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Main gear max width?

gotyoke

Well Known Member
Hello, I'm planning to build an RV-9A in my workshop. Currently the doors to my shop are only 52 inches wide and I want to widen them to enable me to build the vast majority of my plane there.

I probably won't be able to widen the doors enough for the horizontal stabilizer (I'm estimating 9-10 feet), but I may be able to make them wide enough for the fuselage with the mains attached. What is the full width of the mains without wheel pants? With wheel pants? Thanks.

Edit: from searches I've seen 86", 89", 90", 92". But I'm not sure if those are center tire to center tire.
 
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CAD models

I will be able to measure actual dimensions next week, in the meantime you may be aware that Vans has downloadable CAD 3-views of all the RVs. The scaling is accurate so you can use a CAD program to measure the dimensions.

Also, when the time comes to shift the fuselage it is easy to take off the wheel spats, and you can use castoring bases to manoevre through an opening that is a bit narrower than the wheel base.

If you can make the door opening 8' that would certainly work.
 
Actual measurements

I measured the main gear wheels today and the outside dimension of the tires at the widest point is 89 inches, and the outside dimension at the wheel pants is 94 inches. This is for a finished RV-9A with the full load on the gear.
 
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