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Prop shop recommendation?

erich weaver

erich weaver

Well Known Member
Hey all

My Whirlwind 200RV prop started spitting grease yesterday. I have 830 hrs on it and it was previously resealed at about 400 hrs. Need to pick a prop shop for a reseal and there isn’t a lot to choose from in California. American Propeller in Redding doesn’t work on Whirlwinds any more and Stockton Propeller is no longer in business. From the list that Whirwind provides, that leaves Johnson Propeller Service in Shafter CA. Any insights on them good or bad or recommendations on another shop would be appreciated

regards
 
erich weaver said:
Calling them was my first action. They don’t service their props there. Their only advice was to recommend an inspection and reseal and to refer me to their list of prop shops, which led to my original post.
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also, after checking around a bit, it’s looking like prop shops are pretty selective about what props they will work on. I may well be limited to the few shops on the Whirwind list that seems to be getting shorter and shorter
 
Roadjunkie1 said:
Let me see if I can find anything out............ :unsure:
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Hope so. I called the last remaining ‘ authorized‘ shop in California (Johnson propeller in Shafter) and when I said Whirwind 200RV they acted like I was speaking Swahili. They were unfamiliar with Whirlwind and don’t work on composite props. Arrrgh.
 
This is what happens when a Big Fish eats a Small Fish. 😡🤬😡🤬The concern was about the prices going up. That is not all that will be affected. This is an example. I have a friend in San Diego who has worked with them (not for them) for years including beta testing of some of their products. He has a three-bladed prop on his -6 and a 2 blade on his -3. I remember him having some hub leaking as well. He is going to call the previous owner and see what he can find out. Hopefully at least find somewhere you can take/send it.🤨

💩 like this just rubs me the wrong way.........:mad::mad:
 
Roadjunkie1 said:
This is what happens when a Big Fish eats a Small Fish. 😡🤬😡🤬The concern was about the prices going up. That is not all that will be affected. This is an example. I have a friend in San Diego who has worked with them (not for them) for years including beta testing of some of their products. He has a three-bladed prop on his -6 and a 2 blade on his -3. I remember him having some hub leaking as well. He is going to call the previous owner and see what he can find out. Hopefully at least find somewhere you can take/send it.🤨

💩 like this just rubs me the wrong way.........:mad::mad:
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Thanks! Much appreciated and hoping for a positive outcome. Otherwise looking like shipping to Ohio or elsewhere is my only option, which is weird when the manufacturer is in CA!
 
I just had my RV200 Rocket overhauled and repainted by JDW in Ohio. Had to ship from N Arizona. I didn't find any other options. There is a prop shop I spoke to in Tucson who had a WW in the shop and were trying an overhaul to see if it was something they wanted to continue offering. I think it was Warner Propeller & Governor Co. They told me I could call in a few weeks to see how it went and if they were willing to do another one. I did not pursue that but it may be worth a call.
 
Roadjunkie1 said:
This is what happens when a Big Fish eats a Small Fish. 😡🤬😡🤬The concern was about the prices going up. That is not all that will be affected. This is an example. I have a friend in San Diego who has worked with them (not for them) for years including beta testing of some of their products. He has a three-bladed prop on his -6 and a 2 blade on his -3. I remember him having some hub leaking as well. He is going to call the previous owner and see what he can find out. Hopefully at least find somewhere you can take/send it.🤨

💩 like this just rubs me the wrong way.........:mad::mad:
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Assuming you're talking about Hartzell buying Whirlwind here:
Limited options for servicing Whirlwind props is not a fall out of the acquisition, it's the fall out of Whirlwind being, comparatively, a small piece of the MRO market. Most prop shops are independent businesses, and they make decisions on what to support and service based on what makes them money. Hartzell didn't tell shops to stop working on Whirlwinds, aren't trying to prevent people from servicing them, and we hope to increase the availability of service for Whirlwinds rather than the opposite.
 
TParker said:
Assuming you're talking about Hartzell buying Whirlwind here:
Limited options for servicing Whirlwind props is not a fall out of the acquisition, it's the fall out of Whirlwind being, comparatively, a small piece of the MRO market. Most prop shops are independent businesses, and they make decisions on what to support and service based on what makes them money. Hartzell didn't tell shops to stop working on Whirlwinds, aren't trying to prevent people from servicing them, and we hope to increase the availability of service for Whirlwinds rather than the opposite.
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This information is what I was given when I purchased a WW 300 series prop for my 8 in Feb this year.

"Tear down inspection interval is 5 yrs or 500 hrs. We can perform tear down inspections or we
are also happy to send our manuals to another propeller shop of your choice to do the
inspections."

My intention was to request the OH info be sent to a local prop shop (Hope Aero) here in Canada to avoid the border crossing hassles when an OH was required. Wondering if this is no longer an option?
 
RV7 To Go said:
This information is what I was given when I purchased a WW 300 series prop for my 8 in Feb this year.

"Tear down inspection interval is 5 yrs or 500 hrs. We can perform tear down inspections or we
are also happy to send our manuals to another propeller shop of your choice to do the
inspections."

My intention was to request the OH info be sent to a local prop shop (Hope Aero) here in Canada to avoid the border crossing hassles when an OH was required. Wondering if this is no longer an option?
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The plans for how this are still being ironed out, but in general we intend to support any of our Recommended Service Facilities (RSF, prop shops that meet high standards) working on Whirlwinds and we'll also be considering other prop shops that we have relationships with and/or have evaluated.

Hope Aero is an RSF, so we'd be happy to work with them when the time comes for you.

