Vansconvert
Well Known Member
I have a hartzell constant speed with 500 hours on it. Nothing wrong with it, but I would like to get it to a shop for IRAN. Any recommendation would be great.
Why? Do you suspect something? Is it spitting grease (a little is normal). I would not spend the money unless it needs repair. All the best. Remove both grease one of the grease fittings and punp out all the old grease and put the fitting back.I have a hartzell constant speed with 500 hours on it. Nothing wrong with it, but I would like to get it to a shop for IRAN. Any recommendation would be great.
I have a hartzell constant speed with 500 hours on it. Nothing wrong with it, but I would like to get it to a shop for IRAN. Any recommendation would be great.
Why? Do you suspect something? Is it spitting grease (a little is normal). I would not spend the money unless it needs repair. All the best. Remove both grease one of the grease fittings and punp out all the old grease and put the fitting back.
Why? Do you suspect something? Is it spitting grease (a little is normal). I would not spend the money unless it needs repair. All the best. Remove both grease one of the grease fittings and punp out all the old grease and put the fitting back.
I had a good experience with New England Propeller Service, 3 Matthews Dr, East Haddam, CT. Included a visit to their shop which seemed very professional and capable. I'd go back to them again.
Whatever prop shop you decide on to do your IRAN would be kind enough to report back to VAF regarding your experience. I truly value others advice and experiences in my decision making.
Thanks
By the way, can anybody tell me what diameter safety wire to use on the prop bolts?
Hartzell specifies 0.032? minimum.
Cheers.
Below is a link to the Hartzell Propeller Owner's Manual that probably includes your prop. It includes installation instructions and safety wire diameter.
https://hartzellprop.com/wp-content/uploads/115N-0000-R23-WA.pdf
I work there, Aircraft Propeller Service. I wish I would have seen this sooner. Our driver lives in Racine, so pick would be no problem. We usually go throughout the tri-state area for FOC pickups, even further if we are going out that far, or can group pickups together. We like to group them together if possible to save gas and diving time. If you would like to drop it off and get the nickel tour send me a note and I'll give you the tour.I used Aircraft Propellor Service in the Chicago area. They were next to PWK at that time but I see they are now in Lake Zurich. They also had a pickup and delivery service which I found out about after I drove my prop down to them, however they did deliver it back to my hangar. Not sure if the delivery service goes as far as Racine.
I hate to call things out, but this is REALLY bad advice on 2 counts. We have single engine airplanes with one prop. We probably should try to adhere to the manufacturer's recomendations. The 2 most common props on our RV's, the Hartzell and the MT have BOTH a recommended Time period (2000 hours as an example) AND a Calendar time period, usually 7-8 years. We do a lot of CI's at Base Leg Aviation, sometimes 3 or more per week. I have removed props, with almost the exact same time and hours on them off of RV's the same week and have seen them come back with one passing and one needing lots of internal work to pass. To me, and my customers, it is not worth the risk of not having them overhauled.
Second, NEVER try to replenish the grease by pumping it all out. You will definitely damage the interior of the prop. THe MT's do not require any servicing, but the Hartzell's specifically tell you to only put grease in them until you start to see it come out the other fitting, not to exceed 1 0Z, which is usually about 6 pumps on the grease gun. And always put the grease in from front to back on the blade. Use Aeroshell number 6.
Vic
Maybe a bit off topic but just how complicated are these props to assemble? Is there a lot of places to mess stuff up. I just received my MT unassembled and there is really only one option nearby me to have it assembled. As a surgeon I know that some procedures are more delicate than others and require vast experience to get it right. I’m wondering where constant speed prop assembly fits into that spectrum.
Like anything else on an airplane, its not complicated once you have the experience. Most prop shops I have visited have (some) folks working there that don't have extensive aviation maintenance training - they came off the street and were trained to do what they do. They started simple and moved on to more complicated tasks, being mentored all the way by the folks at the shop that had certifications.
You probably learned surgery the same way - simple stuff leads to harder and more complex stuff and before you know it, you can’t explain why the easy stuff seems so easy!
The problem for the homebuilder is that we won’t ever build Up lots and lots of props under the supervision of an expert. So yeah - most folks can learn the tasks, but they wont get it right the first time...and the problem with a prop is that failures can easily be catastrophic. I’d rather have an engine failure than a prop failure!