If I were gonna have an enclosed trailer

[shortfielder]

for a mod. 4 or 5 with Grove gear and 26" tires, how high would the opening have to be on the trailer,to get the airplane in?
Thanks again Gary

[SkyPirate]

a tricylce gear with stock gear is 8 foot tall,..a tail dragger is 5'8"? I think ..with stock gear,..so if you got a trailer that a tricycle gear will fit into ,..you'd be covered,.unless your talkiong about a tricycle with tall tires

what ever the tire size is over the stock tire,..split the hieght dimension and subtract 1/2 the original stock tire height from 1/2 the new tire height ,..this will give you your new height dimension plus 1/2 the stock height .


Chase

[shortfielder]

Hey Chase

Thanks for the response. It would be a taildragger. I am assuming on a taildragger, with a 3 bladed prop., the prop. would be the tallest point.

Does the Grove gear put things at the same height as the stock gear?

And your # would be with the prop. turned for maximm benefit??

Gary

[SkyPirate]

I can't tell you exactly the height difference ,.I can only give you a close guestimation,..what will matter is the tire you choose the ammount of air pressure you choose to put in the tire ,. prop diameter etc..too many variables to give you an exact measurement with out actually doing what your proposing and measuring it,..
I'd say it would be safe to say it's around 6.5 foot to 7 foot unless your swinging a 96 inch prop

Chase

[shortfielder]

Hey Chase
Thanks. Maybe someone with that setup will chime in w/some approx. numbers.

Have a good evening Gary

[SkyPirate]

no problem Gary ,..you were talking ab out a 3 blade prop right?

Chase

[shortfielder]

Hey Chase

Yes, that is right. I should be able to make my decision in the next couple weeks, as to which model will work best for me. But with either model, I'm expecting/hoping to have the 912s, which seems to usually have the 3 blade.

Gary

[SkyPirate]

good choice ,..either the 912 or 912s ,..either will get you off the ground quick with a 3 blade,..might want to also ask for perfomance differences between IVO Warp etc on which aspect of which prop works best for your purpose

Chase

[SkyPirate]

I still plan on building this trailer when i build a kitfox

[enyaw]

Been through this. We did quite a bit of research on what was available and finally got a semi-custom trailer from 1st Interstate in Nampa, ID.

We are building a tail dragger and the trailer (http://www.facebook.com/pages/N517WD/132606786269?v=photos&ref=ts#/photo.php?pid=2860636&id=132606786269) we got will not work for a trike. The issue is not the tail height (with the wings folded the CG shifts so the tail drops), but the placement of the main gear and the location of the wheel wells. Good luck.

Wayne

[shortfielder]

good choice ,..either the 912 or 912s ,..either will get you off the ground quick with a 3 blade,..might want to also ask for perfomance differences between IVO Warp etc on which aspect of which prop works best for your purpose


Hey Chase

I live in Durango Colo. We start ast 6700', and go up. So, I think the 912s is really the best for my application. That was why I had asked about conversions, or modifying for power under another section.

I am aware of the fact that there is a big gray science regarding props. I have been looking into them a little. I will get more serious once I get a plane. Hopefully, whatever I get, will have a good one.

I think of props as more of a mod. than a deal breaker. I expect to do some mods to make whatever plane I get, fit my needs. The fewer the better of course, but no doubt, there will be some.

Your trailer looks like it will be awesome.



Merry Christmas to you and your family Hope you enjy the holidays
Blue skies and calm winds to you
Gary

[SkyPirate]

I'm not sure of the differences on the airfoil but I'd ask
John if he still offers the heavy hauler wing,..if there is enough of a difference bewteen the wings to justify,.meaning how much speed do you lose for more camber in the wing etc,..

Chase

[t j]

Gary, I can't answer your question specifically but can give you some numbers that are as close as I can measure while shivering in my cold shop this morning.

Classic 4 with 18 inch tires and stock tube gear. 72 inch two blade prop positioned at 60 degrees from straight up to simulate a 3 blade height is 73 and 1/2 inches.

For what its worth the model 4's I have seen with the grove gear in the tail wheel position sit lower than the stock gear does.

Tom

[shortfielder]

Tom

Thanks for getting that info for me. Hope it warms up for you soon.
We are 0 right now in Durango. With a high of 20 for today. But the sun will be out, and it will be a great day to fly.

Have a great day in Wa. Gary

[shortfielder]

Interesting about the Grove gear. I would have expected it to be the taller gear. I guess if you were to order it from Grove, they could make it any height you wanted.
Gary

[Pilot4Life]

shortfielder,

just a thought about ordering gear directly from grove...remember that anything different than what's been tested out will be a trial and error work for the airplane. Hopefully more trial than error! It will effect your view also while taxi-ing. You'd be amazed at what tire pressure will do with perspective as well. We've had different pressures in our tires on the Blackhawks and you just feel different doing ground maneuvering. Takes a bit to get used to the differences, but it works! Good luck!

[shortfielder]

P4L
Thanks.
What are ya doin here if you want an s7? Just kiddin. And thanks for your service to our country.

I was hot on the trail for an s7, but ended up I couldn't afford one. I don't know much about the Kf's, but am on the express lane to finding out. Hopeing to ride in a few different models w/in the next week or so.

Got a lot of questins at this point, and getting a lot of help from the folks here.

Mytake sofar, is that these planes may be as good or better than the s7. Certainly more affordable. Probably better in some ways, and not as good in others. But should do a good job for my mission.

I was reluctant to do the side by side seating. Affraid it would be too tight for flying for extended periods w/a passenger. I had a C150 once, and it was pretty tight, and I see these compared to the 150.

I do quite a bit of backcountry flying w/my 180, so I have/and still do, play around with different size tires and different pressures.

If the spring gear is shorter than the tubular, I wouldn't expect to many issues getting one to matchup length wise to the tubular gear. ?????

Have a great day, I just got back from flyin, and it is a great day here in SW Colo.
Gary

[Pilot4Life]

Shortfielder (and anyone else who may have wondered!),

Sorry for the confusion, but I was simply abbreviating and not trying to spell out Series 7 Super Sport, so I went with S7. I've since made the change and can't imagine owning a different type of experimental for the "fun" flying a KF would bring. Trust me friend, I'm a true Kitfox enthusiast to the end. Can't wait to get ahold of my very own Super Sport! Measuring in at 6' 2", 200 lbs, I know I'd prefer the greater leg room and "extra wide" cabin. Good to see you had a great flight in SW Colorado. Stay safe and take care! Merry Christmas!

[t j]

Gary, I don't know if the grove gear is shorter or not. The nose sits lower with the grove due in part at least to it being mounted further forward than the tube gear. It is mounted about half way between the front tube gear mount and float mount.

I just know the nose sits lower with the grove gear from my experience taking some training in a model 4 with the grove then getting in my tube gear 4 there is a noticeable sight difference over the nose when the tail wheel is on the ground.

Tom