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I was finally able to find some hangar space at a somewhat local airport (KXSA if anyone wants to come say hi!) so this weekend i'm going to get the kitfox loaded on the trailer and to the airport. Ill be loading it on my open car trailer and as of now i'm planning on pulling it on backwards. I would appreciate any tips/callouts for things i might not be thinking about before I get started loading it up on Friday.
Thanks!!
-Brandon
Start here. https://teamkitfox.com/Forums/search...268&pp=&page=2
and:
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 haulerhttps://teamkitfox.com/Forums/thread...milies/mad.png 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.
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.
Great info here!! Thank you for taking the time to write all this out. I have seen bits and pieces of this but never all together.
Alas however, your link doesn't work. I think it's a link to a search you made but it shows up as "No matches". What was it you searched for. Want to be sure I get to see all you saw.
Thanks
Geek
Sorry about the bad link. It was to a bunch of trailering posts. You can find them through the search engine.
A little different perspective. Our Kitfox travels with us as we tour the country in our 44' motor coach. The system was created to allow a Jeep Grand Cherokee to ride in the trailer with the plane. And the Jeep can tow the trailer for short hauls. That means I have a strong suspension system. As mentioned, use the main gear to cushion the road. My tail set up actually provides some shock absorption. And the thru hole in the fuselage is your best friend. https://www.blackpearladventures.com/the-trailerQuote:
Originally Posted by bstell