Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

I hate adding weight to a plane, however, after I've built the tail as light as I can and moved the electronics as far forward as possible, I still need more weight. How are you guys fixing the problem. (Oh by the way, I've put a bigger motor in the front)

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

Move the engine farther forward, solid propnut, the dreaded lead. There's three.;)

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

Thanks Vicman

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

Harry Higgley has "heavy prop nuts." Also Prather Products used to offer weighted prop washers. You can also increase the capacity of your RX pack (you didn't say whether this was an e-power bird or not). If you want to be extra careful add a second (redundant) RX pack.
Walt

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

Add an onboard glow system with the battery under the cowl. Great Planes has 1 oz and 2 oz prop washers.

Scott

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

All great ideas. My current build is glow. Got a 4 stroke out front.

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

Use a flight pack battery that is made of either sub-C cells, or full C cells. The amount of battery power is much greater, and if you are going to add weight, make it useful weight.

Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

While on the surface the heavy prop nuts and prop washers seem like a good idea and it does get the weight further forward than some methods, I just cannot help but think how this cannot be good for an engine running and flying at the same time.
The extra gyroscopic effect in flight (worsened if you use a larger prop, also a way to get extra weight out front) would be combined with the extra weight to shorten the life of the engine.

The extra battery pack idea is much more favorable but may not be enough. Any possibility of lighteninf the other end of the plane just a little? A little can go a long way. Often a third of an ounce lost in the rear can mean one ounce less to add up front.

Good luck, Robert

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

I always do a preliminary CG balance before I cover the plane. Keep in mind that the covering has weight, and that the majority of this weight will be behind the CG which mmakes the plane tail heavy. Now that I only build SPAD planes of my own design, I keep the CG in mind at every step, rather than just at the end. In my case, I can frequently move the wing to get the needed CG. I also locate heavy components such that i am not trapped if my CG must be adjusted. Usually after a few test flights I like to adjust the CG for better performance.

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

not to change the subject but i like the notforsale you have as your avatar picture. One of these days i will get the gumption to find those plans for a scratchbuild. buddy of mine had one and loved it.

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

The plans are in MAN. Been A lot of talk about the heavy prop nuts over the years but to date nothing ever settled to keep anyone from using them. A nice 6 volt sub C up front should do the trick. Lead screwed onto the motor mount. Heavy wheels/tires. Switches/servos, all your lucky stuff mounted as far forward as it will go. Two 6 volt sub C batteries and switches. What ever it takes!!;) Just for fun try getting any plane that had A round engine to CG. When I scratch build I have some tricks but with A kit or ARF you are stuck, not always with A kit I guess.;)

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

The ratio is usually 3:1, so every ounce you take out of the tail is 3 ounces of nose weight you won't need to balance it.

Dremel some weight out of the tail.
Use lighter control horns on the tail surfaces. Cut excess bolts and screws off the controls horns. Once the horn is bolted on, any excess bolt hanging out is just weight.
Use lighter control rods in the back. Instead of using 4-40 rods, use 2-56 rods and brace them up with small pieces of balsa. Lighter than the 4-40 rod but also more work.
Get a lighter tailwheel assembly.

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

hi there from Toledo

Cut off the nose section ahead of the wing and fabricate a longer nose section to help achieve better static balance.

ciao -rjf

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

If you have a big bird, and need to add REAL weight here is a good way to do it...Instead of laying it in a cowl and epoxy glassing it.. mount two big bolts through the firewall minimum 1/4 by 20 thread (depending on the amount of weight). Then hang your weight out as far as you can on the bolts..run the bolts through the lead...without interfering with the cowl or motor..double nut it and locktite ...its a good way to go when you are adding pounds not ounces....

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

I would agree with this if I was flying a high rpm engine, that I was reving up and down a lot doing paterns . But a slow flying cub with a four cycle on it , I think the heavy prop nut can help with low and slow flying. It acts like a fly wheel and helps keep the motor running at low rpms.

I have put lead under the foam for the fuel tank, the very bottom of the plane. Its a safe place and as forward as you can with out mounting it on the fire wall. I don't like to mount it to the fire wall , I think it can help break the fire wall free from the fuse.

sticks

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

I often uses lead shot, usually #7 1/2 or #8 mixed with some epoxy. It form fits to the area needed (or in a small wieght box) and won't come loose.

bhady

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

A carbon/glass prop is usually heavier than wood. In the 10" range its good for 1/2oz or so.

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

How much weight are you talking about being short on the nose? Did you temporarily add lead to the nose to determine the weight you're looking for to balance the plane? If it's more than 2 ounces, Higley nut isn't going to do it, the Sub C batteries will. Usually near the fuel tank there is room for battery packs on the side or bottom of the tank, are you that far forward with your battery?

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

Not sure exactly how much weight I need to add. I'm in the Air Force and haven't had a chance to work on it since before Thanksgiving. Plane is a Carl Goldberg Edge 540. Seems well built and very light. I put a Saito 125 up front. What I remember is that I had the C batteries as far forward (inside the plane) as I could get get them, added a regulator at the CG, extended my engine forward 3/8 inch. And still had to hang some steel blocks out of the cowl inlets. Don't know why this plane has this problem. I've reviewed the threads on the plane with no reports of the problem. I'm really puzzled.

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

Hi!
The answer is: You don't (add weight)!
When you build a plane you must always have in mind the removal of unnecessary weight! That's paramount!
The Dremel sanding drum and a carbide router is your best friend! There is always things that could be removed or be improved on in any airplane kit once you got the "feel for it"! Never settle for: "Just build it according to the instructions adding part A to part B"!
Ask yourself : Is this piece of wood/ really necessary?

Things that could be removed or improved on are: too much wood, too heavy wood structures, wrong equipment, lighter tail-wheels, move servos, tank and all other equipment forward etc.

I have never in my 32 years in this hobby fallen for the temptation of adding lead to any model, be it scale, racing or sport
It's an easy trap to fall into...But if you want a good flying model ...work at it! ;)

RE: Best Way to Add Weight to the Front of Your Plane
 

I totally agree with Jaka. You only need as much structure in the rear of the plane to keep the plane together under normal flying conditions. Build the tail with the absolute least bit of material possible, and NEVER build to survive a crash. Ahead of the CG I am more liberal with glue, wood, etc.