Author: "Sunsetairstrip" <gh2538@...> Time: Sun Sep 15, 2002 6:28 am PDT Link
My RV-4 serial #1298 has just been found to have both lower weldments
cracked and both sides of firewall are buckling. I was getting braking
shimy recently and this is what I found. I fly off of a grass field
and it gets rough at the end of a very dry summer. I need an opinion
as to what others have done in this situation. 0-320 700 hours. What
new mount should I get and should I also consider taller legs? Is
there any work I will need to do inside of the firewall? I am
obviously not very happy right now. I did not build this plane myself
and I have flown it 300 hours in the past 15 months. TIA
Greg Hunsicker
Berryton, KS
Author: "Jeff Hall" <jhallrv4@...> Time: Mon Sep 16, 2002 5:36 am PDT Link
--- In vansairforce@y..., "Sunsetairstrip" <gh2538@c...> wrote:
> My RV-4 serial #1298 has just been found to have both lower
weldments
> cracked and both sides of firewall are buckling. I was getting
Earlier -4s had a weaker weldment at the front of the fuselage, just
inside the firewall where all the longerons come together. Check
that to see if that area is cracked and perhaps causing the rest of
the problems. If that area is okay and it's just the mount, ("just
the mount", like that's no big deal!)it can be rewelded, with maybe
some reinforcing plates added, provided you can jig the gearlegs
properly to avoid coming out with mis-aligned gear. I have the
longer legs, and recommend them, as most people with the shorter
ones wish they had the longer ones, and I've only heard from one
person that would stay with the short ones. Over the nose taxi vis
is slightly impaired with longer legs, but still better than the -6.
Jeff
Author: CVLock@... Time: Mon Sep 16, 2002 5:55 pm PDT Link
Greg,
1298? That's an early one. I had an RV-3 that I built in the late eighties
and had the same problem even though I didn't operate off grass and was not
particularly hard on the gear. Van's sent me a beefed up replacement (that
became standard in later kits) which I reinforced still more with 4130 steel.
No more problems after that.
They are a real #$&*?! to change though. I lost my religion a few times that
day.
Good luck!
Mitch Lock
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