Steve Campbell
Elite Veteran
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
| A tenth (0.1g) sensitivity is plenty. That's the standard Vic builds V Blades to.
A high point is just the thing for balancing fans and fan hubs, tail rotors, main rotor heads, etc. In short, just about everything EXCEPT blades that needs to be balanced on a helo can be handled by the high point.
Don't waste your money on a teeter blade balancer. Those don't give you any clue about chord-wise CG, and can give you false readings on span-wise CG. Like David said, the Koll Rotor Pro is the do-it-all blade machine. You can actually use it to match weights, too. But that task is SO much easier with a good scale.
A good electronic scale will set you back $150 or more. I use the AccuLab V-333. This company's products are simply superb. I really have to stifle a laugh when I see guys balk at putting down that kind of change on a scale, but I look at their helicopter and see every purple "upgrade" known to man.
Believe it or not, a good place to pick up a quality scale is a sheriff's sale and/or police seized property auction. Dopers that mix their own are seriously into accuracy when it comes to their pharmaceuticals, and buy only the best. But I think the convenience and accuracy of an electronic scale is well worth the extra cost.
I know of two currently-produced high points; one by DuBro and one by Robart. I have both; the Robart is far superior.
I use the scale, Robart high point, and an aluminum T-bar (for finding blade CGs) to accomplish my balancing tasks. One day I'll buy a Koll Rotor Pro. I suppose a teeter balancer is better than nothing, but you truly get what you pay for...
Steve |
