Quad Fox Build

[Kitfoxfly5521]

Hello everyone! We received our kit a few months ago and it has been a very rewarding process so far! This part of the forum has been a lot of fun to watch and figured I should jump in as well! I have really enjoyed following everyones builds and I have learned a lot.

We came up with the Quad Fox because we just added a new baby girl to the family and now we have 4 of us building the plane! I have tried to make it as much as a family project as I can!

We a currently working on the rudder pedals. I have begun fitting the torque tubes with the bearings and only had to remove a little of the powder coating from the inside of the right pilot side pedal but the co pilot side still has a bit of friction. i have tried to leave the torque tubes untouched but I think I may need to remove some powder coating to account for the co pilot left pedal has a bit of a bow in it. I have seen some of you try to straighten it out and I have played with that without much luck. There isn't any friction depending on the bearing location but there are times as the bearing rotates it will grab in certain areas then there is a little friction.

I have noticed that the bolt that goes through the torque tube bushing on the mounting bracket isnt anywhere close to the right length. Has anyone else had seen that? Seems odd that it would be that far off and the fix would be to go up a size. The manual calls for a AN4-11A the threads barely reach the nylock part of the nut so i dont think just a thin washer will fix it.


The holidays have been a slow build time but we look forward to getting back at it!

Happy New Year!
Michael

[Geek]

Great name for the plane Michael!! I do think it a bit unfair as it appears you have a professional flight control adjuster adjusting your control rods!! Great that you are involving the family in this build. Some of my best memories of my dad are where he and I are in the shop building something.

Looks like you have a washer under both the bolt side and the nut. I'll admit to not looking at my manual to see what it called out but I did look at mine to see how much thread was showing. It wasn't the three full threads that I would normally expect BUT the end did just protrude through the nylock. I looked at my install and while I can't see the bolt side, I did use thin washers on the nut and it would not be a long stretch to think I used a thin one on the bolt side. As I got further into my build, I did order about 100 of the 1/4 normal and thin washers and the same for the #10 and #8s. I have used them in place of what was called out in a few places for certain.

Gary

[Kitfoxfly5521]

Thanks Gary! I do have a bit of advantage with my helper! I always loved tinkering in the garage and working on things with my dad an i hope to continue that!

I just have the one washer on the nut side but I may go down to the thin and see if that helps more than I think it would. I also may check the nut. I am away from the airplane and have been for about 2 weeks but I remember the AN3 nuts having a thinker and thinner nut maybe I grabbed the wrong one.

[alexM]

Those torque tube bushings look a little different than mine. It's possible they changed the part and the manual needs updating. In any case, adjusting bolt length and washer thickness in order to get proper thread engagement is just part of airplane building. Hopefully you've picked up one of those AN hardware gauges that allow you to identify what is in your hand (and not just trust the label on the bag). I use mine a lot.

Also, I had to remove ALL powder coating from inside those tubes in order to get free motion.

It's great that your family is involved. Keep it up!

[bbs428]

Lucky you - to be in Idaho so close to the mothership, lol.

Looks like our fellow airmen have you on track. Those torque tubes can be a pita. I also had to supplement my AN hardware, especially those thin washers!
You have to be part superman to endeavor to build a family, a career and a plane all at the same time!

All the best to you Michael, keep up the great work!

[Kitfoxfly5521]

Those torque tube bushings look a little different than mine. It's possible they changed the part and the manual needs updating…

I ended up swapping them with the size up bolt -12A work perfect! I just ordered a gauge! That was my first thought that the bolt was marked incorrectly.

I played with the tubes some more and got them moving freely! I put some grease on them and they feel perfect! Just took a bit of confidence to take more material away.

[jiott]

Don't forget Tinnerman nuts are a great option to nutplates and rivnuts. Much easier/quicker to install, last forever (they are hardened spring steel), give some float to allow for some misalignment, nearly instant replacement if that is ever required, and no special tools needed.

[Kitfoxfly5521]

Don't forget Tinnerman nuts are a great option to nutplates and rivnuts…

I did use tinnerman nuts in the floor boards. Great option! One issue i have with those is i drilled the holes for the side panels in the middle of the center console (1/2inch) from the bottle. i havent found any that have that length to reach the hole. But maybe im just not looking hard enough.

[jiott]

I did use tinnerman nuts in the floor boards. Great option! One issue i have with those is i drilled the holes for the side panels in the middle of the center console (1/2inch) from the bottle. i havent found any that have that length to reach the hole. But maybe im just not looking hard enough.

This problem can be solved by relieving the edge of the console (just notch it up) so that the tinnerman nut will reach the hole.

[jiott]

Make sure when you do the final control adjustment that this rod ends up with the bend hanging down.