New Bungees

[Av8r3400]

Well, I got the new bungees installed on my Kitfox IV-1050 last night. It took about 2-1/2 hours to do. Not too terrible of a job, but definitely a two person situation. Dave Fisher posted a photo on the Rotax Board of a technique using an ax handle to wedge each wrap while making the next.

I did similar and used a scrap piece of 1 x 2" wood. I trimmed it down to a bout a 1 x 1, then made two angle cuts in the end to make the two way wedge. Without this tool, I'd have no idea how someone would do this task. If I had to do it again, I think I'd be down to maybe an hour, total. (I'll try to remember to get a photo of my Bungee-Stick next time I get to the airport...)

Not an impossible task, just a PITA.

[Av8r3400]

Here are the photos I promised:

(Sorry about the poor quality, it's a phone-camera... )

[Av8r3400]

For the record:

I bought the "new" bungees from the McBeans and they recommended 5 wraps.

With 5 wraps, the right gear is already sagging off the stop!

My plan is to leave it for now, through the winter. I will re-wrap the bungees for six wraps in the spring before the grass-strip season starts again.

[Av8r3400]

My plane is 640# empty, what is yours?

[lbushrod]

Five wraps worked for about twenty hours on my model 2. When I loaded for our trip up north I was just below gross and made probably ten landings before they stretched and I added another turn.

I saw the ax handle trick but forgot it when I need to remember.

For pulling the bungee I think that my saddlehitch method works well but for holding after the stretch the ax handle would do well.

I think that next time I will save an hour or so using the combined method.

Pete

[Av8r3400]

I re-wrapped for the sixth turn on the bungees when I had the plane apart to install my skis. Yeah, that did it.

It would sure be nicer if the crimp was not so huge on these bungees. I had to open up the aluminum reinforcing plate on the belly and overlap the cords to get the required number of wraps. A smaller crimp would have allowed a much neater and tighter looking setup.

I was seriously thinking of cutting off the "factory" loop and doing it over with one of these tools.