Trailering a Kitfox 2

[estepec]

Hi, I saw some old posts on damage to the fuse on a KF that was trailer ed over a long distance. What is the safest,securest way to trailer a KF? I seen someone mention blocking the fuse. Thank you all!

[HighWing]

Hi,
I trailered my Model IV about 50 miles North per the FAA's demands on my flight test area. I folded the wings and used the factory wing lock back braces and the wing support tubes. Conventional wisdom says you shouldn't let the tail rest on the tail wheel because road bumps can damage the spring. I made up a support for the tail wheel that had a spring damper to reduce forces on the aft fuselage during road bumps.

[egp8111]

There is a pretty good thread on Kitfox trailering with pictures over on the matronics Kit[ox list. Nothing too complex but you want to get supports right or you can do damage. I trailered mine 350 mile with no problems following the advise. EG

[kitfox5v]

Hello, I recently trailered my 4 from Mt. Airy N.C. on a low profile 20 ft. trailer I built for light farm use. About 300 miles +-. I mounted it to the front of the trailer at the rear mount for a tow bar. Its a 5/16's hole just ahead of the tail wheel. Used two 1/4 inch Stanley angle braces from Lowe's. Blocked the main wheels, strapped it down and drove home at 50 to 60 mph. No problems whatsoever. That's the beautiful part of a Kitfox. It was made with that purpose in mind. That's my tail. Good luck, Eddie ;)

[Jfquebec]

Dont support the aircraft on his fuselage ...only on wheel ...or put a lot of foam..A LOT....my friend making a trip with his titan tornado with support on the tail beam and.....lot of damage...and my kitfox make a trip from north carolina to abitibi ( Québec) and the guy's put the tail fuselage right on tail gate of trailer with foam,and she bend..but not to much...so take care of that....

[Av8r_Sed]

The best way is an enclosed trailer. Short of that, a modified boat trailer is common. Depends a little on how far you're planning to go.

Don't use a flatbed equipment trailer designed for heavier loads.

Try to tow with the fuselage level to keep some of the weight off the tail. My trailer has angle braces that line up with one of the through holes in the tail that were designed for the optional tow bar. I use a threaded rod through there for support.

Pad the vertical stab and rudder to prevent the flaperons from rubbing a hole through the fabric.

Use the wing tie back braces.

Make some padded braces to hold the elevator in line with the horizontal stab. I used 1x4 pine padded with carpeting top and bottom and wing nut bolts to clamp them together.

Make some wing braces that support the leading edge of the wing. Mine were made up from 1/2 thinwall conduit.

Since the turtledeck will be off, think about what will happen if it rains. Some folks plastic wrap their instrument panel for protection.

Be careful about how you tie it down. Don't put any strap or tie down over the fuselage or you may bend tubing. I used ratchet straps around my tires and secondary tie downs from the landing gear legs to the trailer.

If you happen to have a clutch, tie down the prop against windmilling.

[DesertFox4]

It took a while to type this response up and several have given good advice but this is my response with some repeat of advice from others-




I will assume that you want to trailer over a long distance and not just a mile or two to the nearest airport.

First off, use a light trailer. A car hauler:mad: will transfer every road bump into your airframe since it is sprung for cars and light truck loads. Lightly sprung boat trailers work great with some modifications like longer tongue, winch for pulling the Kitfox up onto the trailer, ramp decking for main gear tires, tool box ect. Remember you are only hauling 600lbs. approx.

1. Make sure fuel tanks are 1/2 empty or better completely empty. This will reduce the stressed on the rear wing spar attach points.

2. Remove and safely store the turtle deck in your tow vehicle.

3. Winch the Kitfox up on the trailer before folding the wings.

4. Elevate the tail onto a support bracket that attaches securely to the trailer and utilizes the through tube near the front of the tail wheel spring attach bracket. This is also done before the wings are folded otherwise the tail will be very heavy and hard to align the support bracket. This can be a homemade bracket. This through tube will accept a length of redi-bolt that you will run through the support bracket and the Kitfox fuselage. This support will take the weight of the folded wings and tail section of fuselage. The tail wheel and rear fuselage will not be able to handle the shifted weight of the folded wings during transport. This is how vertical tail posts got broken in combination with too heavy of a trailer suspension. Damaged tail posts are not always easy to detect just by visual inspection.

4. Unpin the front spar and fold one wing back , then the other. Secure the wings with supplied hardware that should come with the aircraft. Caution! Before folding, on my model 3, I had to have the flap handle in a specified setting and the control stick centered to avoid damaging the linkages from control rods to flapperons during wing folding. Your model 2 has the same control system if memory serves.

5. When securing the airframe to the trailer use ratchet straps to secure only the main gear tires to the trailer deck. This allows the aircraft to bounce on the main gear/tires to absorb road shock. Do not use other strong points on the airframe to tie the airframe to the trailer. This will override the main gear suspension and again transmit road shock to the airframe. Securing the airframe incorrectly will put more stress on the airframe during a moderate distance haul than likely a lifetime of flying.

6. Secure flight controls, rudder and elevator with padded boards or the like to prevent them from moving during transport. I'm making the assumption that you have loaded the Kitfox to have the tail forward and not the the nose. Secure the stick too with with bungee straps or seat belts.
If you have a two-stroke motor you may need to secure the prop so it does not windmill the whole trip.

7. Use support rods for the forward spar attach points down to your strut attach points on the fuselage. This will take stress off the unsupported front spar during transport.

8. Some owners like to seal up the open turtle deck area against rain and debris during long hauls. Shrink plastic could be used.

9. Make sure all switches are off on the panel and secure the doors.

[estepec]

Thank you all, very much for these responses!!! If anyone has pictures, can you post them? I do have some long trips and concerned about damage. I want to do it the right way! Thanks again group. Ed

[Dave F]

on topic -- Kitfox 2 on a trailer

loading from start to finish


travelled about 1500 miles or more with zero damages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8aBSJbegCw

[kitfox2009]

I have pics of my trailer on this forum. You may get some ideas here. I trailered from Southern CA to BC Canada with no issues.
I agree with others. Do not use a heavy car hauler.
A saddle attached with pins running through the carry tubes seems to more evenly distribute the load at the rear of the fuselage.
Good luck.
Don

[t j]

Wheel tire sling tie downs made from 16 foot long ratchet straps.
5351

I saw a tri gear Avid that was damaged by tying the nose wheel down tight to the trailer and the tail tight to a stand. The light duty trailer flexed and bent the fuselage. Tie it down by the main gear and tail only.

Also, I don't like threaded rod or bolt threads inside any tubing. I made smooth pins out of longer 5/16 bolts for both the front wing spar supports and tail support tube.

[DesertFox4]

Also, I don't like threaded rod or bolt threads inside any tubing. I made smooth pins out of longer 5/16 bolts for both the front wing spar supports and tail support tube.

That's a valid point Tom. Towing a Kitfox properly takes a little thought and preparation to get it there in great condition.

[FitchUpNorth]

My 2 trailered like a champ from GA to MN using the common sense illustrated by others already on here.... I made up a trailer ball arrangement that supported the tail off the wheel. made it 1000 miles plus no worries. Got here fit to fly and ready to go. The weak point I am hearing is the tailwheel attachment structure, adds flex to the fuse, which can distort and ****can your plans to fly at the other end. Support the fuse from the fuse support points, and you should have no problems, as I did...

Greasy side down.....