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Lifting the '8 tail?

N729LS

Well Known Member
Patron
Relatively new owner of an RV-8 and find that lifting the tail for maintenance is pretty awkward (and surprisingly heavy). Case 1 is to get tailwheel onto a support so that fuselage is level. Case 2 is to get tailwheel unloaded and off the ground to work on it specifically.

Was wondering how other non-powerlifters do this? :confused: I was thinking maybe a 2"-wide padded strap around rear empenage and the shop crane? Possibly hard to find the right angle to avoid the horizontal? Maybe a chain hoist from the rafters?

Thanks,
Andy
 
Andy:

If you can find a "Tail-Mate" buy it. It will become one of your favorite tools for the -8. I don't believe they are manufactured anymore but someone may have one for sale. That someone would NOT be me. I'm being buried with mine :)

Chris
 
Two-part line (soft polyester rope) and a 6" block hung from the ceiling works great. Use a rope yoke to lift from the tailwheel spring, not the tail.

Best stand ever (because it is really stable); engine stand with a wheel cup on a big acme screw.

2rha7pi.jpg
 
Andy:

If you can find a "Tail-Mate" buy it. It will become one of your favorite tools for the -8. I don't believe they are manufactured anymore but someone may have one for sale. That someone would NOT be me. I'm being buried with mine :)

Chris

Pictures are available, but any chance you could give some dimensions for the lengths? The tubing looks to be 1", but do you know the wall thickness - .063" or .090? And since the questions are flowing, with the tail hoisted up, is it pretty stable, no flex in the tubes?

Thanks!!
 
I dunno---I just grab the tail wheel spring and muscle it up. I'm 75---you've gotta be younger than me.:D I have a small footstool thingy with metal feet, and a cushion on top I bought from a furniture store. It's maybe 18" tall. I put the tail wheel spring on the foot stool. That arrangement doesn't touch the fuselage, but leaves the tail wheel totally free to take off, or whatever you want to do. Footstool cost me maybe 25 bux??
 
Tail Mate!!!

I was lucky and bought one of the last tail mates. It gets used by all of the tailwheel guys on the airport. Someone needs to start making them again. They work great on most all tailwheel airplanes that have the tailwheel on a spring or stinger and have rudder clearance.
 
Use the wayback machine and check out tail-mate.com

They started out at $179 and stopped production at $350 plus shipping.

From those who have a tail-mate, dimensions of the tall pieces and wall thickness would be most appreciated.
 
If someone would send me some pictures of the Tail mate I would make them .

I took a simpier path. I used the same long ram HF jack and homemade stand that I use to jack up the wings and a buddy welded a tail wheel box that fits on top of the jack ram. The box come on and off with a bolt. I take the extra step to lash the tailwheel into the box just in case.

Carl
 
Thanks for the pictures. If anyone has some basic dimensions Height and angle of the stand. That is all I will need.

I intend to make a copy of the Tail Mate this weekend It will be to lousy to fly my just completed RV8. Raising the tail for various reasons, Fuel tank calibration , AHRS alignment on the G3X etc. something is needed that will be easy to use.

I have everything I need in the shop to make the frame. My wife is picking up the winch from Harbor Freight $23. and some wheels/casters $30.


LAZ

RV8

N958ML
 
I have plans for the Tail-Mate, tail jack, tail lift, whatever you call it.
I cant/wont post pictures. (is there a place on VAF to download/post files ???)

Email me if you want the PDF file of the plans at
rv18r (at) comcast.net

Bruce W.
 
I have plans for the Tail-Mate, tail jack, tail lift, whatever you call it.
I cant/wont post pictures. (is there a place on VAF to download/post files ???)

Email me if you want the PDF file of the plans at
rv18r (at) comcast.net

Bruce W.

I put Bruce's Tail-Mate PDF on my server, it can be downloaded here:

Tail-Mate PDF


Thank you, Bruce! Think I'll have to build one of these things. :)
 
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I have plans for the Tail-Mate, tail jack, tail lift, whatever you call it.
I cant/wont post pictures. (is there a place on VAF to download/post files ???)

