Transporting of Helicopters on trailers
Thread Starter
Transporting of Helicopters on trailers
hello gang, I am enquiring about transporting of helicopters on a trailor without having to take blades off, which helicopters travel the best ? which ones do'nt ?? will the Robinson will have to be disasembled??
I have seen a AG company that use a B-47 with a trailor thats supports the blades for travel.
I would be worried about bumpy roads.
Any words please
I have seen a AG company that use a B-47 with a trailor thats supports the blades for travel.
I would be worried about bumpy roads.
Any words please
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Bit more than a trailer...
ff2000,
Have a look at what the film pilot Paul Barth has built in the US to transport his MD-500
. It's quite a set up, and completely self supporting.
http://www.cassidyinc.com/CC/index.htm
McH
Have a look at what the film pilot Paul Barth has built in the US to transport his MD-500
. It's quite a set up, and completely self supporting.http://www.cassidyinc.com/CC/index.htm
McH
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I used to work for a company that would transport a Huey on a trailer. Some shots of it are here:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...=76347&page=96
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...=76347&page=96
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The blades stayed on, but were supported by two poles that were placed at either end of the trailer bed. We also would put wooden chocks between the mast and the head to prevent any teetering. We also removed the horizontal stabilizer. As far as distances go - when I was there the furthest we went was from San Diego, California to Phoenix, Arizona. A good 8 hour drive. The trailer was custom built. I'll see if I have any more photos at home.
I have also seen people use a similar arrangement for R22's. As long as the blades are supported there doesn't seem to be any problems. I'm not sure what people did to support the blades because of the coning hinges, but like I say I've seen it done.
I have also seen people use a similar arrangement for R22's. As long as the blades are supported there doesn't seem to be any problems. I'm not sure what people did to support the blades because of the coning hinges, but like I say I've seen it done.
Thread Starter
cool, I had a 22 delivered to me once from Nevada to florida but he came on trailor with the tail off and the blades so there must be some good reason why it's not done.
I mean students beat the **** out of them in hover Autos and full touchdowns I can'nt see why it would be bad to trailor one around supported like you said.
fun
I mean students beat the **** out of them in hover Autos and full touchdowns I can'nt see why it would be bad to trailor one around supported like you said.
fun
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I stumbled over this company some weeks ago;
http://www.mobilehangar.com/
I don't know how many they have sold yet... But perhaps someone can tell us whether it works or not...
RD
http://www.mobilehangar.com/
I don't know how many they have sold yet... But perhaps someone can tell us whether it works or not...
RD
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We owned a Hughes 269B and used a trailer manufactured by Kinzie Helicopters of Oklahoma to move it around. They don't seem to be around anymore so it might be hard to find one of their trailers. Anyway, it worked quite well. You didn't have to remove the blades but simply removed the bolt where the dampers attached to the blades (it's been a while so I can't remember the correct name). You then folded the blades a bit and used supports to hold them in place on the trailer. We hauled it back and forth a number of times across Canada with no problems.
Last edited by rotornut; 22nd Jun 2006 at 20:24.
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I can't remember where I've seen this - might be the Robbo documentation. It warned that trailers big enough to carry a heli are typically sprung for a much heavier load, and would therefore give your heli a rough ride. It recommended seeking out a specialist who understands this and who has adjusted the suspension to suit the load. HTH.
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gearbox
Be very carefull, I think Bell do not allow road transport of certain models, the 206 I think is one,because the planet wheels and bearings are not designed to take the shock loads that can be experienced on the road.
This was brought up years ago, on discussions about keeping down position costs on some jobs, but was a no goer as the gearbox would have to be removed.
It is apparently burried in the maintenance manuels somewhere, I am no expert on spanner matters but it would be worth asking someone who is.
This was brought up years ago, on discussions about keeping down position costs on some jobs, but was a no goer as the gearbox would have to be removed.
It is apparently burried in the maintenance manuels somewhere, I am no expert on spanner matters but it would be worth asking someone who is.
