M. Michael Meyer

I am a newbie so if this is a "dumb" question, forgive me. I have a Sig Kadet LT-40. It came with a plastic spinner. My starter is really doing a number on the spinner. I am thinking about replacing the spinner and going with an aluminum spinner. First, is that a good idea? Second, will it do much to affect the CG on the airplane. Right now the plane is very well-balanced and I don't want to throw it off if I can help it. Third, what is the best aluminum spinner on the market? Fourth, are there any other products you would recommend?

As always, thanks for the help.

Dr1Driver

You can replace the spinner with an aluminum one. You can replace the spinner with an AMA Safety Nut and use the smaller hole in the cone. You can use more pressure on the starter against the spinner.

Dr.1

2slow2matter

My Feedback: (1)

Well, I thought you just had one "question."
Let me see if I can help:
1) Good idea? No--here's why. I wouldn't spend 45 dollars on a spinner for a trainer for a couple of reasons. Number one, it's going to add a lot of rotational mass that your little .40 sized engine will have to get turning--you'll loose power at the prop for no good reason. Number two, it's 45 dollars (approx). Spend that money on 3 gallons of fuel--you'll learn more from three gallons of fuel than you will from an aluminum spinner.
2) CG? Yes, aluminum spinners are typically heavier than plastic ones, so it will throw the CG off some. However, it will only make it slightly nose heavy, and as such will still fly, and still fly well--it shouldn't act stupid because of the slight shift forward in CG.
3) Best brand? I like the Dave Brown line, but that's just me. Some will give you other options. Remember, if you get one, you have to buy an adapter for it that fits your engine. So, the spinner may only be 30 or 35 bucks, but the adapter will be another ten to twelve.

Now, let's address the real issue. Yes, starters can do a number on a nose cone. There are a few things you can do to help yourself out. First off, make sure the starter cone is clean. Clean it with alcohol real good. Any dirt on it will make it slip, and slipping is what causes it to burn your spinner. Secondly, make sure you hold it tight to the spinner when starting it. Again, the more friction, the better.

If this was an ARF, it's likely that you have a cheap spinner. Get yourself a good dubro spinner and you may find it easier to use the starter with. Personally, I've never had a plastic spinner ate up by a starter, but I've seen it happen. At the most, my spinners get some of the starter cone rubbed off on them--but that stuff will come off the spinner, just rub real hard on it.

Hope this helps....

britbrat

What 2slow said.

forestroke

i don't know what it is... but my aluminum spinner always makes my starter cone nasty. and so when i use the same cone on my plastic spinners, it slips and dirties it up real good. aluminum spinners look nice, and may be necessary for some planes... but for the most part aren't worth it. my 2 cents.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Don't worry about it. If your trainer makes it through the training process with only a scuffed Spinner, consider yourself an expert!

RAGII

I also had this problem on my trainer. Then I chamfered the the edge of the starter cone. This made a big difference in teh abuse the spinner took.

rclement

My Feedback: (1)

Amen to what Minnflyer said.........[8D]

carrellh

When I got my first aluminum spinner I thought it was great. Then I had a pretty bad crash, cracked the spinner. Silly me bought another. Ran off the runway on takeoff. Tall grass breaks the prop and the spinner. These were inexpensive Great Planes spinners but still they cost at least 25 each plus about 8 for the adapter. Bought a Higley 'acorn style' prop nut for about 8 bucks. It has been through multiple mishaps and still looks new. I'm out of the 'spinner business' for a while. Eventually I'll need to use one but for now a simple prop nut works great and is cheap.

red head

MMM --- " The only DUMB question here is the one you don't ask " What most of the guys said should cure your problem: don't waste the money, get a Dubro spinner. Then make sure the cone in the starter is in the correct way for your spinner and make sure you have GOOD contact ( read pressure )when trying to start. ENJOY !!!!! RED

Capt. Nexstar

A well tuned engine and a chicken stick works great on my 4 stroke, usally starts first flip, saves on spinners, buying a starter and battery to power it just to mess up the spinner, just call me a tight wad.

IBrakeForNobody

My Feedback: (16)

I agree with that 100% but maybe its just my bad luck...

I have Du-Bro spinners on all my airplanes...but one of them has broken in 2 places (on the pins of the nosecone) and I replaced the spinner like 3 times...same thing keeps happening...the other 2 Du-Bro spinners have seen many crashes and are only scratched on the outside.