tail on a stool, even with the wheels chocked. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Flyboys saying that the lift would be ready for shipment in a few weeks and would I like to buy one. So I paid them and it arrived yesterday.

Experimental Aero Tail-Lift

There are a number of good reasons you might need to lift the tailwheel of your airplane and there are precious few good ways to do the job. You could lift the tail by hand and stack a pile of junk to create a wobbly platform to put the tail on. If you're lucky, you might throw out your back in...

flyboyaccessories.com

I put it together at the hangar today and tried it out. It was easy to assemble, and it works exactly as advertised. If I were to find any complaint, it would be that at one step in the assembly, you have to remove an existing bolt in the supplied hand-crank-winch to change the lift strap, and of course that bolt and nut are metric. Since (as far as I know) there is not a single metric fastener in my airplane, there are no metric tools at the hangar. I had to improvise.

View attachment 61941
I think if I swiveled the tail wheel around to the normal position, the rudder would clear the lifting post.

As a product development suggestion, I would say to design a companion system that is beefier for heavier tailwheel airplanes. This one has a capacity of 150 lbs, and I am pretty sure the C-180 Skywagon tail is heavier than that to lift (ask me how I know).

Um, would turning the tailwheel around make the tail light clear the lift?

 

[mburch]

Um, would turning the tailwheel around make the tail light clear the lift?

So it seems:

I think if I swiveled the tail wheel around to the normal position, the rudder would clear the lifting post.

I don't enjoy spending $500 on anything either, but considering a good-quality towbar will set you back $275 these days, I feel the price here is fair. Mine is sitting in my hangar waiting for me to assemble it - fortunately I do have metric tools!

 

[Mikeyb]

 

[Freemasm]

.... Mine is sitting in my hangar waiting for me to assemble it - fortunately I do have metric tools!

I was raised in the South. I too have a full set of metric wrenches.

I actually do have metric tools but that wasn't always the case growing up. Sorry. Couldn't resist.

 

[jjb]

Um, would turning the tailwheel around make the tail light clear the lift?

On my RV-7, the rudder with an AeroLeds position light will not clear the Flyboy tailwheel lift until it reaches about the point shown in the photo, even with the tailwheel as shown.

In any lower position, the rudder must be deflected to one side, regardless of tailwheel position, as shown in the OP’s post.

For RV-7 users, extra care is required to avoid damage.

It is a great product that I am highly satisfied with, both as to cost and function, but confess slight disappointment on the RV-7 rudder clearance issue.

Perhaps this can be addressed in the next production run, and maybe a retrofit can be made available to RV-7 owners.

 

[Sam Buchanan]

That just does not look right to me, and the Fly Boy price is A-Fly-No for me. Yes rudder clearance is an issue (especially RV7 with wide cord rudder).
The side to side stability is likely not an issue, unlss tempted to push at top of lift or one wing to rotate plane. Tiny wheels hits crack in hanger floor?
How do you lock wheel into cradle? If wheel locks in and weight of lift keeps chance of nose tipping that is great.
If all it does is lift tail wheel, I don't see the value unless you can freely move the plane around like it was on the tailwheel.
You can make things for less..... For me it is lift with knees and a milk crate. Seems to work OK.
Sorry Fly Boy you have cool stuff, but this lift might be tempting at half the price.

My personal experience with a tail hoist is the wooden version I built that has appeared here in previous posts and also an article in KitPlanes magazine. Here are my observations in response to the above quoted post.

Rudder clearance is usually not a problem but can be addressed by slightly deflecting the rudder. The photo that was posted earlier in this thread is an outlier, I've never seen a tail hoist used with the tailwheel "backwards".

The main wheels MUST be chocked fore and aft when the tail hoist is used. That greatly adds to the rigidity of the hoisted airframe.

Consequently, NEVER attempt to move the RV when on the hoist. I don't step into the airplane unless a sturdy prop has been placed under the aft fuse. The wheels on the hoist are to allow it to roll fore and aft as necessary as the tail is hoisted. They are not designed to allow the aircraft to be moved.

Tip-over may be a concern if the RV is very nose heavy or is hoisted too high. This has never been a concern with my RV-6 as it has sufficient weight aft and I don't hoist it past longerons level. If tip-over is a concern, an additional weight will be needed, the hoist isn't heavy enough to solve this issue and securing the tailwheel to the hoist is a moot point.

