Questions about how to get my Series 7 nosewheel home.

[Grant4ever]

I just purchased a series 7 with nose gear. I am going to have to trailer it 1200 miles from Denver to Houston. It has the transportation kit and looks ready to go.

The tow vehicle is an F150 and I was going to use a 16' tandem axle trailer. With the nose gear it sits close to level with the tail supported.

I was thinking about putting a couple hundred pounds of weight in the seats to help plant the nose gear and then just strap it down.

Has anybody else done this have thoughts on it? I am trying to avoid using a tail stand/brace/support if possible.

I also wondered if it was better to go nose first or tail first since it has the nosewheel.

Thanks for any and all input.

[hansedj]

We only went 20 miles to the airport

[Peteohms]

I assume it's not flyable?

[Grant4ever]

I assume it's not flyable?

Not currently, it has sat for awhile. It needs a conditional and only has 10 hours of 40 needed for the faa.

I plan on getting it down to Houston and going thru it. I'll need to get with the local fsdo for change of testing area as well.

[Peteohms]

Darn! I was going to offer to ferry it for you. I live N of Austin.

[avidflyer]

A heavy duty trailer really bounces on bumps when it's not loaded heavy. The sharp, jarring kind of bounce. That's not good for the plane. If the trailer is stiff enough so the deck doesn't flex lengthwise, I would definatly think about making a tail support stand to secure the tail of the plane. If the deck flexes then you don't want the plane secured in three places (front to back) as that would be bending on the plane when the trailer deck bends. When you get passed by a semi, there is a lot of wake turbulence when the truck is 100' -200' ahead of you. That turbulence pushes the plane sideways (and every other way also) I hauled a Kitfox 4 from Texas to Mn. last summer. It was a taildragger though. Make up some good gust locks also. 1" x 4" boards with foam glued to them works good. One on the rudder and two on the elevator. Good to have some foam rubber taped onto the flaperons to keep them from rubbing on the rudder/vert. stabilizer. Tie the flaperons together also, "just to be sure". More than one person has had a pin come out of the holding rod that secures the wing to the tail. Just a few thoughts I have, I'm sure others will chime in as well. Jim Chuk

[DesertFox4]

Please use the search feature at the top of every page. Type in "trailering a Kitfox" and many threads will pop up. Read them all.

The trailer is a key factor in getting your new Kitfox home undamaged.
Too heavy a trailer as "avidflyer" mentioned is a problem especially on a long haul. One long trip on too heavy a trailer will impart way more stress on your airframe than 3 lifetimes of flying.

Trailer your Kitfox tail first.

Read the search threads.

Congrats and best of luck.

[Av8r3400]

Just as an out of the box idea:

I hauled my Kitfox from upstate New York to northern Wisconsin in a one way 26' u-haul truck. To fit width wise requires the removal of one wing and the horizontal tail. Neither difficult to do. Now you are enclosed inside a vehicle and weather and wind are not an issue.

Just a thought.