rdooley79

It pulls really nice and has extra storage. Nice open trailer.
The ramps for the mains fold up and clip in to hold the tires. The tail wheel channel is long and makes it so you can fold the wings on the ground and then pull it up the channel. It really does work nicely.

$900 o.b.o

Location: KBDU Boulder Colorado

Thanks, good pics!

Does anyone know if the stock oil tank will work in the motor mount or if you have to get a Kitfox specific oil tank? 

Hey guys, I could use some advice on installing a 912 on my KF4.

I'm getting ready to upgrade to a 912 on my KF4-1200 and am getting all the parts and bits together to do the install. 

I've got a brand new round cowl two piece, oversized aluminum radiator, motor mount, EMS and Luga 70" swept 3 blade.

The 912 is being built by Hal and getting the zipper 105hp cylinders installed along with a slipper clutch. It's comming with a Kitfox oil cooler and oil reservoir tank. 

The big thing that I'm missing is the exhaust. Prefer to not spend $1500 on a new one from KF so I've been looking around for a used exhaust. I've got a tig welder but am not very good at welding so I am hesitant to weld up my own as my first real welding project. Much rather get a used exhaust that needs repair but fits the KF4 round cowl properly. 

Also looking for some pictures of other KF4's 912 installation and any advice that would help.

Thanks guys, really looking forward to upgrading engines. 

I’m doing a 912 FWF upgrade on my bird. I could use some pics to see how the install looks.

thanks

Yep, hoping to find a used set.

Thanks

In search of a usable exhaust for a kitfox4 with a round cowl. 

PM me if you have an exhaust that will work for my bird.

Thanks,

This thread is not about flying and belongs in the "Hanger Talk" section of the forum. 

Please let's not bring this kind if topic in to our flying focused section of the forums.

Can you post some pics of how you have mounted the tanks on the wing struts?

How are you dealing with the venting from the strut mounted tanks being lower than your wing tanks?

Are you pumping from the strut tanks to the wing tank or are you switching the fuel selector to only draw from a strut tank one at a time?

What size pump are you using?

I have two of the football tanks and a three way selector sitting on the shelf.

Vacuum lock is a quick way to have an engine out. Having different levels of fluid it seems that the football tanks need to be vented to the main vent at the top of the wing. Unless it works ok with a pump providing pressure and is switched off and the valve set to isolate the football strut tanks.

Any insight would be great!

Thanks

What were you doing with the clutch, starter and carbs?

Three questions that I have with ADSB.

What is your ADSB solution and are you happy with it?

Knowing what you know now, what would you buy for your plane now?

Is there another solution coming out that is worth waiting for?

Getting closer to 2020 and my airport is barely under the 30nm class B of Denver International. Been waiting and watching for what is coming out for the experimental market to satisfy the ADSB requirement.

Thanks and fly safe,

Taking serous offers. Many improvements and much love went in to making this a great Kitfox. Make me a good offer.

Cell = (seven too oh) - four four oh - four seven niner niner 

FRESH ANNUAL AS OF 4/2016 

COMES WITH A TRAILER!

Times specified are as of this writing. I am flying the airplane and these hours will increase a little but not much.

Engine produces 90HP and is a really strong performer.

I set this plane up to train with here in Colorado and it has been fantastic. Good climb performance loaded with two guys, full fuel on a hot afternoon. I can only imagine how well it would perform at lower elevation/density altitudes! 

The trailer is custom made for this plane. It rides nice and stable on the interstate. Really a nice setup to keep the airplane at home to save money on hanger rent. You could fold the wings back and share a hanger space with a buddy. 

Cruise: 70-80mph

Takeoff Distance: 350-500ft.

Landing Distance: 350-500ft.

(The speed and distance are a range as load as well as density altitude will have bearing on performance)

Engine: Rotax 670 (90HP) -77 hours since NEW. Built by Rotax Rick  C-Box 3:1 with a clutch

Average burn rate is 4.5gph

Instruments:

ASI - Kitfox branded faceplate!)

ALT - Encoding for Transponder)

VSI - Cessna VSI)

EIS - MGL Avionics E3, Many features, Light weight, Small)

RADIO - MGL V6 radio with integrated intercom

TRANSPONDER - Narco AT150 transponder

ELT

COMPASS - Dash Mount Ball compas LED lights under the lip of the dash for dusk flying

Airframe:

614 hours since new

CABIN HEAT!!!!

Wing Tank 13 gallon replaced 1/2016 with new Ethanol resistant tank

Tundra Tires 22" Desser

Grove Spring Gear w/ Grove wheels and disk brakes

Strobes by Knutzleman

Larger Header Tank's behind seats providing 45 minutes of fuel reserve

MATCO wide pneumatic single arm tailwheel

New tailwheel spring from Kitfox

Prop:

Warp Drive 3 blade fat tip climb setup. New with engine 77 hours since new

Fiberglass spinner 

Notes:

The plane has full dual controls, pedals, brakes, PTT, everything to fly from either side.

