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Suggestions for Spreader Bar for Lifting PA18

Used a dozen times in the past few days. The only thing I'd change is the bar width. Mine's heavier than necessary. The spacing of the lifting eyes matters. The closer the lifting eyes are to the airplane rings the smaller the bar needs to be.

Seems like it'd be pretty easy to just drill a couple new lifting eye holes, aligned with the lift ring holes.
 
Request for photos. See previous post for part numbers and more detail.



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The outside holes fit a Top Cub. The inside holes fit my Javron cub. I use the bucket to hold the chain up out of the way when not in use.


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The I beam is a W8x10.



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Hope this helps

Bill
 

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The one I made is similar to Bill's with the exception that the lifting eyes slide back and forth via a small telespar insert and a slot on the bottom. Just loosen the locking nut and slide to where you want it.

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Jerry
 

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I had a plastic bucket holding my chain but they UV kept getting them. A galvanized bucket is a good alternative. Currently using a tool bag.
 
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This was water jetted several years ago when I did a partial rebuild on a Stearman and had the engine off. It was right out of the Stearman manual and has worked well for me on Cubs. I would like to weld an angle to the bottom to spread the width out a bit but has worked well with the chains.
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Klein lineman's canvas tool bucket. Available is several load ratings.
 

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Just don't let of those over engineering types see that some of you are hanging your airplanes from a board across a few wooden trusses! They may think that your hangars will fall down or some crazy thing like that. I used to pull small block chevy engines using a couple of 2x4's across a few 2x4 trusses and never had a problem. I would not hesitate to lift a 1200# airplane from a couple of 2x6's spanned across a few trusses. Tim
 
Just don't let of those over engineering types see that some of you are hanging your airplanes from a board across a few wooden trusses! They may think that your hangars will fall down or some crazy thing like that. I used to pull small block chevy engines using a couple of 2x4's across a few 2x4 trusses and never had a problem. I would not hesitate to lift a 1200# airplane from a couple of 2x6's spanned across a few trusses. Tim
Been there. Works great, until it doesn't.
 
The final solution (at least for me):

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Want to avoid this...
Bad Outcome.jpg

I have a good story about getting this together. First, thank you guys for all the information and the input. Really helpful. Second, I decided to use Bill Rusk's suggestions, ordered the parts he listed above and they were received just 2 days later.

I was looking for the 2" diameter square steel that was 3/16" thick so I stopped by "Izzy's Welding" shop in Park Rapids. I have driven by there a thousand times, as it is right on the road between the cabin and Park Rapids. This was just 2 weeks ago today. I introduced myself to who I thought must be Izzy, a tall blonde haired fellow who looks to be in his 40's and I asked if he was Izzy. Nope, he was Izzy's son, Sean. Sean went on to explain that Izzy was his Dad, but that he was pretty sick and that Sean would do what he could to help me. He didn't have 3/16" steel, but he did have 1/4" steel, I agreed to it and he cut me a 36" length of the tubing, charged me $25. We began shooting the bull and he asked me what the steel was for, and I explained the need for a spreader bar for my Super Cub. We talked about flying for a little bit and he asked me if I might be able to do him a favor. I replied that I would if I could and here was his request...

His Dad, Izzy, had a malignant brain tumor that was inoperable, and he had problems focusing on his work. Izzy came down to the shop a couple of times each week, as he loved welding and Sean always saved some welding for him to do. Sean said his Dad just sat there and smiled as he welded things for Sean. I asked how he was doing and he said that it was getting harder for his Dad to come to the shop, and he was losing weight. I relayed my sadness to Sean for what he and his family were facing. Sean asked me if it would be possible for him to ride with me and help scatter his Dad's ashes when the time might come, and I smiled and said that I would be happy to. In fact, I told him, there is a group of Supercub.org pilots who have a thread running in which the good, the bad and the ugly with regard to dispersing ashes had been discussed. Sean thanked me and I gave him my contact information.

Sunday Julie and I were on our way to the airport to fly home and Izzy's workshop door was open so we stopped by to see how Sean's Dad was doing. He had tears in his eyes as he told me that his Dad had passed away 4 days ago. I patted him on the arm and expressed my sincere sadness at this news, he was choking back tears and I went on with Julie to the airport.

