To de-wing or not to de-wing, what should I consider?

[Stickman Aerosports]

I need to get my experimental PA-18-95 (O-200) closer to home to help promote progress on the project. I am considering removing the wings to allow it to fit in my garage. I am highly mechanically inclined and know my way around a toolbox and can wrench with the best of them. I however am not an expert in de-winging and curious if this is a good idea, bad idea and why etc.

Current state of plane:

• Bought plane 1/2022, and flew it home...last time and only time I flew it
• Immediately started modifications/improvements once home
• Floor boards are out, stick assembly is out, pedals are out, seat is out, interior tin is out on walls, no headliner or similar installed

In order to facilitate the wing removal, since controls are out, below is what I believe I need to do to remove the wings (but I may be missing things or have them sequenced wrong):

1. Disconnect aileron control cable links at top of windscreen and at floor board where it connected to the stick assembly
2. Disconnect fuel lines at wing root to fuselage intersection
3. Disconnect nav lights at wing root to fuselage intersection
4. Disconnect pitot tube at wing root to fuselage intersection
5. Remove front and rear spar bolts on each wing
6. Remove strut bolts from outer wing and fuselage
7. TELL ME WHAT I MISSED ON THIS LIST

Can I get some input on the following:

1. Is there a specific sequence I should follow when it comes to removing spar and strut bolts?
2. Do I need to measure anything specific before wing removal for reassembly considerations?
3. As for the struts and clevis at the fuselage, I assume I should try not to move the clevis from its current setting to retain current flight/rigging characteristics?
4. How many able bodied people minimum should I have onsite for safely de-winging?
5. How long (considering current state of bird listed above) should this de-wing process take?
6. If the strut clevis positions remain unchanged, will it be just bolt everything back on and test fly?
7. Tips for efficient removal/install, special stands/jacks? (other than a wing cradle once they are off).
8. TELL ME WHY I SHOULDN'T BE CONSIDERING DE-WINGING THE BIRD

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My bird is the sad one facing the back wall...It's not even allowed to look outside...
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[DENNY]

You will want 4 people it can be done with 3 but 4 is a lot better. A good crew can do it in 20 -30 min. First time plan for a hour or two. Bring every tool you think you may need then go get some more and have you friends bring all that they have also. A step for the guy holding the end of the wing helps.
Has all the fuel been drained from the wings? If not push it out and drain it dry first. You will want to remove the wing fairing and the jury struts before you start messing with the anything. Have long punches to stick in the holes as you pull out the fuselage bolts and strut bolts on the wing. The lower strut does not need bolts it will set in place and stay without bolts. Get all bolts removed and replaced with punches/pins/philips screwdrivers so you are not trying to hold up a wing fighting that one sticky bolt!!! Once all is pinned with punches where require Hold struts and pull wing strut pins, lift wing clear and carefully remove struts and set to side. Then support wing and pull fuselage pins, set wing in rack. Replace all the fuel rubber fuel line when you put the wings back on. Be careful not to bend the struts as you lift the wing clear of the fitting. Have blankets to lay the struts and fairings on so you don't scratch them Have wing racks in place before you start. If you don't play with the strut fork they should be fine make sure the lock nut is tight before you remove them. Long taper punches help realign the holes when you hang them back on. Take your time!!! Now what about the tail feathers?? Pretty sure they have to be pulled to trailer home.
DENNY

 

[Stickman Aerosports]

Denny,
Thanks for all the great advice! Didn't think about taper punches/screwdrivers etc. replacing bolts, but it makes perfect sense. As for the jury struts, should I mark their clamp location on the strut (assuming there will be witness marks left anyhow)? Guessing that will automatically sort itself out at re-assembly as they aren't really adjustable in their position too much???

As for tail feathers...I need to measure them up. I have access to an extremely large enclosed trailer. I once hauled an EAA biplane in it with tail in place. Not sure how that tail compares to mine, but yeah, I will need schooled on the proper way to remove the tail feathers should my trailer not accommodate (fingers crossed).

 

[skywagon8a]

Hold struts and pull wing strut pins, lift wing clear and carefully remove struts and set to side.

Hold the struts in the position they are now. Pull them straight out away from the fuselage. A little fore and aft motion is acceptable to help move them away from the fuselage. Just no up and down. If you allow the struts to lower at the wing end, damage could be done to the forks and/or the fuselage fitting.
Not difficult, just be aware.

 

[kodiakcub]

I take the wings off my cub about every other year to work on it in the garage for the winter. A few years back I checked to see if it was a legal load width with the tail feathers left on. As it turns out it is slightly wider than legal and would need wide load provisions to haul it legally. I think you will find that the tail feathers will be too wide to fit in an enclosed trailer designed for over the road use. I loosen one turn buckle on aileron circuit to allow disconnecting the cables. When reassembling the wings all you have to do is tighten the one turnbuckle back to spec and the rigging is done. It takes two of us about two hours to remove the wings from start to finish.
Good luck
Dan

 

[akmarty]

Make sure your cabin will roll thru the door opening. We put on the smallest roll around wheels we could find. Probably want to pull the prop off too. Had to pull the tail feathers. Used an ATV winch and a snatch block to pull the fuselage up into the trailer. It was too big a load to push up the ramp.


