bsumpter

Hey everyone.

I lucked up and found some reconditioned Ryobi 26cc 4-stroke weedeaters at the local Big Lots for $60. I picked one up, and will probably start tearing it apart this weekend to see how suitable it is for conversion.

Has anyone else worked with this engine? Is there any "gotcha's" I should know about?

If I can make this work, I plan on putting this in a 1/4 scale Cub or Taylorcraft as I know it's going to be on the heavy side. I figure a Cub should have enough wing area to support this much weight in the engine compartment (at least I hope so).

I have ran the engine in it's present form, and I was actually surprised by the power it has. It also idles oh-so sweet, and sounds like a million bucks when revving it up.

All thoughts appreciated.

Thanks!

bla bla

I have the JAG converted Ryobi on a 1/4 scale Tiger Moth. It's a no brainer...just goes regardless of how you treat it and in my case´, thats rough. I have never touched it, cleaned it, washed it maintained it ever...and I had it for years and it's been run on just about any old dregs of fuel with no regard to oil mix... I'd even go as far to say there's even been a couple of runs without oil!

I think they're a perfect 1.20Glow alternative for scale projects that need weight up front anyway, Swings a good section of props and comes into it's own when "over proped" into the torque band when the low reving sound beats a 1.20 4-stroke glow hands down.
Enjoy.

Volfy

My Feedback: (23)

The Ryobi 26cc 4stroke runs on straight gasoline with no oil mix. It has a wet sump at the "bottom" of the crankcase.

I'm gonna have to stop by the local Big Lots...

bdtsr

My Feedback: (5)

Check my gallery. I'll update it with the mount and hub on it today. My mount came from Carr Precision and the prop hub from ebay. Mine turns a MA wood 18X6 around 6400rpm on a stock carb and modified stock muffler. Sounds really sweet too.

bsumpter

Thanks for the replies!

I've been reading up on the Ryobi, and it looks like I did the right thing by picking it up. I've been wanting to try my hand at 1/4 scale for a while now, but wanted to go gas when I did and not glow. I was intrigued by the little Honda 4-stroke, but wasn't willing to part with the required cash to get it. Sounds like the Ryobi is a great alternative!

bla bla: How do you have the engine mounted in the Tiger Moth? I'm asking because if I put this in a Cub it will be mounted on it's side -- I'm just wondering if this will work OK with the oil sump on the bottom. I had read that Ryobi designed the engine to be able to run upside-down (and I assume sideways), but was unsure if they meant it could be ran that way for extended periods of time.

bdtsr: I saw your gallery when I was researching this thing last night. I'd love to see some more photos with the Jag mount and prop adaptor. Which prop adaptor did you end up getting?

How are you guys changing the oil in the Ryobi? Are you leaving it in the plane, or are you pulling the motor to get to the oil lid? How often are you changing it (every 3000 miles)?

This is exciting for me to have a "real" engine to go on an airplane. The gas aspect alone is nice, but the oil sump just puts the icing on the cake. I have this vision of picking up a gallon of unleaded on the way to the field and just flying all day with no hassles. I can't wait!

Thanks again!

Brian

Volfy

My Feedback: (23)

All day?! Try ALL MONTH LONG!!! Judging by how little my 26cc sips gas doing actual weedwacking, 1gal. will go a very very long way. I only have to refill the tank every 3rd time I do my yard, and I have a pretty big yard. The tank holds maybe 12 Oz. And I use the Ryobi for both weedwacking and edging.

bdtsr

My Feedback: (5)

I think bla bla has the 31cc 2 stroke(?). The 4 stroke will run in any position, but for the cub I'd try to go inverted if possible. There's a lot of offset weight to balance out when on it's side. I took some pictures today of my engine. The prop hub is the one for a standard long shaft Ryobi. Many people are making them. My flywheel looks like crap at the moment but it's balanced so I could run it. I will be cleaning it up to look perrrrrrrty! When I test ran mine, I did so for about 20 minutes and barely put a dent in the fuel tank. Talk about economy!

bla bla

Yep. I have the 2-stroke ...sorry.