Debaker
Well-Known Member
I’m looking into the possibility of installing a small block Briggs on a wooden bed mount with downward mounted redrive. Has anyone done this? If so, how did it work?
From what I’ve read of other folks’ work so far, it seems the ideal mounting for these engines is welded tube with mounts placed radially about the point midway between prop and pto. Or something like the legal eagle vtwin engine mount. (See pictures below of legal eagle’s mount vs. the Ragwing’s I’m building).
My concern is that the aircraft I’m building has such a long engine mount distance (36”) compared to the legal eagle’s typical 15”. So that would be a lot of metal, adding weight and complexity. Besides, I’m a woodworker. So, my preference would be to simply extend the fuselage and mount the engine on the top longerons (of course with sufficient bracing/ mounting area adapted from other designs). This sort of mounting seems to have been done quite a bit back in the WWI/ 1920’s days, the aesthetic of which my plane is borrowing from anyways.
But I want to be sure that this approach will work for a modern vtwin with redrive, in terms of strength and vibration. My assumption is that the downward mounted redrive would limit vibration to an acceptable level, and keep the thrust line in the appropriate place (just above top longerons).
Thanks for any and all help.




From what I’ve read of other folks’ work so far, it seems the ideal mounting for these engines is welded tube with mounts placed radially about the point midway between prop and pto. Or something like the legal eagle vtwin engine mount. (See pictures below of legal eagle’s mount vs. the Ragwing’s I’m building).
My concern is that the aircraft I’m building has such a long engine mount distance (36”) compared to the legal eagle’s typical 15”. So that would be a lot of metal, adding weight and complexity. Besides, I’m a woodworker. So, my preference would be to simply extend the fuselage and mount the engine on the top longerons (of course with sufficient bracing/ mounting area adapted from other designs). This sort of mounting seems to have been done quite a bit back in the WWI/ 1920’s days, the aesthetic of which my plane is borrowing from anyways.
But I want to be sure that this approach will work for a modern vtwin with redrive, in terms of strength and vibration. My assumption is that the downward mounted redrive would limit vibration to an acceptable level, and keep the thrust line in the appropriate place (just above top longerons).
Thanks for any and all help.