As to whether or not there is value in using a tail hoist, it really depends on the condition of your personal meat hoist. I moved my RV-6 up onto a prop with the lift and grunt method for 20 years until I decided it was time to preserve my back so I could still enter and egress the cockpit without another hoist!

In regards to the price of the hoist being discussed, if the cost of metal and labor is fairly considered, the $500 price point is very reasonable. How much does it cost in $$$'s and time to have a ruptured disc repaired?

I commend Fly Boys for bringing this item back to market for those who feel it is beneficial to their maintenance program.

Below is my redneck version. One thing I don't see on the Fly Boys version is a safety catch. I wanted something in addition to the latch on the winch to prevent a catastrophic release.....you can see the eyebolt beneath the lift cradle on my hoist that would catch a winch failure.

 

[RV6_flyer]

If I were to find any complaint, it would be that at one step in the assembly, you have to remove an existing bolt in the supplied hand-crank-winch to change the lift strap, and of course that bolt and nut are metric. Since (as far as I know) there is not a single metric fastener in my airplane, there are no metric tools at the hangar. I had to improvise.

Most likely the EXPERIMENTAL alternator on your airplane has some METRIC hardware.

The strap winch is a PURCHASED part in the kit and as such I am betting that one could not be sourced Made in the USA at a reasonable price.

 

[RV6_flyer]

In regards to the price of the hoist being discussed, if the cost of metal and labor is fairly considered, the $500 price point is very reasonable. How much does it cost in $$$'s and time to have a ruptured disc repaired?

I commend Fly Boys for bringing this item back to market for those who feel it is beneficial to their maintenance program.

I agree.

I purchased one and am happy with it.

I explained to one friend that most people under 50 do not needed it. Many people between 50 and 60 can get by without one. Once one is over 65, you may want one because you can no longer lift the tail without some sort of pain for the next several days.

I did without one for 26-years. 2 or 3-years ago, I had an inflamed rotator cuff from taking a box off a high shelf. I put the box there without issue but getting it down caused 12 or so physical therapy sessions to get complete range of motion of my left arm back to normal.

For me, the cost and shop space it takes up was worth it to prevent future suffering as I recognize that I am unable to do some of the things I could when I was younger.

 

[chrispratt]

A bought the original "yellow" version years ago and regard it as one of the best investments I ever made. It's convenience far outweighed the cost and I use it frequently. If you'd like to buy mine -- forget it, it's not for sale.

It was disappointing when the original maker stopped building them but it seemed the market was too small to justify continuing; many of the builders on this site commented that they could build one of their own cheaper rather than pay the price at the time. So the market spoke, and the OEM listened. Bye-bye. I can see some design differences in the Fly Boys current version but same concept. This still seems to be a good investment to my way of thinking.

Chris

 

[scsmith]

Um, would turning the tailwheel around make the tail light clear the lift?

Yes. I think I mentioned that in my post. I had just rolled the airplane back, and did not bother to turn the wheel around. With the tail wheel in normal trail, there is clearance for the rudder to swing if you needed to.

 

[scsmith]

Most likely the EXPERIMENTAL alternator on your airplane has some METRIC hardware.

The strap winch is a PURCHASED part in the kit and as such I am betting that one could not be sourced Made in the USA at a reasonable price.

Both points are correct.

 

[HFS]

I was raised in the South. I too have a full set of metric wrenches.
View attachment 61969
I actually do have metric tools but that wasn't always the case growing up. Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Us "hillbillies" call that the "Oakie Socket Set"

 

[gmcjetpilot]

Rudder clearance is usually not a problem but can be addressed by slightly deflecting the rudder. The photo that was posted earlier in this thread is an outlier, I've never seen a tail hoist used with the tailwheel "backwards".

The RV-7 rudder has a wider chord rudder than the RV-6 chord, as shown. Not saying it does not work, just I don't need one. I am sure some agree with me. Also I'm sure some people can't live without this. For me personally the ground handing of tailwheel (full swivel) RV is easy, and the way I do maintenance this tool is not "needed".

I don't need too much arm twisting to buy a new tool. However I would buy a tailwheel tow bar before the lift. I can still pick the tail-up. Not saying this tool has no value, just not for me. If it is a great useful tool people need and want, and market sees value at that price, it will sell.