No Major damage I can see evidence of nor any indication in the logs.

Sure it has some scratches and some spots on the under side of the tail where rocks have kicked up. But that's typical taildragger wear.

I took the wife up on a beautiful calm morning for a sight seeing flight from Boulder to Ft.Colling/Loveland airport. There wasn't very much wind and we had a great flight.

The ignition modules were from an 582Grey Head that I sent to him and he took all the good usable parts off to build my 670 and then kept the rest as partial payment towards the 670, mostly the labor cost really.

I really want Ducati as it's the OEM part and has kept me and all my buddies in the air for more than a decade, no failures of the Ducati CDI's ever. The Nippondenso is new to us and mine cracked badly which is what started me down this adventure. So screw the Nippondenso! Plus the plug wires are not removable from the Nippondenso units and are on the Ducati. The ignition system in these Rotax 2 cycles are not known for failure so I want to go with what I know works. My butt and plane are not worth saving $500 going with an off brand. The 670 from all appearances was going to be the next aircraft engine, It was made with dual ignition provisions in the case casting. Rick has a real winner and many flying with the 670 and with dual ignition they really are the next "unofficial" aircraft engine from Rotax. I'm a die hard Rotax fan, they just work.

I ordered a pair of good used Ducati OEM CDI modules from CPS today, even talked to their used parts guy directly and he's going to pick a nice pair for me. was $207ea. So $414 rather than $730. So that makes it hurt less and I'm comfortable with the source as well. I know I paid more than if I went scrounging but honestly I'm way more comfortable with this solution.  

Found the problem last night and promptly called and emailed Rotax Rick as well as Joe Graheck and Steve Beatty. CPS has used ones for $200ea. So that's "better?" I'm inclined to wait to talk to Rick. Also after sleeping on it, I'm considering buying one new one for $365 and then getting another one used. We do have dual ignition for a reason. Eh, it's only money LOL a nice chunk of money.

The real pisser is that the Nippon Denso units have hard attached plug wires, besides that they performed perfectly. 

Its my my butt up there and worrying about ignition isn't what I want on takeoff. 

I think they are the same. Take a couple pics when you can. Make sure to get a pic of the numbers stamped in the side.  

Cheap is good especially if you aren't sure if these are what I need or are 100% sure they are good.  Give me a number I can't turn down. :-D

Good thing about these modules is, they work or they don't. no in-between and when they work, they seem to always work. I have not ever heard of them "going bad", burning out like a light bulb. 

So I have the wing back on the plane. Was too busy working on getting it back together but I have one pic of it after the paint job. The rest you can imagine easily.  

The painter was VERY impressed with how far I was able to take it with a Purdy brush and wet sanding. Glue, Pink, Silver all with a brush. After I got it shot with Polytone paint it looked really good. Barely any evidence that the under coats were brushed on. You can tell if you know what you're looking for but nonetheless it ended up very nice. Now I am comfortable doing the same job in my hanger with some tarps to help keep the drafts down and the dust off while things dry. I did multiple cross coats with the brush always going with the weave of the fabric, never 45` to the weave. I think that's what saved me. Also I was heavy on the last coat of silver which let me wet sand it down.

My painter gave me a few pointers and said that the small HVLP paint gun from Harbor Freight ($10) was perfect for small repair jobs. So I got one and am going to repair a little tail feather damage from a rock that kicked up a few months back, on the right elevator.

The Ducati ignition "coil" modules..... The two that mount on the side of the engine that the plug wires connect to. 

 Does anyone have a pair from a grey head 582? As long as they work and have the original connectors. Let's make a deal.

I would buy new ones but they are $365 ea. from Aircraft Spruce. Just got done replacing my wing tank and putting a new MGL V6 transciever in. So I've bled plenty of dough recently. Not too ready to drop another $700+ 

Here's more detail.

The real rub is that the plastic ears are not thick enough or are made of more brittle plastic because both modules cracked and/or broke. That's what started me down this road this afternoon in the hanger. Plastic I can repair but I see now that someone before me thought it would be cute and cut the wires and heat shrinked over them. Also to boot they are not Ducati modules but Nippondenso that have the plug wires permanently attached. They do not screw out like the Ducati's, found that out the hard way.... So I want to replace them.

I should mention that Rotax Rick used the carbs and ignition modules from my old 582GH to build my 670 to help keep the cost down. He also took the old 582GH as partial payment towards the 670. Good deal for me at the time. This is not RR's fault. and when I got the engine from him the plastic was totally intact. I also doubt that he saw the splice job because it was well hidden.

Word of warning though for others with BLUE ignition modules that are not Ducati. Don't try to replace the plug wires, it'll end up in a bad day.

This plane will be all but brand new with an old paint job by the time I'm done. 

