RV-4 gear legs

[pgroell]

Hello,

a friend of mine would like to know the weight of a pair of RV-4 gear legs. I think he wants to install them in a Pitts he's building.
Has anybody this figure?
Thanks

 

[cguarino]

I have some to sell

If anybody is looking for a set, I have a set of short gear legs and the motor mount (conical) that I'd like to sell.

 

[SvingenB]

On my bathroom scale one leg weigh somewhere between 6 and 7 kg, 12-14 kg for both legs, if this is of any help. I mean, it's not exactly a high precision instrument, but shouldn't be too far off.

 

[pierre smith]

Why?

tell your friend the tapered rod gear legs would be a poor choice for the pitts. The tapered rod gear will allow too much toe in and out on touch down which will cause alot of swerving that would make the pitts even tougher to handle on the ground.

Hi Chris,
Why are the tapered rod gears so good on RV -4's, -6's and -7s and wouldn't be for a Pitts? These models of ours don't particularly swerve. Reckon it might be because of the steeper angle that the Pitts sits?

Regards,

 

[pgroell]

On my bathroom scale one leg weigh somewhere between 6 and 7 kg, 12-14 kg for both legs, if this is of any help. I mean, it's not exactly a high precision instrument, but shouldn't be too far off. Today 06:06 PM

Thanks Bj?rnar, maybe I'll be able to make it to Hoganas one of the coming years.

 

[vupilot]

Actually, RV-4 rod gear has been used quite succesfully on several Pitts S-1. Paul Muhle's Gold Lindy 2007 winning S-1 I believe has RV-4 legs and famed Pitts guru Steve Wolf uses them as well and even sells the retrofit kit. I believe the reno Pitts drivers prefer the rod gear due to reduced drag but Im not sure about any weight savings over the bungee or spring gear.

Chris

 

[Flybipe]

You'd be surprised...

Sean Tucker's Pitts' have all had RV rod gear on them - so do a number of Pitts that have been modified over the years by Steve Wolf and others, and a number of other planes use the tapered rod (although not from Vans) such as many of the Cessnas, Tailwinds, Lancairs, etc.

If they are set up correctly for what ever airplane they are on, they work fine. Steve Witman came up with them, that's why they are often called the Witman tapered rod gear.

Oh, and the rod gear dramatically improves the ground handling of the Pitts over the stock gear, which I can attest to.

 

[Little_Richard]

Pitts Gear legs

I think Wolf is actually using RV-3 gear legs, and recently, modified RV-3 gear legs. The RV-3's are a bit shorter and lighter as well as they are smaller in Diameter. I don't know that this matters too much, except the original poster may want to look at the RV-3s also.