R22 on wheels
I spent about 4 years trailoring a R22 around Southern Africa doing game capture. Had to. Needed to have fuel on hand, gear with etc etc. Costs were brought down radically as we would drive anything from 100 - 3000km to do work.
The heli would be flown onto the trailor which was a double axil leaf suspension. Machine facing backwards on the trailor sothat the windscreen wouldn't get broken by stones being flicked up by the vehicle. Tail boom and both blades was supported by upright supports. The whole thing sat very balanced and I would drive at around 100km/h max just for safety of braking with the weight of the heli, trailor and about 600-800l of fuel.
We enquired with Robinson if we could do the same with a R44 but was told not to as the tailboom wouldn't withstand the stress.
Theres been a move away from trailoring recently due to the stresses of driving long distances on dirt roads - VIBRATIONS and some one had to brake urgently for a tractoring puliing out in front and ended up hittting it. Damage to heli was a bit as the whole machine moved forward...
If you do use a trailor make sure you get into a routine for unhooking. Two machines were flipped over as the pilots were distracted during the unhook and preflight and forgot to undo the one skids side latches. Makes for an interresting explanasion....!!!
The heli would be flown onto the trailor which was a double axil leaf suspension. Machine facing backwards on the trailor sothat the windscreen wouldn't get broken by stones being flicked up by the vehicle. Tail boom and both blades was supported by upright supports. The whole thing sat very balanced and I would drive at around 100km/h max just for safety of braking with the weight of the heli, trailor and about 600-800l of fuel.
We enquired with Robinson if we could do the same with a R44 but was told not to as the tailboom wouldn't withstand the stress.
Theres been a move away from trailoring recently due to the stresses of driving long distances on dirt roads - VIBRATIONS and some one had to brake urgently for a tractoring puliing out in front and ended up hittting it. Damage to heli was a bit as the whole machine moved forward...
If you do use a trailor make sure you get into a routine for unhooking. Two machines were flipped over as the pilots were distracted during the unhook and preflight and forgot to undo the one skids side latches. Makes for an interresting explanasion....!!!
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I have moved several Hiller UH12's in the UK on flat bed lorry trailers before, we built some upright's and supported the blades and they travelled perfectly. Also in the States we moved Hillers on a towable trailer with a pick up truck without any problems as long as the blades are well supported.
The main problem is getting them on and off safely.
Sorry no specifc information about the R22
The main problem is getting them on and off safely.
Sorry no specifc information about the R22
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Our Kinzie trailer had no suspension. However, since it was designed exclusively for the Hughes 269/300 Series there was no problem as these machines have oleo landing gear dampers that can absorb a lot of road shock.
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Trailors vs Trailers
FunFinn2000 is looking for a TRAILOR, which must be very different to the TRAILERS suggested by most of the replies. It would seem the only one that can help is whirleybirdsa who also used a TRAILOR.
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It is surprising at first glance, but you can seriously damage your aircraft if you sit it on a trailer and then bounce it. Remember the aircraft structure is designed to take the g's that the rotor dishes out (plus a safety factor) but this is a relatively low number, often at 3 to 4 g's or so. The g's on a poorly sprung trailer on a rough road can be more, and you can bend your helo, or its engine mounts, blades and such.
If you have a g meter that you can mount on a board, just sit it on the trailer bed and drive around a bit, and check the max g. It might surprize you, but that trailer bed would look to your aircraft like a Richter 8 earth quake! You may find that your insurer would not pay for such damage.
In a similar way, I have heard of a pair of Hueys that were seriously damaged while tied down in a C5 during a hard landing - the engines had broken away from their mounts, but the C5 was undamaged.
If you have a g meter that you can mount on a board, just sit it on the trailer bed and drive around a bit, and check the max g. It might surprize you, but that trailer bed would look to your aircraft like a Richter 8 earth quake! You may find that your insurer would not pay for such damage.
In a similar way, I have heard of a pair of Hueys that were seriously damaged while tied down in a C5 during a hard landing - the engines had broken away from their mounts, but the C5 was undamaged.