cat5752

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I searched for a "Reviews" section of the forums, but couldn't find one. I have been out of flying for almost 10 years now. Now that I am retired, I got out all my old planes and engines and started going through them. Periodically I would put after run oil in them and flip them through a few times just to keep them from freezing up. I wanted to build a test stand to get all the bugs worked out before I got back in to flying, so I turned to the internet to see what I could find. YouTube turned up a review on an engine test stand made by a guy named Ron Sexton. It was a well done review and high-lighted all of the features of the test stand. The post also contained his contact information. I sent him an email asking what the price was (thinking this was going to be crazy high). Within a couple of hours he wrote back and asked me where I was so he could figure out shipping. That was last Wednesday ; today the mailman brought me my test stand. All I can say is wow. This thing is a work of art. He builds each one of these by hand - this is not a mass produced item. I am going to try to get out tomorrow to put some engines through their paces, but with this stand it is going to be so much easier. If you want a high quality stand that is built with care, Ron is your guy. Here is the YouTube link to the review, his contact info is in the comments section.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTrO5Aei-es
Andy

Charlie P.

Pretty fancy! I use a piece of 1 x 4 with a notch cut in one end that I C-clamp to something heavy.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

So how much? And which of the fields will Ya be flying at down there in the Valley Andy. Oh yea nice test stand.

John

cat5752

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John, it was $85 with shipping here to Phoenix. Not sure about which field - SVF and AMPS are both 10 miles from me. Which field do you fly at?
Andy

CafeenMan

I have a PSP test stand mounted to a tool stand I bought from Sears. Not the cheapest but it works with all my beam mount engines. It's heavy and stable.

I used rigged up test stands for a long time but always had to adapt them every time I wanted to run a different engine. It's worth the money to me to have something I don't have to screw around with.

http://airfieldmodels.com/informatio...s/break_in.htm

http://www.pspmfg.com/RCEngineTestStand.html

N410DC

I just got the J'tec Stand from Tower Hobbies. They make two sizes, one for 1/2A to .60, and another one for bigger engines. I have not installed it, so no comments about it yet.

HighPlains

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Truthfully, other than pure racing engines, I have not put a sport R/C glow engine on a test stand in more than 40 years. Modern engine design with ABC, ABN, or ring construction are made to such close tolerances that the classical lengthy break-in is no longer needed or desirable (if you have a old cast iron lapped piston design however, then none of this applies). I just mount them to the airframe and go fly with a very rich setting (start with a 2-4 break for ABC/ABN, or fast 4 cycle for ring). A flight with a rich setting while doing Cuban eights will lean out briefly then richen up the engine so that it goes through the heat cycling that is needed to mate the wear surfaces. Long time readers of Clarence Lee will note that he promoted flying Cuban eights for break-in as well, going back to the 60's. I also don't worry too much about the idle settings until 3 or 4 flights have been completed (except you do want to be able to kill the engine with a full idle throttle setting). After 30 or 40 minutes of flight time, the engine is ready for idle adjustment, but prior to that amount of time you are chasing a moving target Use a light loaded prop for the break-in flights (lower pitch and/or smaller diameter).

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

To Andy the original poster. I think your linked new test stand is superbly well built and very well thought out with the ability to do beam and radial mounts with such alacrity. worth every penny and I certainly would not mind having a pair.

I have made do with a variety of test stands some commercial and some just home made . Here are five of them currently in my shop unfortunately in the past I have let some go.

Now I do agree some do overstate the need for a good stand particularly when we are talking about new folks and using superb modern new engines such as the OS AX series which indeed shine when just installed and running a tank or two then flying. Thats what those engines do so well.

However there are a number of other reasons to own at least one stand and that has nothing to do with 'pure racing engines'. Probably the most important may be simply when we want to work with an unknown engine, Or just an engine that may be unknown to us. A good test stand is the best way to learn a new engine that is new to us. This especially so for example when we want to learn an engine that may be outside our normal scope such as a diesel or maybe a rotary or heck even an RCV type, maybe even a little retro and learn operating a vintage sparker. Doing any of this there is no better way than a test stand, true while the stand may not replicate the exact installed conditions (cooling, engine orientation fuel supply etc.) but so what the stand is the best place to start.

Now there is another reason and while its not as often mentioned, this activity is multi engine flying. One of my favorite activities, I have produced I think around sixteen ships now which includes twos, threes, four and even a six engined ship most pretty darn successful and a few were not.

Anyway I always cringed when I hear someone say "I got an old fill in the blank engine and can I just buy a new one for the other side".
To me old unknown or otherwise junk engines belong on single engine airplanes and for the multi's I always purchased new. Now and here is where I have received a lot of heat over the years but could care less as the success bears me out. For all the multis I always break in on test stands and at the same time on multiple stands regardless of the number of engines. The Six Pack was a challenge

John