Email me if you want the PDF file of the plans at
rv18r (at) comcast.net

Bruce W.

Thank you Bruce!! I used your emailed copy of the plans and love the outcome.
I did modify to accept the fairing as you can see.

oaw.jpg
 
A fine lift, but can't be stiff enough to confidently allow crawling around back in the tail. Remember, there is a big difference between stiffness and strength.

Structurally, the upright members have no significant base width, so they can flex on the base structure. The base structure itself has the wheels out on the ends of horizontal members...wavy wands in the stiffness context. And lateral stiffness of the carriage depends on the bending stiffness of the long rails.

Remember, the original product was designed with shipping in mind. If you're going to build your own, a simple redesign could improve its utility. At a minimum, substitute 1" x 2" 16ga for the 1x1 base members and carriage rails. I'd use 3 x 1-1/2 if I could get it in a light gauge, with the forward wheels between tabs on the 1-1/2 centerline. The single 1x1 rear upright (the one with the winch) would become two 1x1 uprights, pyramid fashion, extending to a point near the rear wheels. They're only loaded in tension/compression, so they only need a wider base. Space the carriage rails farther apart, so the arm with the rollers can be a length of rectangular tube rather than the 1/4 x 1-1/4 bar.
 
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I built one of these, without plans, last month. I had seen pictures on VAF years ago, but when I searched for them they were all gone. It took me about three days in the shop and going to the airport to modify an redo to get it right. I?m pleased with how well it works. Larry (Larco) seems to have built his in less time than it takes me to get the welder ready. Excellent job Larry.::cool:
 
I saw one of these Genie lifts on craigs list years ago for a few hundred dollars and grabbed it. Bolted a 3/4 plywood deck to the forks and cut a hole in it for the wheel to nest in. Works like a charm. Rated for 500 lbs and very stable. Also makes leveling a TD for weighing a simple task.

Z1KOwwfo5oy.JPG
 
A fine lift, but can't be stiff enough to confidently allow crawling around back in the tail. Remember, there is a big difference between stiffness and strength.

Structurally, the upright members have no significant base width, so they can flex on the base structure. The base structure itself has the wheels out on the ends of horizontal members...wavy wands in the stiffness context. And lateral stiffness of the carriage depends on the bending stiffness of the long rails.

Remember, the original product was designed with shipping in mind. If you're going to build your own, a simple redesign could improve its utility. At a minimum, substitute 1" x 2" 16ga for the 1x1 base members and carriage rails. I'd use 3 x 1-1/2 if I could get it in a light gauge, with the forward wheels between tabs on the 1-1/2 centerline. The single 1x1 rear upright (the one with the winch) would become two 1x1 uprights, pyramid fashion, extending to a point near the rear wheels. They're only loaded in tension/compression, so they only need a wider base. Space the carriage rails farther apart, so the arm with the rollers can be a length of rectangular tube rather than the 1/4 x 1-1/4 bar.

Dan, I two was concerned about side-to-side stiffness and plan to beef up the design for my version with a fourth leg similar to what you described.
 
I love my "tail-mate" but I don't rely on it for strength when crawling back into the tailcone. I lift the tail with the tail-mate and then place a sawhorse under the forward end of the tail spring.
 
I love my "tail-mate" but I don't rely on it for strength when crawling back into the tailcone. I lift the tail with the tail-mate and then place a sawhorse under the forward end of the tail spring.

I'm with Mel (and Dan, really....) - the TailMate is for lifting, a padded saw-horse is used if we're goign to get in the airplane. I don't crawl under a car that's just on a jack (without jack stands) either!

With an older (and aging...) spine, I won't let my TailMate go - too much twisting to lift RV tails by hand.

I'll have to take a picture of the MONSTER TailMate knock-off our former partner built for our Tundra. I could lift a small car with it......

Paul
 
I designed the Tail-Mate!