I decided to share this with you, my dear friends, to let you know that your guidance helped me cross paths with Sean and through this experience we perhaps helped him along his path. I'll be searching for the thread to which I previously eluded in weeks to come, when it is the right time for Sean, and we will collectively team up to help him.

So, thanks isn't quite strong enough a word to express how grateful I am for you all. Thank you.

Randy
 

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The final solution (at least for me):

View attachment 51030

View attachment 51031

Want to avoid this...
View attachment 51032

I have a good story about getting this together. First, thank you guys for all the information and the input. Really helpful. Second, I decided to use Bill Rusk's suggestions, ordered the parts he listed above and they were received just 2 days later.

I was looking for the 2" diameter square steel that was 3/16" thick so I stopped by "Izzy's Welding" shop in Park Rapids. I have driven by there a thousand times, as it is right on the road between the cabin and Park Rapids. This was just 2 weeks ago today. I introduced myself to who I thought must be Izzy, a tall blonde haired fellow who looks to be in his 40's and I asked if he was Izzy. Nope, he was Izzy's son, Sean. Sean went on to explain that Izzy was his Dad, but that he was pretty sick and that Sean would do what he could to help me. He didn't have 3/16" steel, but he did have 1/4" steel, I agreed to it and he cut me a 36" length of the tubing, charged me $25. We began shooting the bull and he asked me what the steel was for, and I explained the need for a spreader bar for my Super Cub. We talked about flying for a little bit and he asked me if I might be able to do him a favor. I replied that I would if I could and here was his request...

His Dad, Izzy, had a malignant brain tumor that was inoperable, and he had problems focusing on his work. Izzy came down to the shop a couple of times each week, as he loved welding and Sean always saved some welding for him to do. Sean said his Dad just sat there and smiled as he welded things for Sean. I asked how he was doing and he said that it was getting harder for his Dad to come to the shop, and he was losing weight. I relayed my sadness to Sean for what he and his family were facing. Sean asked me if it would be possible for him to ride with me and help scatter his Dad's ashes when the time might come, and I smiled and said that I would be happy to. In fact, I told him, there is a group of Supercub.org pilots who have a thread running in which the good, the bad and the ugly with regard to dispersing ashes had been discussed. Sean thanked me and I gave him my contact information.

Sunday Julie and I were on our way to the airport to fly home and Izzy's workshop door was open so we stopped by to see how Sean's Dad was doing. He had tears in his eyes as he told me that his Dad had passed away 4 days ago. I patted him on the arm and expressed my sincere sadness at this news, he was choking back tears and I went on with Julie to the airport.

I decided to share this with you, my dear friends, to let you know that your guidance helped me cross paths with Sean and through this experience we perhaps helped him along his path. I'll be searching for the thread to which I previously eluded in weeks to come, when it is the right time for Sean, and we will collectively team up to help him.

So, thanks isn't quite strong enough a word to express how grateful I am for you all. Thank you.

Randy

Not impressed the strength of your bar set up.

Very wimpy looking.

Don’t hurt yourself, someone else or your plane...


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
If that is a 2x2x1/4 spreader bar, roughly 2’ long, that’s what I used for 21 years picking the front of my boats up on the gantry. Weight on that end ranged from 1250 lbs to 3000 lbs, and was never in question.

I started with a 6’ long 2x2x1/4” with a 1/2” rod forming a low angle Truss for the back of the boats, but once we got over 5000 lbs combined I built a new one using an I-beam. Still use the same front spreader bar.


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Not impressed the strength of your bar set up.

Very wimpy looking.

Don’t hurt yourself, someone else or your plane...


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
Care to elaborate, Mike? I would appreciate something more than a discredit for what appears to be a safe and appropriate design. Wimpy? Look at the specs on the round hardware. The math I see doesn’t justify a “wimpy” designation. I truly would appreciate it if you would enlighten us. Thanks.

Randy
 
Ask Courierguy. Crane guys know what works. I spent a year as a rigger. I'm pretty careful with lifting eyes, but the weakest link is probably the lift rings on the airplane.
 
