RV-4 Gear Legs

I have an older Kit I'm starting on, in order to spread costs I need to know if I should buy the longer legs (and engine mount) generally recommended.
Vans quote $1150.00 for this, however, there must be people out there flying the original design.
So.....should I budget on buying the extras or will the acft. still be as pleasant as all reports indicate.
I have a few thousand hours on various types and feel confident about reasonable limitations in landing qualities.
Thanks in advance, I'm almost to the first rivet stage, AllanB.

I have the short legs and have not had any problems, do wheel landing all the time. 99% of the time I operate from paved surfaces.

RV-4 gear legs

Allan - I am building not flying so cant advise you on the benefit of one leg over another but your post made me wonder if you know that the steel weldements behind the corners of the firewall were changed on the later kits. This is something you really should consider changing if/while you can.

I tried to capture this sort of info here . Take a look at the oldest post May 24th 2006, item 3.

I noticed you posted this in the general discussion bit. In case you missed it there is an RV4 model area which you might find useful. You will find some discussuion of the 'legs' issue there.

Good luck!

Allen

I have a shorty RV4, I've flown for nine years now, out of a lot of short narrow strips. If you try to 3 point them the tailwheel always lands a little before the mains, but I don't find it causes any bounces etc. After a while you learn the correct angle to three point, but the wings are still flying a bit so you have to be slow with the aft stick input or the mains lift off again. YMMV. My opinion and experiance only. Joe Hine

Allen,

I am also building an early RV4 (serial 68). I think that main reason builders upgrade to longer legs is for prop clearance. I?m going to mount a wood Sterba so I stayed with the short legs. I?ve read post from pilots that preferred the handling with short, some prefer the long. The previous response about the steel brackets is good advice. I upgraded mine when I was at that stage. The new ones are thicker and beefier.

Cameron Smith
RV4 #68 Finishing kit