With a CB-40, my Max came in with empty weight of 350 pounds, a little more than I thought I would get knowing it was going to be over 300. With fuel and me it is at 600, and mathematically, it needs 20 pounds in the tail to end up in the box in the owners manual, it will be overweight at that point but cg will be barely in the box. I am beginning to question my w&b results from using household scales. I crammed twenty pounds of lead into the tail which is not an easy task, and it seems as if the w&b results don't reflect the addition. Part of the problem with household scales is that they are made for people, and get a little accuracy in the people range say 100-250, they don't seem to do well with really light weights or really heavy weights. Empty, the tail weight is definitely in the light realm, and loaded with me and gas the scale is in the upper end where it can be questionable. I have reached out to an a&p to see if he has a decent set of scales I can borrow or rent as I think i need to get some weighing accuracy. On the facebook Max group, I have asked for feedback on people's weight results with their Maxes, and I suppose not surprisingly, they were quite varied. I ask you folks the same thing, especially if you have a half vw type powerplant, what did you see for empty weight? I appreciate your comments Kim Brown New Hampshire
Household scale will only work for the Mains......... you need something much more accurate for the Tail. Postal scale is what I used. Repeat Postal Scale, Tailwheel only. Must be weighed in flight attitude. IE tail up. longerons level. send me an E-mail or PM and I'll attempt to send you my weight and balance sheet.
P.S. mine weighed 390 empty, but that was an overbuilt Hi Max, and I ended up in the Normal Category, not utility. Look at your chart. There might be a Normal Category option.
Your not THAT heavy. My 1550 Vmax weighs in at 426lbs, my 1500r(ish) max weighs 336lbs with an F33, My old 1100R with a 447 and BRS weighed 356 and had 15lbs of ballast in the tail after that.
I just finished a w/b on a friends 1100r with the heavy tail and an F33.H e came in at 298lbs Empty but the CG was way aft, We had to add 27lbs to the nose to get the CG in range.
I weigh all my planes with cheap analog bathroom scales and have never had an issue. On the main wheels I always place a 2x6 over the scale to distribute the wheel weight evenly. On the tailwheel, having a good solid table or bench to put the scale on is a must, if the surface the scale is setting on has any flex at all it will throw off the reading quite a bit.
Chris
Remember, in aviation death sentences are administered by the laws of physics, not the FAA.
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