weight and balance tail wheel lifting

[ken nougaret]

If you have rafters above you could use a ratchet strap with protective foam/blanket under fuse in front of horizontal and a come-a-long or hoist from above. Dont forget to chock the main wheels.

[jiott]

I used a high-lift jack under the handle on the left rear of the plane. Be careful though because this lift point is somewhat off center and you will need some way (ropes, etc.) to keep the tail from trying to swing to the side.

[t j]

Just curious, how much does a tail on a modern kitfox weigh?

[jiott]

My SS7 tail weighs about 100 lbs; but I have the heavy duty ABW tailwheel, and the speedster tail with all the extra airfoil ribs and fairings. I was surprised at how heavy the tail is. I don't lift mine up by hand either.

[t j]

Okay that explains the lifting problem. I suspect the position of the main wheels being further forward than a stock model 4 gear puts a significant higher percentage of the total weight on the tail too.

[av8rps]

Things have changed a bunch over the years. My A-Model Avid Flyer taildragger has an 11 lb tail weight. The empty weight of entire plane 396 lbs.

Bit in defense of our more modern models, the main gear has been raked forward quite a bit since the early Avid / Kitfox days resulting in even a light version can have a 60 lb tail weight. So the reality is that when talking about tail weights, one has to know specific landing gear model and/or axle center based on a common datum line.

[ken nougaret]

I have the standard tail wheel setup that came with my SS7. Level it weighs 59lbs.