stunthanger.com
General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: Bill Adair on November 15, 2009, 01:44:27 PM
-
Got tired of borrowing engine test stands, so I bought the only test stand I could find at the local hobby shops, and found it was poorly designed, and improperly advertised. I'm not going to mention any names here, but this particular mount has been around for years. It's constructed with sections of square aluminum tubing stacked two high, with sheet aluminum plates on top, and two steel pins to engage two of the engine beam mount holes.
The package says it will work for engines from .049 up to .60, but there is no way it could without serious mods! That's false advertising in my opinion.
1. The steel pins protrude so far, that the clamping pieces don't come close enough together to clamp half A beam mounts.
2. The pin diameter is too large to fit any half A beam mounts I've ever seen.
3. The clamp bolts are nearly in-accessable, because the head is inside the base aluminum tubing, with no clearance for a wrench.
4. The clamping bolts and nuts are so large on top, that no half A muffler, and most needle valves will not have enough room, even if the engine mount holes were drilled out to fit the oversize steel pins, and the pins filed down to slightly less than the thickness of small engine beam mounts.
I could go on, but needless to say I returned the mount to the shop for a refund. The shop has ordered another (newer?) model test stand made by the same vendor, but the base is a casting, and the clamping screws are flat head slotted screws, that apparently screw into captive nuts in the base. That at least gives you room to adjust needle valves, attach fuel lines, and run with a muffler if desired.
Unfortunately, the mount is on back order.
Does anyone here know of a commercially available small engine test stand, that actually works as advertised?
Several club members have custom made engine test stands, but those are expensive, and difficult to find.
Bill
-
Have you checked with Randy Smith at AERO Products ? or Brodaks.? Either should be able to fix you up.
-
You can get one from the Mecoa web-site that is a copy of the old Tatone test stands. I have had mine, a original Tatone, for over 40 years and it is still going strong. Literally, there is nothing to wear out except maybe your arm from flipping. Don't get much better then that.
-
Thanks Lee.
I checked their web sites a few days ago, and didn't see any test stands.
A custom test stand would probably be too expensive, but I'm willing to consider anything reasonable.
Hi Bill,
I prefer to help the local shop, because he stocks C/L kits, engines, and H/W, all at prices lower than mail order, or any of the other local shops! His selections are limited to what his distributors stock, bet he will special order anything he can at no extra charge. Great fellow to deal with.
Bill
-
Hi Bill,
If you want the very best test stand available you may want to look here:
http://www.pspmfg.com/EngineTestStand.html
Before I converted all my glow planes to electric I used this stand for many years. I still keep it around just in case I have a nostalgic moment and I want to break in a new "wet" engine someday. ;) It is everything you would want in a test stand if you designed and built one yourself from scratch. It works perfectly and is a work of art in metal. It is not cheap, but It is worth every penny and it will last long enough to be passed on to your great grandchildren. :)
BTW: they also have a pole for it if you want to mount it in the ground, at home or at your club site.
Regards, H^^
-
Bill....we could make one ???
-
Get the PSP stand!! It is pricey, but well worth every penny.
-
Thanks guys,
The PSP stand looks great, but is a bit more than I need. The largest engine I'm using these days is a McCoy 35 RH! The rest of my engines are mostly .010 to .061, with a single 15LA I've yet to run.
Hi Scott,
Building one may be the way to go, if the stand I have on order does not come in (on back order), or doesn't work as advertised. In any case, I should find out in a couple of weeks, and will see you then.
Bill
-
Thanks Lee.
I checked their web sites a few days ago, and didn't see any test stands.
A custom test stand would probably be too expensive, but I'm willing to consider anything reasonable.
Hi Bill,
I prefer to help the local shop, because he stocks C/L kits, engines, and H/W, all at prices lower than mail order, or any of the other local shops! His selections are limited to what his distributors stock, bet he will special order anything he can at no extra charge. Great fellow to deal with.
Bill
http://www.mecoa.com/tatone/teststands/teststands.htm
-
You might want to look at this one. Seems it will do all you want..
http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-Model-Engine-Test-Stand-020-AND-UP_W0QQitemZ120492932798QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRadio_Control_Parts_Accessories?hash=item1c0df03ebe
-
Also,
http://www.brodak.com/shop_productdetail.php?ProductID=8479
Jim
-
For those sizes, a simple piece or 1x4 notched to fit your engines is the way to go.
No reason to make it more complicated than that. I actually use thinner wood for 1/2a, but I am not sure what you can get at your local home improvement store.
-
After looking at PSP test stand and seeing the price I have found new appreciation for my $4.95 Tatone. May not look as deluxe as that one but accomplishes the same thing.
-
I built this engine test stand from 1/2 plywood, cans and 4x4 wood. The actual engine mount is a commerically available unit that was bolted to the 1/2 plywood. I run big engines on the left side and smaller engines on the right side. I also added a throttle linkage since I fly with throttled engines for CL scale.
-
How about the old E-Z Just test mount or the mini E-Z Just engine mount. They appear regularly on ?E-Bay and usually sell for between $5.00 and $10.00 plus shipping.
Bill, I have a mini size for the 1/2 A engines. If interested, give me a line E-Mail <mdenny4@cox.net>
Bigiron
-
Everyone,
Thanks for all the links, and suggestions. H^^
I finally found the Brodak mounts, but had to look it up the hard way. Search for "engine test stand" drew a blank, so paged through manually to get there.
Marvin,
Thanks so much for the offer, but one of my flying buddies called me this morning, and said I could have one of his test stands that he doesn't use. Looks like it will do the job nicely. Thanks much Don!
Bill
-
One Poplar board about 18 inches long. Cut a notch (or notches) for the width of your engine. Use 4-40's and blind nuts for the usual mounting procedure. I've made as many as 4 slots for different engines on one board. Make a tank mount from electrical ties. With this mount you don't have the usual problem of the mounting tabs and nuts interfering with the muffler or needle valve! (Did I say it's cheap!) When you are all done, screw it to a carpenters horse, an old dresser, or ...
Fuel it up, and have at it. Did I say it was cheap?
Ward
-
Excellent! This it what modeling is all about. If I may suggest, name it the Van Duzer Doozy!
-
Ward,
That's the way I've been doing it for years, but there is something to be said about the quick change features of the clamp type mounts.
Bill (from Maui)
-
I'm a firm believer that there is no such thing as "one size fits all".
With that in mind, here are my test stands:
George
-
GOOD GRIEF!
I don't have that many different engines...
Doozy!
-
George,
Neat! Looks like you have most of the engine sizes covered.
We have very limited storage space (condo), thus the advantage of a single mount I can use for all my run in, and testing.
Bill