This engine test stand--is it safe?
 

Check out the photos and tell me what you think. The upright is glued with Gorilla Glue and all the wood is coated twice with varathane diamondwood finish. The muffler is 1/4" away from the upright, although it looks as if it is touching. The wire that comes out the back is hooked to the throttle.

The prop spins 3/4" from the front of the base and the whole thing is meant to be nailed to a four foot piece of 6X6 lumber.

Here is the front

And another
 

from the side. It's for a .48 engine, by the way.

and finally
 

from the back. The actual engine mount is a commercially available one from CB Tatone RC accessories for engines from .049 to .80. It's attached with two screws to a piece of 2X4.

This engine test stand--is it safe?
 

I have the next size up Tatone mount attached to a 2x4... slightly different arrangement but still just a 2x4

I'd use bolts and blind nuts, not screws, to secure the Tatone mount to the softwood. A dose of loctite wouldn't hurt either.

Prior to my acquiring my Tatone mount, I fastened a 46fx directly to a notched piece of 2x4. At high rpm the mounting screws began to unwound themselves due to the vibration. No amount of tightening or use of lock washers would keep them in place. A bolt, however, stayed tight. Hence my concern about the screws.

..As it should be...
 

Mike,

This is how the the CB-Tatone test stand should be constructed.

Do it right!

The aluminium tube is for fuel pickup to the engine.
The two black nylon nipples are for exhaust pressure and tank fill/refill.

The tank is wrapped in latex foam, to prevent fuel foaming.
A tie wrap binds it to the included tie bracket on the 2"x6", which can be attached to a table with a large C-clamp.

Your setup cannot work properly. Fuel level changes will cause mixture strength changes, from very rich to very lean.

Do not use it as it is built now!

Re-arrange it completely.

This engine test stand--is it safe?
 

The tank in the upright position will not work. The engine will flood at the beginning of the tank and it was go lean at the end. I used the same engine mount screwed to a piece of cabinet grade plywood, just cause I had it laying around, and use a fuel tank from an HPI savage. The tank has a primer built in which is a godsend for a poorly running engine. replace the fuel tank or mount it on it's side and you should be good to go. I have mounted from a os 50sx 2 stroke to a saito 120 4 stroke without any problems. Just make sure with the larger engines that the table is properly secured, my saito 120 at full throttle would drag the table that I have the test stand clamped to. ALWAYS wear goggles when you are test running an engne since you are never sure what will happen!

Chris

Chris

Fuel tank
 

Also your exhaust pressure is going to have to bubble up through the fuel adding to the foaming problem your going to have. And nails are a big no no for this job. Three or four inch galvanized drywall screws are more like it.

Thank you all so much.
 

The mount didn't come with instructions or a picture. Now that I look at the page on the Tower catalog that it's on, I notice that the bottle is mounted on it's side.

I will do as you all say, that's for sure, and rearrange the bottle and fuel lines before I use it. I've never hooked up glow engine fuel lines before.

Dar, I have been enjoying your posts on ABC engine run-in and will be following your advice there, as well.

Regards to all,

Mike Ledbetter