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My new float fittings don't fit

Tango Cub

Tango Cub

GONE WEST
Duluth MN
I just got a set of Atlee Dodge weld on float fittings. They don't fit tight up to the lower longeron. I tried them on my PA-18 and my PA-11 they fit the same there is a 1/4 inch gap from the front through the back of the fitting. Not even close to the longeron. I tried it on all the clusters all the way back same thing. Since the 18 and the 11 are the same I'm thinking the fittings are wrong. Has any one seen this before what can I do? I'm going to call Atlee Dodge later this morning.


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You must custom form the tips to lay onto the longerons.

dress the protruding welds at the cluster, clamp the fitting in place and "split the difference" of the "gaps", tack weld in the center, then heat the ends and form them down to the longeron.

...that's what Fabman and Crash say.
 
Doesn't look like anything a little heat with torch doesn't fix. I would imagine these are custom final fit by user.
 
I talked to Steve at F.A.D. He told me to heat it and get it to fit within an 1/8". I'll give it a try and see how it works. Bryan
 
They don't fit my 11 very well either. 1/8" gap in some places. Will heat form then fit.
 
If memory serves me correctly Airframes fittings didn't need any forming but the procedure in the thread SB linked and Steve told you is very easy and works well.
 
I got them welded on :) i just heated them up used a clamp to pull them in tight no gap at all welded up nice. Does any one know what other brackets i should weld in for flying floats?
 
yep, Mike's right. Put those on now or you'll wish you did. Cover right over them and you'll never know they are there until you need them. I'm about ready to do mine on the J3.
 
What are the dimensions of the water rudder pulley mounts? How far apart are the two nuts on each bracket? Thanks Bryan
 
Tango Cub said:
What are the dimensions of the water rudder pulley mounts? How far apart are the two nuts on each bracket? Thanks Bryan
Click to expand...
There are a couple of methods to do this. You can weld a flat plate to the longeron under the fabric with two 1/4" holes in it 1-15/16" apart. The plate can be either vertical or horizontal, your choice. My choice would be horizontal. You could mount plate nuts on this to make the installation a little easier. Or, you could weld two tabs perpendicular to the longeron which are spaced to accept a bracket that measures 1-5/8" long. These tabs should have a 1/4" hole for the pivot pin or bolt. When Javron built my fuselage they did the latter incorrectly by placing the tabs too close to each other. I have to modify the EDO pulley brackets to fit.

Don't forget the cross wire pulley. That one will take some ingenuity on your part as there is a stringer in the center and some distance between the fabric and the cross tube in the fuselage. Some folks run the cross cable across just behind the rear spreader to keep it on the floats. The EDO drawing shows the cross wire bracket between the stringer and the longeron.

The dimensions for another manufacturer may differ.
 
Easy tab for those rudder pulleys, align it just under fabric, tack a nut inside and eye bolts to hold pin for pulley bracket. Jim
 

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Any pictures of where these brackets go? I would like to add them to the fuselage I am presently working on.
 
Steve Pierce said:
Any pictures of where these brackets go? I would like to add them to the fuselage I am presently working on.
Click to expand...

seems like every one is different, but I am sure there is a 'right' number... and i 'think' they are offset/different location each side so when the cables cross they don't hit.... been long time ago.......
 
Steve Pierce said:
Any pictures of where these brackets go? I would like to add them to the fuselage I am presently working on.
Click to expand...
Steve, I was unable to locate the EDO drawing for this in my collection. There is a cross tube in the PA-18 lower fuselage which is about 84" forward of the tailpost. The cross wire pulley bracket, which connects the two outboard water rudder horns, attaches to this cross tube with clamps. The two pulleys which attach to the longerons are placed about 4" aft of this cross tube. They are both the same distance from the tailpost as these wires do not cross another. These steering wires connect from their respective air rudder horn to the inboard water rudder horns.

The tab which cruiser shows is nice except that it needs to be wide enough for two 1/4" holes 1-15/16" apart aligned fore and aft.
 
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