I still have the original drawings I made when I designed the Tailmate.
My first opportunity to sell them was when I purchased a 10x10 space at SnF back in 2002. Sat there all week and didn't sell ONE unit! All I got was people taking pictures and saying they could build their own for less money. Then they were $179.00. All I said was...go right ahead...have at it. Let me know when you exceed $179 assuming you work for more than a dollar an hour. Everyone around where I live who had an experimental wanted one and was delighted to spend the money for one. My how times have changed. I am so enjoying this thread. For those who purchased one...Thanks for the support. For those that took pictures at SNF...How is the tailmate build coming along?
And lastly...NO! The TailMate WAS NOT designed to be stable and strong enough to crawl back in the the tail...Mel is right!
 
I still have the original drawings I made when I designed the Tailmate.
My first opportunity to sell them was when I purchased a 10x10 space at SnF back in 2002. Sat there all week and didn't sell ONE unit! All I got was people taking pictures and saying they could build their own for less money. Then they were $179.00. All I said was...go right ahead...have at it. Let me know when you exceed $179 assuming you work for more than a dollar an hour. Everyone around where I live who had an experimental wanted one and was delighted to spend the money for one. My how times have changed. I am so enjoying this thread. For those who purchased one...Thanks for the support. For those that took pictures at SNF...How is the tailmate build coming along?
And lastly...NO! The TailMate WAS NOT designed to be stable and strong enough to crawl back in the the tail...Mel is right!

Great response... and thanks for chiming in. I joined the builder pool too late to purchase an original Tailmate; if you ever decide to market another, add me to your mailing list.
 
I still have the original drawings I made when I designed the Tailmate.
My first opportunity to sell them was when I purchased a 10x10 space at SnF back in 2002. Sat there all week and didn't sell ONE unit! All I got was people taking pictures and saying they could build their own for less money. Then they were $179.00. All I said was...go right ahead...have at it. Let me know when you exceed $179 assuming you work for more than a dollar an hour. Everyone around where I live who had an experimental wanted one and was delighted to spend the money for one. My how times have changed. I am so enjoying this thread. For those who purchased one...Thanks for the support. For those that took pictures at SNF...How is the tailmate build coming along?
And lastly...NO! The TailMate WAS NOT designed to be stable and strong enough to crawl back in the the tail...Mel is right!

It is a clever design, my compliments.

Just for clarification....is the Tail-Mate still in production and available to purchase? If so, I would be reluctant to build my own. If not........game on. I work for a lot less than a dollar an hour. :)
 
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I built one of these, without plans, last month. I had seen pictures on VAF years ago, but when I searched for them they were all gone. It took me about three days in the shop and going to the airport to modify an redo to get it right. I’m pleased with how well it works. Larry (Larco) seems to have built his in less time than it takes me to get the welder ready. Excellent job Larry.::cool:

Oh No, Ha, I was thanking Bruce for sending out plans which he had offered to do sometime ago, It was time consuming and fun, did take some extra time to modify for the fairing as well, a lot more than 3 days for sure.:) The picture was shown as encouragement for others too. And to Wolfpack3, Thank you! Someone has to only build one to appreciate the design and effort you put into this
 
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Lifting the tail

I bought a Harbor Freight Lift table for around $45.00. It lifts the tail of my RV and several other planes nicely. It also allows me to install my bottom cowling without assistance and is useful in many other ways.
 
I built one . . .

This thread is about the 8, but many have looked at the tail-mate plans. 7 and 9 owners should be warned - the rudder cord is too long for the stock plans. Measure your tail wheel to aft rudder distance and modify the drawings accordingly. Also consider the mod that Sam made to his wooden shoe, that is to allow one to shove the shoe under the wheel without having it having to lift the wheel.

I made the tail-mate from the plans herein using 1/8" wall 1" tubing. It is plenty stiff, but the wheel base in both directions is the weakness to allow use as a working stand. There are lots of small details to change, so consider them like a vans print, a good suggestion, and prove to yourself what works.
 
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