Hi y'all

What is the best, easy and cheap way to build an engine break-in bench?


Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance[8D]



Mody

Get a board, put an engine mount on it, clamp the board to a saw horse, attach a fuel tank behind the motor, a wire to the throttle, start the engine, and break it in.

Can't get much easier and cheaper than that. I don't know about the best, but it works for me.

CGr.

This is pretty much exactly what I did and very cheap to do. The only thing I do different is that I mounted an old receiver and battery to my board and I can let the saw horse sit a distance from me and use a radio to control throttle. Works super good!

I was running some larger engines and I just had to put a weight on the end of the sawhorse so it would not pull away [X(]

Flying saw horse... what next!!!

Alternatively, you can do that in your actual model as well. In our country, space being a problem, we cant do the run-in around the house lest the neighbours complain. So we put in the engine in the model and do the run-in on the field itself

Ameyam

Armody,
How about some more info on the mount in your pictures?
Thanks,
KW_Counter

That Hudy set-up is for r/c car engines...that prop / shroud is only about 4-5" dia.

For airplane engines, I use an old Tatone adjustable alum. test mount (still available ) that is bolted to a piece of 3/4" ply.
I then c clamp it to a work-mate type bench. (I put a cement block across the lower part of the legs to keep it from tipping over @ WOT when running larger engines )


Edit: this is similar to what I have...but I use bolts instead of screws to attach it to the ply.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXR588&P=ML

If ya wanna talk "cheap" ( uh.."inexpensive" ) just cut an engine sized notch in a hunk of plywood...1/2" (or more ) thick or a piece of 2x6 or whathaveyou...and bolt your engine to it. Just make sure it's good and secure! Rubber band a fuel tank to it and then c clamp it or deck screw it to a bench / picnic table / etc.

I made a mount out of a piece of old cutting board and bolted it to a 2 x 4. I drilled a hole in the other end that I can tie to a tree and I set the board with the engine end hanging off a picnic table.

I second what CG Retired uses.

Guys / Friends

Thank y'all very much for great input, As I did check some videos and looked around the google, I found many helpful information. There are so many simple ways I learned to make your own engine break in bench. Sawhorses is a good idea too. I don't have a setup as of yet, but I'm certainly gonna set it up soon. I'd make sure to update this post with pix.

Mody

Tie a rope to a tree

Tie the other end around the tail of your plane.

Start engine.

that good for when you already have a plane, but i hate doing that to new planes, it gets em really slimy,.... sometimes i like to break in motors or see how well a used motor is gonna run before i buy an airframe, thats when a trusty bench stand is used. i use the giant one since i dont have any engines smaller than a .30 http://www.mecoa.com/tatone/teststands/teststands.htm its mounted to a baord that had a fuel tank and a nice throttle rod....and i screw that board to a table

Tying a rope would only work when you have the other plane, I have my old Evolution engine, I wanted to run it. Now I have seen a lot of easy ways so, I guess I'd make it work somehow [8D]

Thanks for great suggestions y'all..


Mody

I have one of these and am pleased with it:

http://www.jtecrc.com/engineteststands.htm

Clay

I break in airplane engines on airplanes.

here is the one I use. very versatile for different engines/sizes
http://www.pspmfg.com/RCEngineTestStand.html

I guess it's value is in the hands of the user, but $125, I could get this instead

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXWVU4&P=ML It will break in any .40-60 size engine.
Most ABC engines I break in while it's in flight.

I'm gonna make a break in bench myself, I got the idea, hopefully I'm gonna start working on it next week as I'd be done with my college.

It would be a simple one, I have seen some of the expensive stuff over here, but I'm gonna make me one, and post pix over here soon.


Thank y'all for great inputs.

Mody

I have spent 30 minutes of my life and possibly $10 worth of stuff towards my "engine research and developement facility" and that's enough to get the job done. Outside of dialing in a tuned pipe engine, I've got little use for it.

A $3 plastic engine mount screwed to a fence post is all you need in most cases.

Pete

Green grass in NY in December?

Mine is all white!

Awesome test bench Wow,

I really like those pix. Next week once I'm done with my CCNA, gonna start working on my test bench. Here in TX grass is still green. I hate winds over here especially in colder months when you don't need, in summer when you need one, it's nowhere to be found[:@]

Oberst great job!!!


Mody