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org

 

[cubpilot2]

One thing to add.

Have a box cutter with a new razor blade and use it to cut the fuel line hoses rather then pulling free.
It’s very easy to bend or crack the fuel gage nipples from the tanks by trying to remove an old stiff hose.
This also ensures that they will be replaced with new.

 

[skywagon8a]

I loosen one turn buckle on aileron circuit to allow disconnecting the cables. When reassembling the wings all you have to do is tighten the one turnbuckle back to spec and the rigging is done.

If you use the Piper gust lock or have someone hold the stick, you can apply just a little pressure on the aileron trailing edge...enough to just pull out the bolt. No need to adjust any turnbuckles.

 

[Hardtailjohn]

Save your backs and damage to the airplane and just get a sheetrock jack to hold the wings up while you take them loose. Sheetrock jacks don't get tired.
JH

 

[Gordon Misch]

Or pick with straps around the spars, and forklift. That has worked very well for us on our Exp -12.

 

[Steve Pierce]

Two of us disassembled and loaded a Super Cub on a trailer on the ramp in Missouri last month. Don't want to do it again. 3 people is way easier. If you are in a hangar and have a sheet rock lift 2 people can do it. I have 4 long tapered punches. Knock the strut attach bolts out and then the wing attach. Check and double check all wiring, pitot/static lines, fuel lines and fuel gauge lines are disconnected. Aileron cables disconnected and removed from the struts by removing the fairleads. Coil up and tape. I put tape on the side of the fuselage at the fuselage/strut attach bolts. Knock those bolts out. Remove the rear strut and place it out of the way. Go over how you are going to remove the front strut, punches at the wing/fuselage and the route to where you are setting the wings. Make sure there is nothing in the way to trip over. I have removed and reinstalled more wings than I can remember and have made every mistake there is I think.

Was disassembling a wreck in a cactus patch in summer. Get the wing root fairings off and the manufacturer had wrap wiring out of the fuselage wing root covers, around the #1 compression strut of the wing and back through the fuselage wing root cover. I hate cutting wires cause you gotta figure all that out later on when you put it back together.

Another one was a phone call from my daughter who I sent to New Mexico to bring home a wrecked Pacer. The airport bums told her the airplane was gonna tip over when she removed one wing. I asked her if that had ever happened before at which she replied "No". I told her to do what she knew and ignore them. When she got back she told me she put a ladder with padding under the opposite wing to appease them and after removing the first wing she looked over to see their reaction when the airplane didn't fall over and they were all gone. She is way more savvy now, kinda getting to be grumpy like me.

 

[Vortex Generator]

If you want to have the wings removed that is one thing but aircraft trailer very nicely with the wings on.

 

[DENNY]

I don't pull wings for a living but because I am retired I am on the short call list for strong back and weak mind. Getting older so now I am usually the punch puller strut guy. Leaving the heavy lifting for the young ones. Like Steve says 3 is a lot easier and less chance for damage. 4 is pure Hollywood! DENNY

 

[Randy]

Use masking tape and a black sharpie to label everything.
Label margarine tubs for segregating screws, strut bolts, fairing screws, jury strut bolts.
makes it much easier to go back together.

 

[bcone1381]

You ask "What should I consider?"

Consider wing stands. You'll need to raise the tail up with maybe a shorter tail stand too to get the bottom of the wing level with the floor. I put HF dollies under the stands then I can roll my wings around. I cushion the top of each stand with scrap construction foam. I work alone and can remove and install a wing no problem. I need a helper to get them onto the stand and that takes minutes.

I'm building an aircraft with a single strut and an all metal wing. You might have to do some additional problem solving for the inboard stand at the wing root.

 

[aktango58]

Take an afternoon with tools and take everything apart, nuts off, hoses cut, trim off and such by yourself. Have it ready to push out the bolts and remove parts.

Then bring in friends and such. Wings on a mattress on the trailer works, just takes a couple loads.

But to answer the $4 question: take it home where it is easy to go work on it after dinner. A 15 minute job each night will get done. If it is down the road, you won't want to go do that 15 minute job

 

[Stickman Aerosports]

Mission accomplished, wing removal part anyhow, still gotta get it moved to the home garage. I didn't get around to doing this until just this last month. Thanks everyone for the ideas and help with this! I spent an afternoon by myself prepping for de-winging, draining fuel, wire management, cable management, etc. The next day I got my wife, 14 yr old son and fellow Super Cub owner brother-in-law to help with the actual dropping of the wings. It all went very smoothly and was done in less than an hour.

I plan to start a build thread in the "members projects in progress" area soon. I will have a TON of pictures and questions for you all as this is my first Super Cub refurb. I spent some time last week watching @Steve Pierce 3 part video series on youtube on what to look for on Super Cubs, that was a wealth of knowledge, man I wish he was in the hangar next door! I just removed the fuselage covering today due to noticing a missing tube in the tail of the bird. On the bright side, this has given me an excuse to do everything I want to do to the bird. Basically starting from the beginning now.