I want to put a 95 cubic inch Twin cam Harley engine on a sport plane such as the Sky Raider or Kit
Fox etc. Would like to buy a used plane minus engine. Any advise or suggestions welcome
I want to put a 95 cubic inch Twin cam Harley engine on a sport plane such as the Sky Raider or Kit
Fox etc. Would like to buy a used plane minus engine. Any advise or suggestions welcome
You'll need to find something that can take an engine. The problem is the thing puts out what 70HP at 140 pounds of dry weight. That's about twice as heavy as most of the engines typically put in a homebuilt.
Oooooh the Hardly Ableson II .........I like it
In all seriousness......I have to ask why one would pick one of the worst engine designs out there for an aircraft engine???? Power is going to be close to 70 ( probably closer to 60 ) if you expect any kind of durability, they vibe levels are going to be horrific ( yes even the balanced one ) etc etc. The crank design has some severe torsional issues if you add a whole lot of mass to it ( i.e. direct drive ). Like I said.....im curious as to why???
Last edited by Aaron Novak; 01-22-2013 at 10:40 PM.
Didn't Steve Whitman try that idea? I seem to recall a magazine article where the Harley powered engine was dubbed the "Barely Ableson".
Perhaps one of the current generation Prop Speed Reduction units could isolate the engine from the prop. And there are racing Harley parts that might take care of the engine's mechanical issues.
Best of luck,
Wes
N78PS
Wes,
It was the Hardly Ableson. The flaws as I see them in the harley engine are not specific to the actual components, but to the overall design. Heat rejection from the heads will be marginal, the roller bearing built up crankshaft I see having issues.
There was a company called "Hog Air" that developed a V-Twin (Harley based) engine for sport airplanes. They installed one on a Zenith 600 series. You can see it on this you tube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSTRlAx_YSc
The company is now operating under the name of "Sky Ray" http://www.skyray.us/index.htm . Click on the video section if you want to see it in action. The rumor I heard was H.D. had legal send all kind of threat letters for any use or reference to harley, hog, etc.
I think it's pretty cool and it sounds great!
Last edited by martymayes; 01-23-2013 at 08:37 PM.