Which Prop To Order

[rv7guy2]

Ready to order the Hartzell prop for my plane BUT was wondering which diameter to order? I have an RV-7 with an IO-360 engine. Should I order the 74 inch or 72 inch diameter? I plan on doing some grass stripping and I was wondering if a 74 inch prop might reduce the ground clearance too much for safety? And would the 72 " make much difference in climb and cruie?

Dave C
C-GCPD

 

[dan]

Iirc, Van's recommends the 74" for the nosedragger and the 72" for the taildragger. The 72" should cruise slightly faster but may not climb quite as quickly. I'm happy with my 7666A4 (72"), but I haven't flown with a 74" on my plane.

I hear some people recommending going with the longer blade -- that way if you hit something you still have that extra 1" on each blade that can be removed as part of a repair. My feeling is...if I hit something that 1" is not likely to make much of a difference. Just my 2 cents.