Blocking the tail (Taildragger) off the ground

[mantry]

Looking for some pictures/examples of how to block the tail off the ground for better access to the belly of a tail dragger.

Let's see what you have...

I'm pretty nervous about this. I've had an RV7 fall off while trying to do a W&B, luckily no damage. Then I read the recent RV-10 that fell off the jack. As someone mentioned the risk of damage goes way up if something happens.

I make sure that the main wheels are chocked because if it were to rotate around and the tailwheel to fall off the ______ then again, damage is going to be possibly bad!

Here is just one small example:


Oh, and bonus would be blocking the tail off the ground without using the tailwheel so you could work on the tailwheel itself.

 

[Dad's RV-10]

Image rotated (Edit - OP rotated before I posted)

I'm interested as well, but the opposite. I want to properly support the tail under the empennage so I can service the tailwheel.

I bought this Harbor Freight 29" Tool Stand and a piece of dense foam. I assume it's best to position it under the bulkhead where the arrow is?

 

[RYOUNG]

Tail support

Just a couple of sawhorses with a Harbor Freight moving blanket should do the trick. Make sure tail is weighted to prevent nose over. If you are going to crawl into the tailcone, I would want the weight to bear on the steel tailwheel support fitting and/or tailspring where it exits the bottom of the fuselage and secured so aft fuselage cannot move laterally.

 

[crabandy]

I use one of the round barstool type rolling shop chairs, lift via the stinger and roll the chair under the aft fuse.

 

[rmarshall234]

I use my motorcycle jack to lift the back of my Duster, works great and super easy but I have a welded fuselage. I’ll let someone else speak to “spreading the load” as is necessary on an RV

 

[Desert Rat]

When I was getting ready to hang the engine I wanted the fuselage to be more or less level and I wanted to be able to crawl in and out of the airplane without worrying about some rickety sawhorses giving way, so I built this out of 2x4's.

The cross bar is 44" off the ground and about 32 inches wide.if I sit it under the thick skin between the last two bulkheads the fuselage is dead nuts level in my garage.

I'd imagine on a finished airplane there's plenty of weight back there, but without the wings and empennage it got super nose heavy when I hung the engine. I threw a ratchet strap around the tail spring and looped the other end through 80 lbs of free weights I had laying around.

This is no doubt overkill for a 2 hour maintenance job or whatever, but I guarantee that your plane wouldn't fall off of it

 

[uk_figs]

I bought the mobile 500lb hydraulic lift table from Harbor Freight that I think Paul Dye mentioned about a year or so ago. Best thing I have bought in a while, good for helping to remove lower cowling (3 blade prop) and I use it to lift the tail of the -7 when I need to service the tailwheel or clean the belly etc. I put a metal sawhorse under the stinger mount for backup and chock the front wheels.
Works great.
Figs

 

[DanH]

Unused engine stand, two acme nuts and a length of screw. Weld a cup from angle. Adjustable, sturdy, safe.
.

 

[Carl Froehlich]

This is a Harbor Freight jack and a welded tail wheel holder (thanks Tom Doran) that bolts onto the ram.

The rope is added insurance to make sure the tail wheel says in the holder. When doing this with the wings off I add a couple of bags of lead shot on the jack stand to prevent tip over.

The adjustable jack provides for exact aircraft leveling for work such as wheel pants.

For just propping up the tail these foam block are perfect. They are used to block up home trailers on the shipping flatbed for delivery to Lowes, Home Depot and such. Most places will be thrilled to give them away (they fill up their dumpsters in short order). I have ~20 of them. Tape them together for things like a platform to stand on, a seat, a temporary workbench and such.

Carl

 

[Sam Buchanan]

Lots of ways to skin this mule, here is the simple and crude way I've done it since 1998. Also shown is the tailwheel lift I use when I don't want to put my back into it (great for cleaning the RV-6 belly).

 

[Lkitson]

I bought a a bench grinder stand from Harbor freight and then made a wood saddle which is bolted to the top. The tail stinger sits in the saddle which holds the airplane in a nearly level altitude. It works great and is very secure.

https://www.harborfreight.com/universal-bench-grinder-stand-59196.html

I use an electric hoist that hangs from the ceiling of my hangar to lift the tail up so I can get the stand under it.

 

[Snowflake]

It depends how high I want it. If it's for cleaning the belly, I find that raising it a little allows me to roll under with a creeper and the belly isn't so far away that I can't comfortably polish it. To do that, I use one of the folding aluminum benches from Lowe's/Home Depot. I can't find the exact model right now, but similar to this one. I fold an old beach towel down to about 1' square, put it on the bench, and raise the stinger and put the bench under it. Tailwheel hangs off the end, where I can work on it, and aft fuselage is lifted to comfortable working range from either a rolling stool (stabilizer) or a creeper (belly).

If I want it higher, I have a wooden stool that happens to raise the tail to *almost* the exact height to level the cockpit rails... I've used that to calibrate fuel tanks and check the panel tilt offset on my Dynon D10A.

 

[Toobuilder]

In my hangar I use my oily rag can (one of those red industrial fire safety cans) with a metal dog bowl on top. The bowl has a rubber base for traction and sits on top of the rag can, the tail tire sits in the dog bowl and cant go anywhere.

 

[Roadjunkie1]

I bought a a bench grinder stand from Harbor freight and then made a wood saddle which is bolted to the top. The tail stinger sits in the saddle which holds the airplane in a nearly level altitude. It works great and is very secure.

How is the little "V" saddle secured to the square piece which is bolted to the stand...?

 

[Sam Buchanan]

I bought a a bench grinder stand from Harbor freight and then made a wood saddle which is bolted to the top. The tail stinger sits in the saddle which holds the airplane in a nearly level altitude. It works great and is very secure.

https://www.harborfreight.com/universal-bench-grinder-stand-59196.html

I use an electric winch that hangs from the ceiling of my hangar to lift the tail up so I can get the stand under it.

How is the little "V" saddle secured to the square piece which is bolted to the stand...?

I would use a couple of lag screws coming up through the ply platform and some glue, not sure how to make it more complicated than that.

 

[Lkitson]

I would use a couple of lag screws coming up through the ply platform and some glue, not sure how to make it more complicated than that.

And that’s what I did.

 

[rv6n6r]

You really don't need anything more complicated than a sturdy sawhorse. It's perfectly secure and would take quite a bit to knock it off there.

 

[gasman]

I would use a couple of lag screws coming up through the ply platform and some glue, not sure how to make it more complicated than that.

Too complicated!! Just the glue....

 

[Snowflake]

Oh, and since I didn't see it mentioned... Don't forget to chock both main wheels before putting the tailwheel on the stand.

 

[Brantel]

I was scrolling the front page news and ran across your pic. I thought "That tailwheel sure looks familiar." LOL

 

[mantry]

Thanks all, great ideas.
I like something easy so I can do both (lifting and sliding of unit) at the same time. I guess solution to that is don’t chock it until it’s on the stand, that way you can lift and then walk it over.

It sure is Brian…

 

[Scott Hersha]

I lift the tail with the yellow tail lift, and then set it down on the saw horse with the tail cone nested in the ‘U’, padded with a thick bath towel. I made the saw horse lags just the right length for belly washing.