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Wood prop
- Thread starter redhawk
- Start date
strahler13
Well Known Member
Might want to check with Ed Sterba in Ocala, FL. I just bought a prop for a Pietenpol and it was quite reasonable.
Dbro172
Well Known Member
Does that price include the spacer, bolts, backplate, spinner and prop? I was thinking of trying a 3 blade, but not at those prices.
There is always Whirlwind or Sensenich ground adjustable props too:
http://whirlwindpropellers.com/aircraft/ga200l-two-blade-propeller/
There is always Whirlwind or Sensenich ground adjustable props too:
http://whirlwindpropellers.com/aircraft/ga200l-two-blade-propeller/
fixnflyguy
Well Known Member
Sterba
I have a Sterba on my -4.. I bought it used from a -6 being parted out,and re-finished it. I am running 160hp, and this prop is smooth and a great climb/acro prop, but my top end suffers (I think) because I can still easily redline past 2700 RPM at 8-10K. I cruise at 150-155kts while turning about 2550 RPM, so I live with that. Cant remember my pitch/diameter, but I'm thinking 68"dia. The prop is beautiful, and it has the urethane leading edges that are really nice for erosion protection. I have 250 hrs. behind mine and doubt I will look at replacing it any time soon...lots of bang for the buck.
I have a Sterba on my -4.. I bought it used from a -6 being parted out,and re-finished it. I am running 160hp, and this prop is smooth and a great climb/acro prop, but my top end suffers (I think) because I can still easily redline past 2700 RPM at 8-10K. I cruise at 150-155kts while turning about 2550 RPM, so I live with that. Cant remember my pitch/diameter, but I'm thinking 68"dia. The prop is beautiful, and it has the urethane leading edges that are really nice for erosion protection. I have 250 hrs. behind mine and doubt I will look at replacing it any time soon...lots of bang for the buck.
strahler13
Well Known Member
Also, Sterba will repitch the prop free of charge until you're happy. Obviously, easier to go from coarse to fine pitch.
Warren Moore
Member
you should also check out Performance Propellers. Frank makes a really nice prop for the RV4, two or three bladed. www.performancepropellersusa.com
Guilhermepilot
Well Known Member
Sterba is the best cost benefit
Dbro172
Well Known Member
What, do they give them things away? A whirlwind or catto including spinner, backplate and nickel plated leading edge are only a couple, three grand. And by today's standards the sterba is one ugly propeller.
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I needed a prop for my -4 and it turned out that Ed Sturba's shop was 20 min from where my folks stay in FL for the winter. So my Dad called him up and dropped by. He expected to find a high tech mfg facility with a cnc router or a fancy duplicator. Nope. The guy has a few templates hanging on the wall and an angle grinder! He's old school. But he's built 100s of props and the one he built for me looks very nice. He knows what works for RVs. I don't think you can find ANY other prop for less than twice what he charges. My Dad said he was a really nice guy too.
I am still a year from flying so I can't tell you how mine works but there are lots of others who can.
I am still a year from flying so I can't tell you how mine works but there are lots of others who can.
BCP Boys
Well Known Member
Performance
Another vote to call Frank at Performance Props... I have one on my -7 and an extra one sitting in my office. I constantly get compliments on how beautiful my prop is and although my props were made by Clark ( the original owner of Performance Propellers) I have seen Frank's work and they are certainly the same quality.
I have no negative comments on other brands of props but I will say that I have almost 700 hours on my prop and it looks brand new.... I've never seen any other propellor hold up so well. Happy to send you some pictures if you like.
Another vote to call Frank at Performance Props... I have one on my -7 and an extra one sitting in my office. I constantly get compliments on how beautiful my prop is and although my props were made by Clark ( the original owner of Performance Propellers) I have seen Frank's work and they are certainly the same quality.
I have no negative comments on other brands of props but I will say that I have almost 700 hours on my prop and it looks brand new.... I've never seen any other propellor hold up so well. Happy to send you some pictures if you like.
Dbro172
Well Known Member
Plus spacer and bolts (another $600). Jeez, might as well go constant speed
Clark
Clark is the ex son-inlaw of Bernie Warnke so you may see his "influence" in the prop, ie number of laminations and leading edge protection.
Clark is the ex son-inlaw of Bernie Warnke so you may see his "influence" in the prop, ie number of laminations and leading edge protection.
Neal@F14
Well Known Member
My Sensenich GA prop, spinner and all mounting hardware was $4300 with overnight shipping ($$$). Just under half of the cost of a new Hartzell CS prop, governor and all the rest of the installation hardware & components. It's turbine smooth and I can custom tune the pitch for my engine and airframe. I'm extremely pleased with the performance and customer support from the factory. Would I do it again? You betcha!
Edit: Plus it's a very sexy looking prop too!
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Sensenich Woody
I just removed a Sensenich wood prop that has 475 hours on it. I have the spinner, front and rear bulkheads and all the hardware along with the prop extension. I'm going to post an add in the forsale area but I'm unsure about how much to ask for all of this. Any recommendations?
I just removed a Sensenich wood prop that has 475 hours on it. I have the spinner, front and rear bulkheads and all the hardware along with the prop extension. I'm going to post an add in the forsale area but I'm unsure about how much to ask for all of this. Any recommendations?
smokyray
Well Known Member
Prop me up!
RH,
I ran a Sterba on my RV4 for 3 years and 500 hours before bolting the prototype 2 blade Catto on in 98". The Sterba was one of 9 props I tested over a .10 year period. The Sterba had decent performance but was far outperformed by the Catto and far more durable. I wouldn't recommend the Sterba for wet climates. Despite following Ed"s advice to throttle back to 2200 in rain, I chewed up my leading edge numerous times in light rain. Prop tape helped but reduced performance. Keep a can of Spar varnish handy.
