Warning

My Feedback: (5)

I've always heard of the importance of balancing your propellers before you put them on your engine but I have never done it and all have my planes have been fine . . . what more can people tell me about the importance of balancing your propeller?

Thanks for everything

rcfury

My Feedback: (5)

Well you are going to get a couple of people who will tell you differant things about balancing the propellor. Props now-adays dont really need alot of balancing to perform. I myself balance my larger props 15"+ as ive noticed considerable less vibration on the plane. Match that with a 4-stroke which vibrate a good amount can give you weary feelings if your plane can take it. For what ive seen on my smaller models that prop balance never really made a differance.
When you are breaking in your motor and the thing is vibrating up a storm id take the prop off and give it a check. Other than that dont worry about it.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Then don't worry about it. I don't balance mine either.

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

It all depends. If you are only buying APC or Master Airscrew molded plastic props they are probably always close enough (from my experience anyway). But the bigger wood props, watch out. I had a Menz 22x8 so far off that the tip dropped like a boat anchor. It was so bad I returned it and didn't even bother trying to balance it. Putting that prop on any 50 cc gasser without checking and balancing would have caused serious damage to the engine and airframe. So my philosophy is that since I have a prop balancer (2 actuallly, one for small props and one for giant props), why not just throw them on and at least check them? Now days I even balance my APC's. Why add any more vibration to your airplane than it already gets from the engine?

Get some of that clear Luster caot and just spray the light tip until it's perfect. On the bigger ones balance the hubs as well. I'm a total advocate of balancing prop's.

ChuckW

I always check every prop for balance. Does it make much of a difference? I really don't know. I'm a mechanical type though and I figure that anything rotating should be balanced.

jsn

My Feedback: (8)

I use to be very anal about balancing prop's... now I don't sweat it unless I see vib's after mounting a new prop or on a new plane/motor combo. I almost never have to balance an APC prop... I almost alway's have to balance master airscrew's over 12 inches and have had a few that were so far out I gave up a tossed them in the trash[:@]

John

bigchap

i always use apc and i was of the opinion that they were such good quality that they wouldn't need balancing,i was wrong!all of my props were a mile out of balance.

skiman762

I always wonder why some folks do everything they can to make there planes perfect spending extra money on servos and extra time setting up linkages and such
and then don't spend the few minutes and no cost to balance a prop, spinning something as fast as a model engine can out of balance can't be doing the engine any good can it ?
I think I'll just keep balancing them

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

The point I like to make is, there is certainly nothing WRONG with balancing a prop, but I have been flying for over 40 years and in all that time I have only seen 2 or 3 cases TOPS where a prop NEEDED to be balanced (With the exception of EXTREME SPEED planes).

So for any newbies that think that they NEED to get a prop balancer before they can safely fly their planes - Don't sweat it

skiman762

Yes I doubt not balancing would be dangerous I'm just saying that it doesn't cost much there are great balancers for under 15 bucks and it sure can't hurt things to have things spinning true and since you've only seen two or three I see that you do at least check them
everything I read says vibration is enemy number one to servos batterys and rx plus it cuts down on fuel foaming so why not eliminate it for free
we may not see the vibration but its there doing it's thing.
I didn't imply that anyone needed to get a balancer
to me it's just another enjoyable part of a great hobby
again to each his own.

alan0899

G'day Mate,
In our club, over the last 4 weekends, there have been at least 7 planes crash, most were write offs & in about 80% of them, we tracked the problem to the switch for the radio receiver.
Every one, that had a switch problem, DIDN'T balance the prop, so it is a good idea to balance props, because vibration can cause more than a bit of fuel foaming.