As I mentioned, most prop shops are independent businesses, so it's also up to them whether they want to service the propeller.
 
Had a follow-up call with Shelly at Whirlwind. The Whirlwind props use a McCauley hub. Any shop that services McCauley props has the ability to work on Whirlwinds. Whirlwind will also provide their manual to the shop of your choice and answer any questions the shop may have. Bottom line is, no need to limit yourself to the list of service shops currently posted on the Whirlwind website.

hope that helps others in my position.
 
erich weaver said:
Had a follow-up call with Shelly at Whirlwind. The Whirlwind props use a McCauley hub. Any shop that services McCauley props has the ability to work on Whirlwinds. Whirlwind will also provide their manual to the shop of your choice and answer any questions the shop may have. Bottom line is, no need to limit yourself to the list of service shops currently posted on the Whirlwind website.

hope that helps others in my position.
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Excellent! Great information for those with Whirlwind props!

I have to retract my statement about big fish eating small fish and messing with the smaller company absorbed. Sounds like Jim and his crew at Whirlwind are proud of their products and are going to be around for a while to make sure they support pilots who have their propellers. Hopefully Sensenich will see the value in that and continue that tradition and support. One can only hope......
 
Older VW props use McCauley hubs, newer use their own design. When I was purchasing a prop from them couple of months ago I asked about the 5-y inspection, how much they charge for it, and the guy mumbled something about 1k but any prop shop can do it, they said. With American Prop in Redding not servicing them anymore (btw, why?), there is really no any other shops around in California... I hope they will still doing inspections in 5 years.
 
isosceles said:
Older VW props use McCauley hubs, newer use their own design. When I was purchasing a prop from them couple of months ago I asked about the 5-y inspection, how much they charge for it, and the guy mumbled something about 1k but any prop shop can do it, they said. With American Prop in Redding not servicing them anymore (btw, why?), there is really no any other shops around in California... I hope they will still doing inspections in 5 years.
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I don’t know why American Propeller is not servicing them anymore, but there are definitely other prop shops in California. Sullivan Propeller in Hayward is one but there are also others.
 
erich weaver said:
I don’t know why American Propeller is not servicing them anymore, but there are definitely other prop shops in California. Sullivan Propeller in Hayward is one but there are also others.
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Sullivan Propeller is super expensive, they charge may be 50% more than American Propeller.
 
I just went through this with my WW RV 200 prop last month, No one on the west coast would do the 650hr inspection. I had previously used American Propeller when I hit the first 650hrs, but they no longer service them. Talked with Johnson Propeller in Shafter and they said they might be able to do it, but I would be their first, no thanks.

Talked with Whirlwind in El Cajon and they don't service the two blade props either, so the only real choice for me was to send it back to Whirlwind Aviation back in Austinburg OH.

This is how the cost broke down

Shipping to and from $600
Teardown and Inspection $1650
They found some minor cracks in the paint that turned out to be superficial but had to do a refinish on the blades to verify that no cracks were in the carbon
Refinish cost were $950/blade so $1900 for that
Credit card service fee was $125
Total costs = $4285

Total time out of service 4 weeks, 1 week each for shipping, 2 weeks at the shop for repairs, not bad

It came back looking like a new prop they even polished out the nickel leading edges too.

This was a bit of an ouch, since I got this prop on a VAF group buy back in 2009 for about $7K, but the prop has been flawless so far.
Just an FYI, just ordered a new 300 series 3 blade for my next project and it was $14K, better get one while you can before the prices go up again.

Talk to Jennifer Glover, she will take care of you

KT
RV6 Built, sold
RV8 Built, flying
 
Kental said:
I just went through this with my WW RV 200 prop last month, No one on the west coast would do the 650hr inspection. I had previously used American Propeller when I hit the first 650hrs, but they no longer service them. Talked with Johnson Propeller in Shafter and they said they might be able to do it, but I would be their first, no thanks.

Talked with Whirlwind in El Cajon and they don't service the two blade props either, so the only real choice for me was to send it back to Whirlwind Aviation back in Austinburg OH.

This is how the cost broke down

Shipping to and from $600
Teardown and Inspection $1650
They found some minor cracks in the paint that turned out to be superficial but had to do a refinish on the blades to verify that no cracks were in the carbon
Refinish cost were $950/blade so $1900 for that
Credit card service fee was $125
Total costs = $4285

Total time out of service 4 weeks, 1 week each for shipping, 2 weeks at the shop for repairs, not bad

It came back looking like a new prop they even polished out the nickel leading edges too.

This was a bit of an ouch, since I got this prop on a VAF group buy back in 2009 for about $7K, but the prop has been flawless so far.
Just an FYI, just ordered a new 300 series 3 blade for my next project and it was $14K, better get one while you can before the prices go up again.

Talk to Jennifer Glover, she will take care of you

KT
RV6 Built, sold
RV8 Built, flying
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Ouch is right. Hope my costs don’t go that high, but we’ll see. Just going for a reseal / IRAN on mine. Don’t see any need to mess with the blades best I can tell. As discussed above and with Whirlwind, if a shop has experience working on McCauley props, they shouldnt have any trouble with the 200RV, and Whirlwind says they will provide any needed documentation, so if no blade work is needed it wont really be a first time job.

I don’t understand Whirlwind not providing service on their own props any more, but I don’t have a say on that. Sucky. I’m gonna give a California shop a try as soon as I can get Whirlwind to send them the documentation. Guessing they are short handed right now. It’s like pulling teeth to get them to send an email.
 
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