Hello,

Update from Spruce, 

The tanks will be drop shipped from the manufacturer by the end of the month. I'm excited!

I also ordered a 3 position fuel selector valve with clicking detents. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MTB7Q0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

The plan is to extend the handle under the seat between my legs, using the molly frame to support and mount the handle to. I want to keep the fuel lines behind the seat with the other flammable "go juice". 

From the valve will be lines for the left and right strut tank. Tygon LP1100 (best of the best tygon) the fuel line will run inside gap of the struts up to the tanks. 

http://emurdock.com/tygonay60001714idx38walllp110050packagelength.aspx

No solid install plans yet but I've got a gooood idea how it's all going to connect :-) not sure exactly how I'm going to mount the tanks to the struts. Needs to be light, strong, aerodynamic and easily removable. Anyone got an idea?

Once I get done with replacing my wing tank (update coming soon) and get these strut tanks figured out. I'll have plenty of fuel, 13 on board and 9 in the strut tanks. with a 4.5gph burn rate on the 670, that gives me roughly 4.8 hours of flight time without going in to the 45 minute reserve. The 4.5gph burn rate is much higher than my cruise burn rate but I haven't gotten enough flight time in cruise configuration to know what that burn rate is...yet... estimates are down at 3.5gph cruising at 82ish mph. 

Can you still get these skis? I thought airdale was a wish and a prayer?

Would have loved some skis here in CO this last month. Lots of snow.  The 22" Dessers did a nice job on the fresh stuff but once a little crust developed, no more snow operations for me. I can just see catching and nosing over. 

Skis look like so much fun!

Lockwood does have better prices for common rotax parts. Also don't forget jbmindustries. Best exhaust gaskets and rubber parts out there! plus they are all made in the USA.

+1 for "I remember when it used to cost $x, now it's $xxx! the world is going to crap!" ~some old geez

+1 for staying on topic

Beat me to it Ed! Give a guy some time to sleep! Lol :-)

The Rans guys have used these as well. Link below 

http://www.stoneylake.org/pipcom/s7externaltanks.htm

Looks like the Chinook is back as well. The factory and tooling was sold but is coming back to life under new but trained ownership. These guys are the source for the football tanks. I've always thought highly of the chinook, nice plane. http://www.amplanes.com/

If you been eyeing these tanks, now is the time to put an order in Plus I'm sure they could use some easy orders right now to bolster the business.

When I get my tanks, my plan is to create a similar installation thread for the kitfox 4.

The trick is creating a strut mount that is strong and light yet quickly removable and aerodynamic.

More progress!!!! 

I've learned a lot about working with fabric. We used special chafe tape on all corners, ultralight putty to feather any gaps or cracks especially on the leading edge, sanded everything down and then a light wipe down with lacquer thinner just to be sure no oils were left. We then used glue under and on top of the fabric, working the glue in with my finger and removing as much excess as possible (tricky at first but got the hang of it, way less goobers at the end). Made doileys for the gas cap and drain plug fittings. cut out the drain holes in the trailing edge as well as punch the flapperon bracket holes. My buddy worked the iron and got a nice shrink to the fabric, much better than the old loose fabric. He also was able to work the glue and some of the small wrinkles down with his smaller iron (hobbico RC airplane monokote iron) and got everything looking very good. Next we got lunch, hungry! Once we got back the pink went on both sides and I saw drips on the back side, so I know I got good penetration. Today another coat of pink was put on and we plan on a third before going to the silver. 

Below are the pics in order of build up.

We decided to use JB weld for a number of reasons. It's impervious to fuel, sets VERY hard, does not crack, 1/4 brass barb fittings or the vent and fuel level won't ever need to be removed, the 3/4 bung to 5/8 npt bung is permanently fitted but I can remove the 90` main fuel fitting if needed but I can't see any reason to remove them. Not like brass is ever going to degrade. Also the previous owner had used JB weld and I was impressed with how strong it was especially considering how thin the wall is on the fiberglass tank. Any thread in the fiberglass is more of a mechanical "suggestion" rather than a strong thread that can sustain any amount of torque, easily stripped. 

Where would you mount them to the struts? Would you attach directly to the smaller horizontal bracing rod?

One added advantage to the strut mount is that the fill cap is easily accessible making the fill of the tanks done separate from the wing tank. 

I bought a pair this morning and just got an email from CPS saying they were back ordered. Let's see how long they take to get here.

Good point about flipping and having raw fuel dripping from the tank on to the plane body. I didn't know one of our flock flipped!

After a long time of not being available, CPS has the football strut tanks for sale again. They hold 5gal each, which is 30lbs of fuel. They are only sold in pairs for  $295 plus shipping.

https://www.cps-parts.com/pages/ap/fuel_tanks/ultralighttank05-12347.php

Typically these are installed on the struts but a belly mounting might be another good option. Just what we need to extend our legs for a long cross country flight to ?? (OSH)