Am I a sucker

A couple pictures

A couple pictures

I'm not sure I can get the trailer fixed up by then but I'm going to give it a heck of a try. Here are a couple pictures anyway.
 

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free stuff good

free stuff good

Oh and I got a free trailer with it :) I had to cut about 3 feet off it to get it in the trailer but I can weld. I'm glad I took my cutting torch with me.
 

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Congrats to you Chuck on your acquisition!
Glad to see Ya' got it.
That will make for a fine project for your rebuild.
Nearly everything is there...a little tweaking and you'll have a very fine machine.

Looking forward to seeing you "do your thing" with it.

M-M
 
builders question

builders question

Well I posted this in the builders corner and maybe it wasn't the right place so I thought I may get a responce or 2 out of my homies :) from Utah.
http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22388
Also I was wondering if I should do the 1"x2" mast upgrade? I have found some but I'm not sure what the thickness should be. Any ideas? TIA :boink:
 
Thanks guys, so is the 1x2 a suggested upgrade? I measured the mast today and it is roughly 58". Would that be 6061-t6?
 
upgrade

upgrade

yes
If you look at Ron Awads pictures of Mentone thread, you will see a mast that broke where it was drilled, usually right behind your back on a Bensen. the extra wall is extra protection if one of the tubes begins to crack, It maybe the thing that gets you down again safely.
6061 T6 for all your frame components. When your 400 feet in the air with nothing to grab on to and two bolts holding your seat to the mast, you will be very glad you used the proper materials.
Gyro Jake made a jig for drilling the tubing to insure the proper clearance. Tim Chick had one for sale.
One last note.
There was a video "How to fly Gyro Planes". In that video Chris Burgess CFI gave a preflight inspection for a Bensen type gyro. He points out some very critical pieces to look at and examine for cracks. like the flat part of the angle braces on the seat, and motor support. It is an excellent preflight study for someone with a Bensen for sure, although it applies to many gyros.
I suggest you look for a copy of it.
 
AMEN...
Ron's posted photo was a BRILLIANT example of just why we with those 2 x 2 tube frames like the idea of redundancy...and note his photos ARE of a redundant mast..!

(Post #2....Here: http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22383 )

I re-built my mast this way, but I did NOT drill the holes at the top of the seat. I used a sandwich style bracket there (and just about everywhere else). The only holes in mine are the Cheek plates above, much farther down at the seat bottom, then at the keel.
This will be a big improvement over the stock set up.

M-M
 
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So much for my purple painted mast :) I didn't really think painting it was a good idea cause it can hide things "not good". Thanks for the suggestions. I would rather spend the money for a bit of safety. I can recycle the old one..My other Bensen has wood in the mast. This one doesn't. Is that common?
 
RE: Wood Plugs...

Some do but it doesn't really eliminate the induced weakness caused by drilled holes.
Most will use a wooden "plug" shoved inside to keep tubular walls from collapsing when torqued down upon with bolts.
Sometimes you'll find this in seat frame tubing where it attaches on the angle Iron at the bottom rear in older Bensen builds.

I'll be using such a "plug" technique in my mast when I Mod it to incorporate a folding design so I can actually get the machine into my Garage easily.

M-M
 
Not to high jack your thread here, but does anyone know about 6063 T5? I am changing out an old style mast for a Buddy of mine, I found some surplus 6063 T5 and not knowing anything about it, thought I would ask before using it.
 
6063 is too soft for a mast. It is typically used in building construction. Stay with 6061 T6 for a mast.

*JC*
 
Thanks JC, that is what I thought, but didn't know for sure.
 
Dave 6063 is 49% of the strength of 6061, or only 1/2 as strong.
Wicks aircraft sells the 6061t-6 in 2x2.
 
Scott- they have the 1x2 6061 T6, it just cost 4 times as much.

I have a KB2 redundant mast (spare) but it is 58", and the Bensen mast is 60". I will have to raise the new check plates 2". I am guessing that Ken cut the 2" of the mast and raised the check plates to save on weight. I am going to have to break out the Bensen plans and make sure evrything is right.
 
mast

mast

I measured my Bensen/KB mast last night and it is 58"?? My cheek plates look normal but I didn't measure them. The bill of sale says Bensen, the registration doesn't say so I'm not sure.
 
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