Care to elaborate, Mike? I would appreciate something more than a discredit for what appears to be a safe and appropriate design. Wimpy? Look at the specs on the round hardware. The math I see doesn’t justify a “wimpy” designation. I truly would appreciate it if you would enlighten us. Thanks.

Randy


Took about 3 seconds to scare me with what you posted.

Nice strong eye bolts.., wimpy cross bar picked from center.

The bar that’s lifting in middle is weak link.

Most lifting rigs are cables from above, with a wimpy bar like that as just a spreader to keep from collapsing fuselage carry through.

Or a big beefy plate.... as as spreader...


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
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The spreader bars I use in my crane biz, have two eyes or flanges, on each end, one for the load below, and the top one for the sling (two slings being used, one on each end of the spreader flange, both going to the load hook). That way the load is being carried though the flat bar (or whatever) on the ends of the bar, meaning the bar is pretty much just taking compression loads. This means the bar can be a lot lighter/smaller. If you had only one pick point in the center going to the load hook of your lifting device, the bar has to be comparatively massive, not to mention more tippy side to side. Here's a shot of a 55 gallon drum I rigged to pour concrete out of, about 3/4 drum full at a time. Note the thin wall pipe, taking the compressive loads, but the 1/4" flat bar taking the lifting loads.

Thanks for the suggestion to check with courierguy, Stewart. I had missed his previous post, which I reference above. He also responded to me with further explanation.

It was my plan, regardless of which design I chose, to load test the apparatus to make sure things check out. Courierguy supported that idea. He thinks it to be extremely unlikely that the steel tube will bend (given the thickness of the steel) and the current design should work nicely. A better design, as he and Mike point out, would be to use the tube merely as a compression tube, hence virtually eliminating failure of the tubing by bending forces.

So, I'll load test the current design and make sure it is safe. Thanks for your input, fellas, and for your concern to keep me/others safe.

Randy
 
Randy,

For a Cub I would think you're good with your new rig but its been too long since I've crunched any numbers to fully check it. Wall thickness and shape are everything for any spreader and at 2"x2", 1/4" wall is far better than 3/16". I like that all holes are drilled thru the vertical axis and are centered which definitely helps with the spreader bar resisting horizontal deformation during a lift and you'll want to have the bolts tight (but don't compress the tube) and use heavy (standard) washers especially at the center point to spread the load. If you were really wanting to max it out, I'd say to sleeve the holes for the eye bolts but I don't see that for you Cub.

Were you able to find a "working load" rating for the cast eye bolts at the hardware store?

Pick the Cub up (without it being full of fuel) a little, get it light on it's feet (like Julie wishes you were on the dance floor) and leave it for a awhile while you watch and listen then move it around a bit before you raise it more and swap the wheels and get it back down. Loads will talk often to you when not happy.

I know you were a farm kid so you get it but for the others out there who haven't been properly educated around hoisting please always remember NOT to get under anything, including the full lifting apparatus (crane, crane boom, jib, of whatever it is) while it's under load and in my book that includes hoisted hanger doors like many of us have, especially while they are moving.

OC
 
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Your setup is almost identical to mine Randy; 2"x 2" square tube with 3/16" wall on mine. I used eye nuts with grade 5 bolts rather than eye bolts. And the chains hanging down allow for a little misalignment of the plane underneath when the lifting starts. I've never had any issues.
 

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Randy, I have no idea if your setup is strong enough. When I first saw it I was also a little spooked with the center lift. This is one I made up to carry in the plane to lift onto a boat. The square bar is one inch. It is just a spreader bar not a lifting bar. The ends are an eyebolt with an eye nut with an additional nut. This won't work if you have
ceiling height issues. It is mostly bolt together except for the cables which are overkill in size but they were sitting around. Just thought I would throw this out there as an opton for a spreader bar as opposed to a lifting bar. Good luck!

My setup is definitely farmer stuff
 

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I like the pipe insulation, I'm gonna do that. I use two pieces of logging chain with the third link of each welded to each end of a stout piece of angle iron. Third link so the shackle hangs right, angle iron cut to the appropriate length for the plane. The other chain ends shackled to a lift ring. Cheap, simple, and over 10X stronger than it needs to be.
 
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