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Rv14 Rotisserie - engine stand height

TASEsq

Well Known Member
Patron
I’m looking at an engine stand for a fuselage rotisserie - to anyone that has gone before me - can you tell me the distance between the centre of the pivot and the top of the leg sections at the bottom?

The one I am looking at has a distance of only 610cm (24”) and this doesn’t seem big enough for the fuselage to rotate? (Middle of the firewall to the bottom corner is longer than this distance).

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-engine-stand-560kg/219511.html

Thanks again!
 
I built my own rotisserie about 15 years ago (WOW! Time flies). I have it on the 14 fuselage I am building now. I cannot give you the dimension of the pivot point on mine but I did, just today, measure from the floor to the bottom of the belly of the airplane while it is on the rotisserie. It was 31.5” from floor to belly. That should help you some. Just take a measurement from the belly to the center of the firewall and add the 31.5” to give you the hight you need for the pivot of the rotisserie.
 
I built my own rotisserie about 15 years ago (WOW! Time flies). I have it on the 14 fuselage I am building now. I cannot give you the dimension of the pivot point on mine but I did, just today, measure from the floor to the bottom of the belly of the airplane while it is on the rotisserie. It was 31.5” from floor to belly. That should help you some. Just take a measurement from the belly to the center of the firewall and add the 31.5” to give you the hight you need for the pivot of the rotisserie.


Thanks Steve. I think something is amiss in my measurements or you have a big engine stand! Is your pivot bolted to the centre of the firewall?

My firewall is about 29” top to bottom. So 31.5 + 14.5 = 46” from the floor to the centre of the pivot. The stands I’m looking at are 32” and 31” from the floor to the centre of the pivot.
 
Sorry for the confusion. I did not use an engine stand. I built my rotisserie from scratch. Here are a couple of pics of the firewall mounts of the rotisserie. I will take a measurement of the pivot point tomorrow and post here.

0CF7863F-79EA-4DF9-87EC-0649F26940E3.jpg

A0EB0DF9-8399-496C-980B-FA2AE85C3AAD.jpg
 
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I purchased mine from Harbor Freight and it was not high enough for my RV-14 so I offset it to one side which allowed 270 degree rotation one direction which woked fine. The spars stick out too far to fully rotate the one direction. I had wood blocks in the spar to protect the spar from hitting the floor.
 

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I built my own rotisserie about 15 years ago (WOW! Time flies). I have it on the 14 fuselage I am building now. I cannot give you the dimension of the pivot point on mine but I did, just today, measure from the floor to the bottom of the belly of the airplane while it is on the rotisserie. It was 31.5” from floor to belly. That should help you some. Just take a measurement from the belly to the center of the firewall and add the 31.5” to give you the hight you need for the pivot of the rotisserie.

Very helpful information I’m in the mental design process of building a rotisserie for my 14 and this was one bit of information that helped a lot. Thank you sir!
 
I purchased mine from Harbor Freight and it was not high enough for my RV-14 so I offset it to one side which allowed 270 degree rotation one direction which woked fine. The spars stick out too far to fully rotate the one direction. I had wood blocks in the spar to protect the spar from hitting the floor.

Thanks Glenn,

Do you still have the stand? If so, could I trouble you for a measurement from the top of the legs to the centre of the pivot?
 
Can you give us the floor to pivot point distance? The one in yellow here.

I'm nearing this point and if I can only find 24" engine stands, then it might make the most sense to lengthen the upright.
 

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The pivot points are 43” front and back. Note the attach bar on the rear stand is higher and is supported on the inside.

7B40423F-8E2E-482C-AD6F-7FA063174373.jpg
 

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I thought I had this pic on the previous post. This is the interior support strap I use to support the bolts on the rear stand.

bolt attach points for rear stand.jpg
 
Rotisserie

I was lucky enough to test a rotisserie built by
Heartland Manufacturering. Sadly it didnt sell enough to justify production but it was a great product. It was so good, I kept it just in case.

Check this page of my blog for th entries.
They start here...
"01/15/2016 (3:00 hours)
Fabricated an aft deck rotisserie brace. Riveted the Aft Deck. Also added a row of holes in the arm rests and stiffeners, deburred, dimpled and riveted. Unpacked the Rotisserie from Heartland-Manufacturing. Very solid."

