RV4 Rudder pedal mods?

[DennisRhodes]

Has anyone modified the rudder pedals/ brake master cylinder orientation on an RV4 to gain a bit more "wide foot" room . Have a "not build by me " RV4 that has conflict with the bolting hardware , both rudder cable and brake master cyl, and width of pilots foot. The previous owner added a welded on tab to the bottom tube and that allows for your toe to operate the pedals OK in flight but still doesn't allow for good foot placement for breaking. I think the bottom line issue is that the wells for rudder travel movement are just very limited on the sides from center structural parts and side wall bulkhead parts.
Even a hardware change to bolting arrangement might open up some width space. Any comments welcome, Thanks

 

[CATPart]

I have normal width size 11 feet, but will only fly my rv4 with small shoes, like canvas Vans, and they make a world of difference.

 

[swjohnsey]

Same here but is fly in Converse Chuck Taylors, thin soled and narrow.

 

[Saber25]

I like Puma racing shoes. I use them in the Pitts and Laser and they work well in the RV4. Thinner soles give more feedback.

 

[Skysailor]

Reverse the harware?

In my RV4 I reversed the hardware from what your picture shows. The heads of the bolts are inboard (near your shoes) with the nuts outboard. This gives more room for your feet and also keeps the cotter pins away from your feet where they are safer. The clearance is tight toward the tunnel such that I had to hold the nut while screwing the bolt into it. Once finalized it works well. PM me if needed.

 

[Freemasm]

Search here on VAF for "Rudder Pedal Extensions". The mods I've seen will cover the bolts.

Also Control Approach makes some very nice alternative pedals that bolt on the back side. I installed a pair. Outstanding quality. Will try and find a pic and post later.

 

[Jvon811]

I did the same as Skysailor and reversed the bolt at the bottom of the brake cylinder. My size 12.5 shoes were constantly being torn up by the cotter key on the castle nut and reversing the bolt solved that.

A correctly sized clevis pin facing inboard (head facing toward your foot) would also make a bit more room than a bolt head.

 

[Richard Connell]

Many 3s and 4s use repurposed RV7 rudder/brake pedals that hang from the top.
Creates a fair bit more room.
You can actually swing the pedals up in flight too so you can stretch your legs out.
We did this on my father in laws RV3.

 

[fixnflyguy]

A couple things

It looks like your clevis straps for the rudder cable are entirely on the inboard side rather than being on each side of the pedal horn. That should be made correct, and it will buy you a little clearance, I made my straps from .032" titanium, so they are very thin. Also, the bottom attachment of the master cylinders that came in my kit are machined on the inboard side to allow the nut and bolt end to be recessed and not strike the tunnel. The bolt head is on inside of the pedal horn. These 2 items will eliminate some of your hang up issues. You have to zoom in on my picture to see the differences. I also wear a size 12W shoe, and fly with VANs checkerboard slip-ons, Hey Dudes or boat type shoes. The racing shoes are nice, probably best, but I don't like walking around in them.

 

[fixnflyguy]

the pic

I forgot to attach the picture

 

[riobison]

On my old 4, I had bought some thin soled slippers like shoes from Walmart.

Those or racing shoes also worked good. My size 10 EEE Nikes were dangerous to use.

If you start changing the bolts around you might want to look carefully. I had looked at doing that and I was concerned about the nuts on the outside getting hung up so I stayed away from that.

Tim