Tubing mods for floats - front door thresholds 3/4" x .058???

[John Bickham]

Casting for help again. Time has passed since I ordered my tubing and I can't find the reference that I used for ordering tubing. Like a lot of you, I am including the tubing modifications that have the option for adding floats. With the help of a lot of the usual sources (thanks Eric, Russ, Paul M and Wayne M), I have verified those mods up to the the pilot/co-pilot door thresholds. Somewhere/sometime I saw a reference to make the pilot/co-pilot door thresholds 3/4" x .058. I know I didn't make that up, but cannot find the reference to that suggested mod. I've been verifying these changes as I go.

My CRS is getting worse.

Any help gratefully appreciated.

[Robert440]

I think what you are looking for is on VR3 Tubing's website.

[Robert440]

John if you've got a good tubing list could you please post it. I've been working on one for a month or so now but it's always nice to compare. Thanks.

[alaskabearhawk]

John, FWIW I don't recall ever using any .058 in place of any tubing specified by Bob in the plans. In a couple of places I used .049 instead of .035, but that's it and that was with Bob's ok. I don't remember anyone else doing that either, but I could be wrong. .058 is pretty stout stuff and heavy to boot.

[John Bickham]

Thanks Robert. It is there. I think I'll give the Bob a call Monday on this one. Not going to bother him on the weekend.

I'll dig up my list. Proceed with caution. I found I was at least 27" short of .625 x .035 after I wind chimed a high angle cope over the cargo door. If you not in a hurry, ya might hold till I get all parts tacked in. I've seem to have some extra also.
Appreciate it.

[John Bickham]

Hey Paul,
I'm a devout follower of your Kitlog site. It has been very helpful to this rookie builder. I actually just noticed last night your approach to the swing up doors by adding an extra tube 2" higher. That approach would definitely negate upsizing the tube since you double up.

T-10 to T-11.jpg

Not sure if you can see it in this pic. The tubes with the orange tape I upsized from T-10 to T-11 (.049). Herded this info from a couple of different places, including your Kitlog site. There are a couple of other smaller diagonal tubes over the cargo tube that you added also.

I'm considering the swing up doors with the higher threshold. Still evaluating ease of entry/exit with the higher 2". Not easy with no Bearhawk around to climb in and out of.

Appreciate your help and efforts on the Kitlog site.

[whee]

The VR3 drawing that Robert posted shows the tubing changes for floats that Bob sugested to VR3 when they developed their tubing kit. They changed the tubing under the front door sill from 0.049 to 0.058 and the two tubes with orange tape in the foreground of John's pic were changed from 0.035 to 0.049.

[alaskabearhawk]

Thanks for the kind words John. I do the site as much to help my memory as anyone else.

The diagonal opposite the cargo door is a T10, per the plans on mine. The rest is per the April 1996 BearTracks and what I spoke to Bob about. The diagonal tube going aft of the small vertical tube in the middle of the cargo door is also a T10 per the plans,

[alaskabearhawk]

[whee]

I kinda like those changes you made around the cargo door akbearhawk. Not just for floats but to stiffen the fuselage in that area; I never liked how it flexes in that area when loaded heavy.

[John Bickham]

Just to put this one to bed...... Sorry if I stirred anyone up.
Called Bob today. He said no need for the heavy tubing. The T-11 (.049) was good enough. Got those door thresholds in today and the 1" tube for STA C/S is tacked in place. If chrome moly dust was worth sumthing I'd be rich. Lots of trips to the grinder today to sneek up on that fit.
STA C-S (2).JPG

[alaskabearhawk]

Nice work!

[DesertBearhawk]

"Wind-chimed"

[Robert440]

So I gather that the .058 diagonals on VR3's diagram aren't needed and that the only thing needed is to bring the .035 tubes up to .049 and up grade the verticals behind the pilots door? "Windchimed" as in "man I screwed that up so bad that now the only thing to do with it is add it to the others for my new wind chime!"?