Performance propellers also makes a great wood prop:
http://www.performancepropellersusa.com
They make a two or three blades that perform very well with a bit of the old Warnke "almost constant speed" multi laminate technology built in. Buy your extension and bolts from Saber. Vans still sells 12" spinners as does PP...
Last but not least was Gary Hertzlers masterpiece wood/carbon fiber prop I ran forv2 years. Although not well known in the RV world, he's a legend in the EZ community (as is Craig Catto). You can reach him at [email protected]
Good hunting...
V/R
Smokey
RH,
I ran a Sterba on my RV4 for 3 years and 500 hours before bolting the prototype 2 blade Catto on in 98". The Sterba was one of 9 props I tested over a .10 year period. The Sterba had decent performance but was far outperformed by the Catto and far more durable. I wouldn't recommend the Sterba for wet climates. Despite following Ed"s advice to throttle back to 2200 in rain, I chewed up my leading edge numerous times in light rain. Prop tape helped but reduced performance. Keep a can of Spar varnish handy.
Performance propellers also makes a great wood prop:
http://www.performancepropellersusa.com
They make a two or three blades that perform very well with a bit of the old Warnke "almost constant speed" multi laminate technology built in. Buy your extension and bolts from Saber. Vans still sells 12" spinners as does PP...
Last but not least was Gary Hertzlers masterpiece wood/carbon fiber prop I ran forv2 years. Although not well known in the RV world, he's a legend in the EZ community (as is Craig Catto). You can reach him at [email protected]
Good hunting...
V/R
Smokey
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Infidel
Well Known Member
I have the same setup in my -4. On take off and climb, I'm seeing 2500 rpm. At 2450 rpm level and 3000' ft, I average about 140+ mph. With some good air, the Sterba climbs like a raped ape but lacks a bit on the cruise. I'm happy with it though as it is nice and smooth and is still fast.
tmbg
Well Known Member
I have a 68x72 sterba on a 150hp O-320-nothing, and I get 2500rpm static. My engine might be making more than 150, but if not, the 72" might be underpitched for you.
smokyray
Well Known Member
Prop me up!
Arlie,
My Sterba's biggest drawback was speed and utility. My Sterba equipped 150HP RV4 topped out at 155Knots wide open 2800 RPM. In comparison, my prototype Catto (before his current design refinements) topped out at 175 Knots and 2850 RPM, exact same engine/airframe.
It's worth the extra money IMHO...
For what it's worth...
Smokey
PS: Watch the VAF classifieds, a used Catto might just me a perfect match for your wallet/airplane.
Arlie,
My Sterba's biggest drawback was speed and utility. My Sterba equipped 150HP RV4 topped out at 155Knots wide open 2800 RPM. In comparison, my prototype Catto (before his current design refinements) topped out at 175 Knots and 2850 RPM, exact same engine/airframe.
It's worth the extra money IMHO...
For what it's worth...
Smokey
PS: Watch the VAF classifieds, a used Catto might just me a perfect match for your wallet/airplane.
Wood props can be re-pitched, no doubt about it. However, it's much easier to decrease pitch than it is to increase. Blade material is removed when re-pitching so removing material while trying to add load to the engine is somewhat counterproductive.
Far North Texan
Active Member
We started with a wood prop when we first built our RV-6A. It is a thing of beauty and it would make 2500 + RPM ( I do not remember exactly, its been a long time), but we never got RV like speed out of it.
175 MPH IAS on a good day.
We sent it back to be re pitched and it was no better. The fuel burn was also much heavier than a Lycoming 0-360 has a right to be.
Bought a Sensenitch with spinner through Vans, and in a typical easy cruise setting of 2300 RPM, its 15 MPH IAS faster and fuel burn went from 10.5 to 8 GPH..
And no more re torqueing either.
175 MPH IAS on a good day.
We sent it back to be re pitched and it was no better. The fuel burn was also much heavier than a Lycoming 0-360 has a right to be.
Bought a Sensenitch with spinner through Vans, and in a typical easy cruise setting of 2300 RPM, its 15 MPH IAS faster and fuel burn went from 10.5 to 8 GPH..
And no more re torqueing either.
precession
Well Known Member
My favorite was my Bernie Warnke 70x74, which, assuming my ASI and tach were somewhat accurate, yielded top speeds in the 200 mph range at 2850 WOT with my 0320. Even if my gauges weren't totally accurate (which is always a possibility and I never made the effort to check calibration, though GPS ground speed readings appeared to confirm speeds), mine was hands down the fastest of four -4s in my neighborhood (others were running fixed pitch metal), and was only slightly slower than a local RV-8 with 180 hp and CS prop. I attributed the speed to the Warnke prop. So if I were going with a wood prop and not a Catto I’d be checking with Frank Johnson to see if he can duplicate that Warnke 70x74. It's my understanding he should be able to, since he learned and carried on the business from Clark, who learned it from Bernie. I've seen pictures of his props and they look the same as mine, with all the nice laminations and the composite leading edge. Actually, I did contact Frank after my Warnke prop suffered a chip beyond repair, but before I made a purchase a used Catto came up for sale at a reasonable price right in my neighborhood, so I grabbed it. From my experience and that of other -4 owners I've spoken with (not to mention what Catto recommends), I think 70" is the right diameter for 0320 RV-4s.
More discussion and couple of pictures of Performance props found here, if interested, http://www.biplaneforum.com/showthread.php?t=10717&highlight=jstreat, and here’s a guy who mounted a three blade on his IO540 300hp custom muscle biplane, painted it fully, and it looks great: http://www.biplaneforum.com/showthread.php?t=5601&page=3.
I have no connection with Frank at Performance, just thought my Warnke was a great prop.
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