Hi,

Just a question, most of my planes are ARTF'S some have come with a Metal Engine Mount which you install the engine on with Metal Clamps to hold it in place.............. are these secure ??? and whats the best way to get them tight, ie : A bolt, hexnut and then a lock washer ???

Thx in advance

They are pretty secure for the 40-60 size engines. I'm not all that fond of them but they do work.
Typical fastening procedures apply (lock nuts or nut and lock washer, etc.)

They make aligning the engine very easy.

Cheers

Yeah, I think they are secure. I've been using them in my 40-size trainers and had no problem. I use bolts, nuts and lock-tite. To make sure of tightness, I bolt it down until the metal clamp is slightly bent.
Jake.

Once you get the thrust line of the plane figured out you can remove the clamps and tap the holes like a 'normal' mount...maybe not entirely necessary but it would add some security.

-Tom

I am a real fan of the metal motor mounts. The reason is that they are easy to use and its great that you can work out your GC by shifting the engine fore & aft. So far the only problem I have encountered with the mounts is that the screws worked loose, everytime it happens due to my faulire to add Locktite. Other than that it has never come loose on me when I run a 46 2C on them.

I have had 2-3 crashes on the cheap ARFs (all were NOT my fault of course hehehehe ... ) and the metal mounts snapped. I am pretty happy that the mount snaps rather than the firewall breaking up! I am all for metal motor mounts for sure.

I have used the metal mounts that come with ARFs and found that they will hold well. Like others have said, I would not use on much more than a 46 engine. I don't like the hard plastic mounts that now come with many arf kits simply because I find they are difficult to get adjusted and can allow the engine to move around thus possibly getting into the cowling. Nothing worse than getting your cowling cut and mounted only to have the engine shift even a little. Then it's hard to get back into the exact same position.

I usually use O.S. engines and really like the O.S. aluminum engine mounts that come already tapped for the specific engine you are using. They are light weight and the engine is mounted securely with machine Allen heads and no clamps. Just add a drop of blue lock tight into each hole and you have a very secure mount. Yes, this is additional cost, but in the end you get what you pay for.

Just my 2 cents. No doubt you will get multiple opinions on this topic.

I had one of those clamp mounts on my H9 superstick a while back. Kartwheeled it on its first flight, tore the firewall right out...the motor didn't budge...one of the easiest mounts i ever worked with.

Wow, the responses have changed a lot over the last year or so. When first seen, some years back, the vocal oldtimers would respond to this question by saying "No, throw it away" "I wouldn't trust it" "Always throw away every single piece of hardware that comes with an ARF" etc.

These mounts work, and are convenient. Hard to beat. Anybody know if they're offered by a retailer somewhere?

Good luck,
Dave Olson

Dave, let's not get carried away....... Unfortunately 80% of the stuff still goes in the can or is used for door prizes ( white elephant gifts at meetings ) . ARF's in general have improved greatly over the past years, but unfortunately the mfg's. after market focus on upgrades in the hardware department is still margin driven . I still wish they would package better hardware and charge a bit more for the kits.

I only have one plane with a metal mount, an Ultrastick 40, and I've never had a problem with it.

Yes, you can get the metal mounts. Our lhs orders them all the time for 7 dollars its hard to move to another type of mounting hardware. They are brittle and do tend to break the beams at the bolt holes, but they are so easy to work with. Have fun!!!!

Will

wldcwbypilot,
you're lucky, I have a tough time finding this motor clamp !!
There are many hobby stores around me, but no luck.
Any online store carries it ?

Thanks.
Jake.

Order from www.horizonhobby.com The mount is listed as replacement for H9 UltraStick 40. I have two in my shop. They work great.

HAN40M is the part #