Tail Dragger Tail Stand

[MV031161]

Question for all Do It Yourselfer,s. Anyone have any ideas, plans, pictures for a tail stand with adjustable height for tail daggers? Need reliable tail stand for Maintenance

This is me now using a 5 gallon B ucket full of Speedy Dry...Need to be able to hung the tail wheel freely, Secure the aircraft leveled and work.....

[FlyingRon]

My mechanic fell off the wing of a plane and broke her hip. She was supposed to be using a walker once they cleared her to go back to work, but I came in to the hangar one day to find my plane propped up with the walker as a tail stand. It's height adjustable.

[vaflier]

Not sure how tall you would need it to be but most roll around floor jacks for cars have a removable jack pad. Make a U shaped replacement pad with a pin on the bottom to replace the jack pad. Make it the width of the tail wheel spring and have a bar that pivots across the top of the spring and hooks on the other side to secure it to the spring. Simple and easy and the jack would make it easy to level the aircraft and by clamping it to the spring it would allow removal of the tail wheel for repair or maintenence. If you cannot visualise what I have described I could try to make a rough sketch to illustrate the idea.

[CarlOrton]

First off, MV, I use the same method you use; only difference is that I use an empty chlorine tablets bucket - it's quite a bit higher than a regular 5 gal pail.

VAflier, my only concern with using a floor jack is that (most) hydraulic items bleed down over time. If you only need it for an hour or so, you'll be fine; if you want that tail kept up overnight, or over a few days, it might be a bit lower when you return. While this isn't a big deal, I could see an issue if you had it all leveled-out for CG / W&B calculations, etc. You'd just have to re-set everything.

Lastly, I've been thinking about a tool that carpenters use; dunno the exact product name, but it's a 4-5' high vertical stand with a metal roller on the top - the roller is the size and shape of a std paint roller. It's used to allow workers to steady long pieces of lumber while working on one end. If you could remove that roller and affix something to support your tail, that would work.

I just took a few secs and searched HF; they have one on sale for $14! I might go an get one today!

http://www.harborfreight.com/132-lb-...and-68898.html

[FlyingRon]

Also known as an outfeed roller.

[pacerpilot]

Harbor Freight Tools-"132lb capacity Roller Stand". $13.99. Free shipping if you buy enough other junk to go with it!

[avee8r]

Here's a couple pictures of a tail stand my dad built for our Funk in the 60's that I still use today. Simply lift a little as it rolls up the ramp and voila! It sits level and is easy to walk / work around. The picture showing a cradle that "pins in" to the ramp that holds the fuselage so the aft portion of the ramp hinges down for tail wheel maint when the two braces are removed.

[BCAIRPORT]

Question for all Do It Yourselfer,s. Anyone have any ideas, plans, pictures for a tail stand with adjustable height for tail daggers? Need reliable tail stand for Maintenance

This is me now using a 5 gallon B ucket full of Speedy Dry...Need to be able to hung the tail wheel freely, Secure the aircraft leveled and work.....

I use an automotive engine crane with a wide nylon strap around the rear of the fuselage. Longer the strap the less it will squeeze the tail. I park my plane for the winter with the tail on a 5 gal plastic bucket with a larger piece of plywood between the tailwheel and bucket. Mice can't climb the outside of the bucket!