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06-05-2010 | 02:26 PM

#19

albsurfer

Joined: Jul 2005

Posts: 347

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From: Fallon, NV

RE: Prop balancing

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Oberst

I balance all my props no matter the size or type. The manufacture may say that their props are balanced but from my experience THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.

For all of you who don't balance props, I ask only one favor? Get another prop that's the same size to the one that is already on your plane, ( it can be a spare) or another brand new one to what you are using now and balance it to your best ability.

Now just for kicks, go to your favorite airfield and bring along that balanced prop, and fly the plane first with your unbalanced prop like you normally would.

Once you've landed your plane, swap out the prop that wasn't balanced and replace it with the one that is, and tell me if you notice any difference?

I did that little test, now I balance all my props. And when flying season is over, I rebalance my props again due to bug splats, grass and dirt. It can knock the balance off after a while. So, evey 6 months of flying, '' or '' If I notice unwanted sound vibration, I recheck the balance just to be safe. That's just me.

Nice Prop Balancer Bingo Field!

Pete

I'm with oberst, I balance my props before use. I use a reamer first to make them fit the shaft, then put them on the adjustable DuBro Prop Balancer. I balance the spinners, too. I use 11" & 12" props. I've seen props vibrate too much and cause poor flight performance and keep my OS .46 & .55AX from idling well. I've also seen my spinner nose turn in a wobble pattern with the same result, esp. the plastic backed ones. I have also had APC props come in 11x8 & 11x6 that put on the balancer one blade drops all the way to the bottom (180 degs) position. My TF wood props will always need balancing. It does affect the flight performance of the plane and engine. So.. don't be lazy & do the balance. Bigger props in the 14" and above can actually cause prop damage. I don't about engine damage. A couple of guys at my field have said that their 4S have suffered damage because of out-of-balance props.

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