 

[Larco]

Say what you want but at 82 this is the best thing since sliced bread. Hats off to Flyboys. Jack her up to whatever height and put a stand under the fuselage and good to go.
Made my own but close enough. Larry

 

[jjb]

The RV-7 rudder has a wider chord rudder than the RV-6 chord, as shown. Not saying it does not work, just I don't need one. I am sure some agree with me. Also I'm sure some people can't live without this. For me personally the ground handing of tailwheel (full swivel) RV is easy, and the way I do maintenance this tool is not "needed".

Exactly. You have made an important point for RV-7 owners.

My RV-7 rudder significantly conflicts in the lower 2/3 of the tail lift, and using the tail lift without taking extra care would cause damage.

Yes the clearance can be addressed by deflecting the rudder.

But deflecting the rudder also deflects the tail wheel, so it enters the trolley "slot" on an angle. When the lift is raised, the tailwheel automatically centers again in the "slot", pulling my RV-7 rudder and position light into the side of the lifting post and again risking damage. The rudder has to be continuously held deflected against the spring tension on the tailwheel chains to clear the vertical post and strap, until everything gets in the top third of the lift range where it barely clears, as shown in the picture attached to my earlier post.

So the lack of clearance remains an annoyance and small disappointment although overall I am highly satisfied with the tail lift.

RV-7 owners contemplating a purchase should be aware of this.

 

[mburch]

I assembled my tail lift yesterday and can confirm that in its current form it's less than ideal if you have an RV-9/14 style rudder on an RV-7, since it doesn't clear the rudder or tail light. This means you can't safely push the airplane onto the tail lift, so you end up still having to manually lift the tail onto the tail lift, and then use the winch to raise it the rest of the way.

 

[Ironflight]

I assembled my tail lift yesterday and can confirm that in its current form it's less than ideal if you have an RV-9/14 style rudder on an RV-7, since it doesn't clear the rudder or tail light. This means you can't safely push the airplane onto the tail lift, so you end up still having to manually lift the tail onto the tail lift, and then use the winch to raise it the rest of the way.

We have the “original”, and I never push the airplane onto the lift, I push the lift under the tailwheel with a quick little bump. I’ve never had an issue with the rudder, but I’ve only used it with the original -3, -6, and -8 rudders…..

 

[JonJay]

Interesting. The original tailmate stanchion was angled backward.
The new one is vertical, straight up.
Did this make the difference?
As far as I know, the original worked fine for the 7, or at least I never heard these comments in that regard.

 

[mburch]

We have the “original”, and I never push the airplane onto the lift, I push the lift under the tailwheel with a quick little bump. I’ve never had an issue with the rudder, but I’ve only used it with the original -3, -6, and -8 rudders…..

I thought about this, but I think for my airplane it would almost be a two-person job... one person behind to push, and one in front to ensure the safety of the rudder!

 

[RV8iator]

I easily push the lift trolley under my tailwheel by edging it up until it’s touching the wheel, then a slight bump and the wheel just hops on!
I’m not old, just vintage and it’s a great advantage to lifting up my plane.
Like other things, just my opinion and everybody’s got one. Mine is worth exactly what you paid for it.

 

[jjb]

We have the “original”, and I never push the airplane onto the lift, I push the lift under the tailwheel with a quick little bump. I’ve never had an issue with the rudder, but I’ve only used it with the original -3, -6, and -8 rudders…..

That is how I do it.

Even that way on an RV-7 with the standard rudder, you risk smashing into the aft edge of the rudder or position light unless the rudder is manually held deflected against tailwheel chain spring tension.

As the lift "slot" engages the tailwheel on the ground, it tends to re-center the tailwheel and pushes the rudder and position light straight again, into the lift. It definitely re-centers the tail wheel as soon as the lift comes up off the ground, on mine at least.

It is workable, but a bit of a process when solo since one hand has to maneuver the lift and the other hold the rudder out of the way, Concur it is less than ideal as noted above.

YMMV

 

[BruceW]

On the "why need this product" sub-thread; I have polished wings and parts of the fuse, and having the hoist to raise and lower during polishing (particularly under the wings) is a great advantage. (And yes, I do place support under the tail after I reset the height with the hoist.)