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Tip: My RV-9A Rotisserie

Av8torTom

Well Known Member
I just set-up my rotisserie and I thought I'd share what I used.

First I purchased a 1000lb engine stand from HF which was on sale for $50. I used the opening in the firewall to attach to a block of wood with angle aluminum from HD and clecoed it to the firewall.



To that I attached a piece of plywood that would accommodate the engine stand mounts.



The tail took a little bit of head scratching. I cut a piece of plywood and clamped it to the longerons with 4 C-clamps, then attached a 7/8" pipe to it with 2 U-bolts, then to a home-made stand made out of 2x4 with some casters on the bottom.



Works REALLY well and also allows me to move the fuselage around in the space where I need it.
 
Nice Tom. I made my engine stand with the same $50 HF and a piece of 3/4" pipe and all-thread. The thing I noticed was it sure turns easier with a little grease on the spindle!

enginestand6_zpsbed5d10b.jpg
 
Thanks for sharing Tom! I'll be building a rotisserie for my -7 soon; this seems like a great solution!
 
How do you guys solve the angle in the mount. The one I looked at had a slight upwards angle which would make it difficult to rotate.
 
Raise the tail

How do you guys solve the angle in the mount. The one I looked at had a slight upwards angle which would make it difficult to rotate.

No problem, raise the tail until it's in-line. It's not real critical.
 
Engine stand angle

How do you guys solve the angle in the mount. The one I looked at had a slight upwards angle which would make it difficult to rotate.

I used 2 HF engine stands for my wings. The angle was eliminated by simply removing the third leg, one bolt, on each stand and clamping a long 2x4 between them. That removes the angle and reinforces the assembly. I plan to do likewise for my fuselage.
 
Level stand

How do you guys solve the angle in the mount. The one I looked at had a slight upwards angle which would make it difficult to rotate.

I took off the front wheels of the HF mount and bolted on a 2x4 to it. Made it nearly level. Main thing is to get the center of both front axis and rear axis at the same height off ground for it to spin freely.
 
From the - Over engineered, over built department...

Earlier in the year, I finally bit the bullet and made myself a rotisserie for my RV6A. Almost right away, I asked myself why I didn't do this years ago? It makes working on the fuselage so much easier and back friendly, especially for the vertically challenged as I am. I built my rotisserie from a combination of 3x3's, 2x6's, and 1x3's, plywood including steel tube and plate. I attached the rotisserie to the engine mounts on the front and a metal plate on the rear utilizing the attachment points for the vertical stab. I welded 1"shaft to the metal plates which rotates in 2 pillow block bearings mounted on the 3x3 uprights. I am very happy with the outcome. The fuselage is level and will rotate about 230 degrees with the use of a single finger. I will likely use the rotisserie for painting as well. I highly recommend you build one for your project. No chance of falling in the fuselage with one of these babies.
John Van Lieshout
RV6A QB 80%
Toronto, Ontario
C-FMYM (reserved)
 
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Tail attach?

Thanks John, that's QUITE the rotisserie!!! Can you show me a picture of how you attached the tail?
 
more pics coming soon.

Sure thing Tom.
I can't get to the hangar till the end of the week. I will take pictures of the tail / rotisserie connection and post them here. Cheers.
John Van Lieshout
RV6A QB 80%
Toronto, Ontario
C-FMYM (reserved)
 
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