You should be able to fabricate based on the photos. The uprights are 48". I would not go much lower. When upside down, it was easy to roll under and work on a rolling stool.
 
Distance from floor to center of pivot point is exactly 35".

A few Notes:
  • These are basic cheapy Harbor Freight engine stands.
  • I extended the back wheels to make the uprights come to 90 degrees (that way fuse won't bind when rotated).
  • Look closely at the picture you'll see extensions on the real wheels and the two bolts holding them on
  • Also added those "blue" urethane wheels

Wish you were closer, I'd like to get them out of my shop!

Link to what I used below. I realize that you probably don't have Harbor Freights in your location, but I figure the Chinese are probably selling these all over the globe.

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/lifts-cranes-stands/engine-stands/1000-lb-capacity-engine-stand-69886.html
 
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Distance from floor to center of pivot point is exactly 35".

Wish you were closer, I'd like to get them out of my shop!

Link to what I used below. I realize that you probably don't have Harbor Freights in your location, but I figure the Chinese are probably selling these all over the globe.

Thanks Fred,

I appreciate you taking the time to help me - your detailed photo below is very helpful. I wish I was closer to the states too sometimes!

What I was after was the distance in yellow - to make sure the stand I was going to buy would fit the fuselage - mostly when it was being rotated and was at the 45 degree point. Be a shame if it bumped into the frame of the stand! But I think since it’s on sale for another day or so I’ll just get it - your point is correct - these are probably all the same from the same factory anyway!

Thanks again for your help.
 

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Sorry Trent, must have looked at your drawing incorrectly. Probably why my -14 is coming out as a biplane!

Seriously, the dimension you're looking for is 25 1/2". That's from the front leg to the center of the pivot point.

Hope that helps. If not, let me know, I'm in my shop most of the time and I'm glad to take whatever measurement you need.

Fred
 
Seriously, the dimension you're looking for is 25 1/2". That's from the front leg to the center of the pivot point.

Thanks Fred.

The one I am looking at has a dimension of 24” from the leg to the centre pivot. So yours is only 1.5” taller than this one - I think I can make that work.
 
What’s the length between the firewall and tail attachment point? I will be using a car rotisserie that has 17’ between the mounts to restore a Austin Healey and wondering if it will work also.
 
6D306A41-29CA-45CA-AB4A-9B6FCB880FBF.jpeg

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Requires 10’ wide area to rotate when by yourself. Quite solid and easy to slide and rotate.
 
That a really innovative and interesting way to make a rotisserie!

That's what I love about the amateur building community, so many creative and smart individuals willing to share their ideas!
 
same thing

I did the same thing, but I just laid the fuse on its side up on a sawhorse; and then I put it upside down, on the saw horse.
Having the fuselage up off the ground was really helpful and allowed a simple stool to be used.
 
Can we get the dimensions and lumber list for that rotisserie, please?
Fwd
7-2x4x8’
4-ready rod 3/8”x6” could go shorter
16-3/8” nuts & washers
Handful of deck screws
Aft
1-4’x4’x1/2” plywood
1-handle with 4 nuts, bolts & washers
Misc. plywood to attach aft plywood to bulkhead
(If you go with approx 1-1/2” material for bulkhead insert you shouldn’t have to notch it for side skins and rudder stops like I did.)
6-3/16” nuts, bolts & washers
Handful of deck screws
D2C37874-4527-422A-AC51-2912E46D1495.jpg

8E5177C6-6635-49EC-9C9B-C9A8CAB1728B.jpeg
 
So many interesting designs, wish I found this thread before I attempted to make one! I also modified a HF stand, but welded in a 4" extension to the rectangular post to keep the spar from touching the ground when sideways. I also had to angle the post to get the pivot to be level and not angled upwards as originally designed. The rear was a 1/8 steel plate that matches the VS bolt pattern, with a steel tube welded to it for the pivot.
 

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A word of caution:
When the canopy is mounted, the center of gravity is raised.
That fuselage, that has rotated so nicely, will be top heavy and spin out of your grasp.
 
RV-14 fuse rotisserie for review/comments

I would appreciate it if someone could give me feedback on whether the fuselage rotisserie engine stand to firewall adapter pictured in the attached photos has any obvious problems.

