41 BC 65 Struts

[TcraftTom]

Hey there! Does anyone know if the wing struts are the same for a 41 BC65 and a 46 BC12D?

[flylo]

Re: 41 BC 65 Struts

On my '38 & the '40 I used to have they were smaller than the '46 I had. I think all the prewars were small & the back ones are a lot smaller. I think I have an extral set if you need just PM or e-mail me.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: 41 BC 65 Struts

There are a BUNCH of different size struts. They have grown in size over the years because of a requirement in the regulations that said if you can't get the same size streamline tube stock for manufacture you can substitute the next size larger without doing a full analysis and testing series.
When streamlined tube is made it is drawn through a set of rollers to make the round stock into a streamline cross section. When the rollers wear out, the cheapest way to continue manufacture is to just re-cut the rollers. That makes the size of the streamline tube a little larger (you need to use the next size larger round tube). Based on the regulations, the factory can continue using these struts with no new analysis.
See where this is leading? On a design as old as Taylorcraft this has happened over and over! I have original struts on my 41 and my FRONT strut is smaller than the REAR strut on the last model Taylorcrafts delivered. I couldn't believe it when I saw those struts close up. They were HUGE!
What this boils down to is, YES, the struts are different. They can be almost any size you can imagine. I would NOT put a 41 strut on a post war plane. First of all, before the war they could have been made from 1010 steel, not 4130 (which is not as strong..the 1010 that is). The post war struts will fit on the earlier ones, and that is a safe substitution.
I would just try and get the same size on both sides, although I have seen LOTS of planes where they are different, and you would never notice it someone didn't point it out.
Hank

Ever feel like you wanted to know what time it was and you were told the complete history of clocks?

[Ragwing nut]

Re: 41 BC 65 Struts

replacements are all the same, originals are not

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: 41 BC 65 Struts

Actually, if you measure them, the replacements are different sizes depending on which company is making them, but they are ALL larger than the originals from before the war. I have the dimensions somewhere in my papers and you can actually tell who made the struts by measuring the major and minor axis of the strut. I think the WAG Aero struts were the smallest (don't quote me on that) but they are 4130 and just slightly larger. WAY stronger than the pre-war steel ones on my 41.
Hank