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Tips for trailering RV8 needed

rv8ch

Well Known Member
Patron
I'm going to be trailering my RV8 to the paint shop and then to the airport, and would appreciate any tips or hints. I've got a 7 ft (2.2m) wide, 16 ft (5m) long totally flat trailer with a very small lip around the edges. I need to bring everything of course, and prefer to make one trip since the paint shop is quite far from my house (about 350 miles/560 km of highway)

I've built wooden protection around the ends of the wings, and I've bought every known protection method for the rest of the parts - shipping blankets, bubble wrap, pallet wrap plastic, and styrofoam boards for example.

I've also ordered about a dozen or so long tiedown straps.

Any tips would be most welcome, since I obviously want everything to arrive safely. My wife thinks I'm crazy for doing it myself, and tells me I should have paid the 4000 USD that the shippers wanted - but I guess if I was a rational thinker I would not be building an airplane! :D
 
For 4k, I would do it myself...

However, I would strongly consider renting, borrowing or stealing :D an enclosed trailer for the duty. The load would be much safer and out of any potential IMC events.
Good Luck and Take your Time.
Ian
 
However, I would strongly consider renting, borrowing or stealing :D an enclosed trailer for the duty. The load would be much safer and out of any potential IMC events.
Good Luck and Take your Time.
Ian

+1 even a large box truck from penske/uhaul/etc would only be a couple hundred dollars. I know from motorcycle experience what even a loose strap or corner of a blanket can do to a paint job out in the wind.

I used a Penske truck to move my project about 1000 miles, rumor has it their trucks have wood floors that someone may or may not have screwed extra tie downs for more support. removed before returning obviously. ;)
 
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+1 for a box truck. Although I found that the Penske trucks had much harder suspension. I think maybe the ones with round wheels were extra.

Uhaul truck rode smoother. Still a lot more dynamics than you might think. I had restrained my fuselage by the plywood dummy spars bolted into the center section. One broke. So use solid wood, not plywood.
 
Truck

+1 even a large box truck from penske/uhaul/etc would only be a couple hundred dollars. I know from motorcycle experience what even a loose strap or corner of a blanket can do to a paint job out in the wind.

I used a Penske truck to move my project about 1000 miles, rumor has it their trucks have wood floors that someone may or may not have screwed extra tie downs for more support. removed before returning obviously. ;)

I also used a Penske 26' truck. The extended tail gate was long and wide enough to allow me to roll the wheels onto the gate and then while it was raised I raised the tail and rolled the fuse in. I then screwed straps to the floor at the wheels and tail using 2x4s and strapped the fuse in. Solid and never moved for either trip. The wings were locked in the cradle and strapped to the side of the truck with lots of room. The other parts were wrapped and in the fuse or strapped to the forward wall of the truck. Easy loading and unloading for 2 people.

Not sure how the 8 dimensions compare but I would do it this way again. No worries about weather, rocks flung up from tires etc. FWIW.

Al
 
Using a trailer

All good tips on using a truck, the challenge is that where I live they don't rent trucks big enough for an RV8 to normal people, only folks with a truck driving license. Consequently, there is almost no market for trucks like that, thus the huge cost to get a company to do it. Also, big trailers that are enclosed are also very hard to get, which is why I bought a flatbed. Renting them is really hard - plenty of people rent the flatbeds. Buying an enclosed trailer is about 10k, so I also dropped that idea.

Looks like I'll just continue with my plan to plastic wrap the aircraft to protect it from the elements during the drive on the trailer. Any other hints or tips? :)
 
Build a cradle to lift and hold the tail of the airplane. Placement is at the intersection of the tail spring socket and forward 12". This will serve a a mount to hold the airframe laterally and vertically. Line the cradle with carpet etc. This must suspend the tail spring and wheel off the deck. If you do not do this, you will be replacing the aft bulkhead. The trailer and the tail of the airplane will bounce out of phase and wreck havoc on your airframe. I would go for an open trailer IMHO.
best of luck
 
If the vertical is on your OK. If not, be sure and install bolts through the rear bulkhead and tail spring weldment. You will likely bend the rear bulkhead when being shipped if left unsecured.

GM
 
How far are you towing?

I once towed a Cessna 172 on a 7 x 16 flatbed after it made an emergency landing in a field. The FBO sent over a couple mechanics to remove the wings while I went to go get my trailer. Fuselage sat on its gear with the wings underneath on some foam rubber under and in between.

Main landing gear is over 7' in width, so the mains were on a 2x12 that cantilevered over the edges. Lost of tie-down straps were used.
Horizontal tail is wider than legal. FBO owner followed me while towing back to the airport so he could prevent other cars from getting close. I took up both lanes when crossing a bridge to prevent the tail from hitting side supports.

Worked fine to get the airplane out of the field and back to the airport quickly before any news cameras showed up about the airplane "crash". Wouldn't want to travel far with a horizontal tail made of thin aluminum sticking out that wide.

Open trailer isn't a problem for a short ride.
 
A close look at Mickey's info in his first post will show he lives in Switzerland and needs to transport his plane 350 miles. Unfortunately he doesn't have the options we have in the USA.

Best wishes, Mickey, anyone who has built an airplane will figure out a solution! :)
 
If you are using an aircraft paint shop, give them a call & ask their advice. They more than likely have experience with moving airframes around.
The more important questions are how to handle those nicely painted parts for the trip home.
 
18' X 5'.

We moved our 8 almost 1,200 miles on a standard 18' tailor. We took the wings and full tail off and the gear as well. put the airframe to one side on false spare stubs and then sat the wings next to it on those 2" camping memory foam mats. The VS and Hs went on top of the wings or wherever it fits. Then the control surfaces and flaps were rapped in quilts and sat in the cabin area. Just remember to drive slow and easy no matter what everyone is doing around you. They will be looking and smiling all the way there wishing they could go too. Hope this helps. Yours, R.E.A. III # 80888
 
Great tips

Thanks a lot for the tips and words of encouragement! I'll send an update on each leg early next month when I do this.
 
I have an open bed trailer, 6'11"x16'2", that I have used to trailer my 8A project around ok. With the axle nuts off, and replaced with nuts fitting inside the outermost limit of the axles, then it fits on the trailer with less than an inch to spare on each side.
Ramps can be a problem - industry standard is bit short for RV projects. Aft bulkheads will bottom out unless you plan ahead (buddy lifting on the tail as it comes up the ramp).
C Dominey
Alvin, Tx
 
finished

Just to close this story, I took the good advice of some of you and paid a professional moving company to do this. Yes, it cost a small fortune, but I can't imagine what would have happened if I did something stupid and damaged my RV.

My RV is now safe in its hangar, ready for final assembly. :)

http://www.rv8.ch/aircraft-move-to-hangar/

img_8517-e1567853612851-1024x768.jpg
 
Trailering RV-8

My first recommendation is to put the aircraft together, and fly it to a paint shop.You will be happier with the job when finished since there will be no scrapes in the fresh paint. I did it your way on my RV-4, and flew it to the paint shop in my RV-8.

Mike Hepperlen
 
Paint

Totally agree that it's probably best to fly then paint if you can handle the withdrawal from flying for a few weeks. The process for getting a permit to fly in Switzerland is a bit more complex than in the US, so here it's strongly recommended to paint first. One thing I have learned building my RV8 is that if a vast majority of people recommend doing something a certain way, listen! :)
 
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