The rotisserie adapter mounts to the corner engine mount points on the firewall via two horizontal 1.5" x 1.5" x 0.125" steel angles using 3/8" Grade 8 hardware (I don't trust the ordinary hardware HD sells, I've had heads shear off bolts), and a 3/4" dia. x 0.125" wall x 3.5" long aluminum spacer. (The local welding supply store was out of 0.188" wall material.) There's a Grade 8 fender washer between the spacer and the firewall. The angles are mounted to a 2' x 2' x 3/4" plywood panel using 3/8" Grade 8 hardware. The nosepiece of the engine stand is mounted to the plywood panel using M12 Grade 8.8 hardware that came with the Torin 26801 stand.

I have not mated the nosepiece to the base of the engine stand yet. I'd prefer not to damage my QB fuse if there is some obvious flaw in my engine stand to fuse adapter.

This is a QB fuse, so I had to clear the battery box and heater vents, otherwise, I could have used shorter bolts and spacers between the steel angles and the firewall.
 

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I would appreciate it if someone could give me feedback on whether the fuselage rotisserie engine stand to firewall adapter pictured in the attached photos has any obvious problems.

The rotisserie adapter mounts to the corner engine mount points on the firewall via two horizontal 1.5" x 1.5" x 0.125" steel angles using 3/8" Grade 8 hardware (I don't trust the ordinary hardware HD sells, I've had heads shear off bolts), and a 3/4" dia. x 0.125" wall x 3.5" long aluminum spacer. (The local welding supply store was out of 0.188" wall material.) There's a Grade 8 fender washer between the spacer and the firewall. The angles are mounted to a 2' x 2' x 3/4" plywood panel using 3/8" Grade 8 hardware. The nosepiece of the engine stand is mounted to the plywood panel using M12 Grade 8.8 hardware that came with the Torin 26801 stand.

I have not mated the nosepiece to the base of the engine stand yet. I'd prefer not to damage my QB fuse if there is some obvious flaw in my engine stand to fuse adapter.

This is a QB fuse, so I had to clear the battery box and heater vents, otherwise, I could have used shorter bolts and spacers between the steel angles and the firewall.

My comments are that you are going to have a difficult time working on anything that goes to the center of the firewall with that large piece of plywood in the way. It appears to me you have been thinking in terms of building the rotisserie strong. It does need to be strong enough to hold the fuselage while it is rotated. However, the work you will be doing while it is on the rotisserie is not going to make the fuselage excessively heavy. Yes wiring and instruments and the like will add weight but not so much that the weight will break bolts.

I suggest you take a look at my structure in the pics on post #4. I ran one horizontal bar in the center. Then two vertical angle aluminum pieces to attach to the top and bottom longerons on the outside of the firewall. This frees up access to the center of the firewall. You will need access to that area while it is on the rotisserie.
 
Yeah, but...

My comments are that you are going to have a difficult time working on anything that goes to the center of the firewall with that large piece of plywood in the way.

Good point, but I wasn't planning to work on stuff mounted on the firewall with the fuse mounted on the rotisserie. It's currently sitting on a cart that supports the spar stubs and the aft portion. After I do the necessary interior work, I (and a couple of friends) will either put it back on the cart or on its gear, which I received a couple of weeks ago.
 
Ok, everyone has their own build plans. I will endeavor to allow a fellow builder to discover his own best practice to complete his project. However, having built a few of these (6 so far) I would suggest there is a lot more work to do than just the interior before it will be ready to put on its gear. Oh, and one more piece of advice before I stop with the unsolicited advice. If you are planning for any instrument wiring of any type, I would suggest you remove that forward top skin before you start any work on wiring. Trust me, if you don’t, you will still be crawling inside that space so many times even when it is on a rotisserie and upside down.

Good Luck.
 
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I built a rotisserie for my -14 using a lot of the tips from this thread. Thank you!

My pivot point is 36” above the floor and I centered the mounting points on the rivet line just below the cockpit vent opening. It is the only rivet line that runs from the firewall to the tail.

I wish I would have made the pivot point about a foot further from the floor. When inverted, I can sit on my stool but I have to be scrunched over. It worked to rivet the fuselage and empennage together but I don’t want to continue at this elevation. Soon, I’ll modify my rotisserie fixtures to add an additional pivot hole at 48”.

All in all, I’m very pleased with the access this provides and glad that I took the time to build it.

2940EEFE-DE4F-4670-B13B-037B1C9426CC.jpg
 
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