What's your EMPTY weight?

[maules.com]

Way back when, in the good old days, at a time when BD was interested in building for the user, I got an order from a customer to make his Maule lighter than stock. This was an M5-210C and it was delivered in primer, no long range fuel system, no right seat brakes or pedals or control yoke. No strobes and one radio, etc .
A comparison to a stock one showed that we had saved 75 lbs.
This was in the Razorback days and before the high gwt kit.
I see rear floorboard pieces from 7lbs to 13 lbs. The insulation when new and dry weighs 10 lbs. How many are actually useing all those IFR avionics. An autopilot and tcad are both heavy and lull me into a state of complacency (for hard ifr use only). Are you saving fuel or cylinders with that fancy JPI rather than useing the ear and rpm. Plexiglass doors are 1 lb lighter than stock doors, skylights are heavier than no skylight.
Bottom line of airplane performance re takeoff, climb, cruise, and landing is combating gravity just as it is with the human body.
Steak and lobster in butter with pie and icecream anyone/ OR lighter fare giving the same energy.
We Can lighten things up and squeeze in and out of tinier places, and go further, and live longer.
One equation says, if we lose 10% gwt we use 20% less runway.

[cooker]

yes nothing is as reliable as a good ear to detect a problem .. i guess the argument would be that one fancy JPI is lighter/more reliable (another debatable point) than all the mechanical gauges it replaces ??

[Mountain Doctor]

Interesting thoughts. I ride and sometimes race motorcycles. Our expression is 'light makes right'. Horsepower can compensate for the acceleration deficit of added mass, but the affects on steering and braking and economy and range remain. Lighter is better.

In aviation this is more so, as some of the things that weigh us down also add complexity, and with that expense, maintainence, and in some cases risk.

I have a simple VFR panel, but I am guilty of an autopilot and a JPI.

I stand by them, as I think both help me safely operate the plane, but both weigh me down some.

[Mountain Doctor]

BTW I have become adept at using the JPI to lean and monitor the engine closely. I usually run at 65% and peak EGT, in some cases a little LOP when conditions allow it to operate smoothly with my carburetor.

After doing this for a long time, I can lean it just as accuratly by ear and feel and maybe using the tachometer. I still use t=he monitor fo follow the CHT's to make sure the motor is happy with my mixture setting.

[xwildcat]

A comparison to a stock one showed that we had saved 75 lbs...
I see rear floorboard pieces from 7lbs to 13 lbs. The insulation when new and dry weighs 10 lbs. How many are actually useing all those IFR avionics. An autopilot and tcad are both heavy and lull me into a state of complacency (for hard ifr use only). Are you saving fuel or cylinders with that fancy JPI rather than useing the ear and rpm. Plexiglass doors are 1 lb lighter than stock doors, skylights are heavier than no skylight.
Bottom line of airplane performance re takeoff, climb, cruise, and landing is combating gravity just as it is with the human body.
Steak and lobster in butter with pie and icecream anyone/ OR lighter fare giving the same energy.
We Can lighten things up and squeeze in and out of tinier places, and go further, and live longer.
One equation says, if we lose 10% gwt we use 20% less runway.

Hear, hear. My specific list...

[Mountain Doctor]

I wonder how much the aux tanks, pumps, caps, wiring, and fuel lines add up to. I wonder how often we use them.

[rjb]

My JPI or future equivalent is not ever coming out: it's sweet count of fuel remaining and data down log after every flight is something that will make me diet rather than give it up due to weight.

I fly 99.99.% flights with no more than 1 passenger to at most 2 hour destinations. Jeremy, where can I fly to "Steak and lobster in butter with pie and ice cream "? I have a few destinations serving malted milkshakes but I would like to know more about over the top places?

None the less, I would like to be lighter. My plane is an absolute blast with just me and an hour fuel. I, given a passenger, add on survival equipment and maintenance equipment and my ability to fill my auxiliary fuel tanks shrinks dramatically.

Light is best, but I don't like discomfort, I don't like noise, I (after too much experience) really desire an hour's fuel remaining when we land, and I don't like cold.

I am in the camp of pile the weight on to please on the owner. If I were to advise someone now, I would suggest oleo gear rather than spring gear. Every other minute, I change my mind whether a bigger engine would be better.

The auxiliary tanks made my flight to Tuktoyaktuk possible. I normally use them to average gas prices but they were necessary then.

[chetharris]

My m-5 210c has the 210 h.p. continental. It weights 1465 lbs empty, and has a max gross weight of 2500 lb. It's nice to have 1035 lbs of usable, nicer to fly it light. I sure would like to be lighter. Noticed it was over 13lbs for the float kit.

Xwildcat, I hope you hot rodded that lycoming. Otherwise, I would not give up the 40 lbs for the 40 horses. Everything else makes sense. Did you put anything on your floorboards? Do you have pics of the kydex panels? I would probably keep the vacuum system just in case, but would like to see the weight gone. Really don't need much more that airspeed and a compass for most of what I do.

Chet

[xwildcat]

Yes, I did. 10:1 coated pistons from LyCon, ported, polished, balanced, blueprinted, custom crossover exhaust... yada yada. Kept the carb for simplicity and reliability in the backcountry. After calculating and careful consideration, I expect it to make 224 hp (sea level) at red line.

The Kydex was cheap and easy to work with...



For durability and practical use I decided to cover the floorboards with a lightweight outdoor carpet afterall...



Chet, I added you to the chart below...

[AndrewK]

I've been fortunate so far not to have to replace much on the plane but when stuff does wear out I will definitely be replacing with lighter components if they are available.

As it sits: '79 M5-235C Empty: 1500 lbs, Gross 2300 lbs. I have the up-gross kit still in the box, need to find the time to install it and this might be the incentive I need.

Light IFR panel, HD gear legs, 31" bushwheels, baby bushwheel tailwheel and bigger prop STC are some of the weight altering mods.

[maules.com]

xwildcat, when I changed batteries to the Odyssey utilizing the same tray, the Gill was 27.5 lbs and the Odyssey was 14.5 lbs so a net loss of 13 lbs.
What exact before and after weights have you arrived at re,
1. all floorboards,inc carpet.
2. all side panels.

[xwildcat]

Thanks, AndrewK. I added you to the table above. FWIW, once you install the upgross kit your PP number jumps to 1484.

Jeremy, I haven't weighed the side panels that were on my M4 before. They were aluminum covered in padded vinyl? So I 'm sure it's more than I put in my sheet since that's a very conservative number. The battery is a PC680 and the specs show it to weigh 16.0lbs. Perhaps it's only 14.75 like yours? The battery I replaced was a Concorde and it weighed 32lbs. Not mentioned is the now missing battery cable length. The battery was relocated to under the pax seat in 1999. I relocated the Odyssey to the firewall and probably saved 8 ft or more of heavy copper cable. This will save a lot of weight and also help with cranking power.

The floorboards were weighed with the carpet OFF. The number I posted above are actual numbers. The old had a bunch of snap hardware and screws to hold the carpet in place. I tacked the new down with contact cement, which might also save a few ounces. The carpet weight is about a wash, so push. Here's a pic of the difference in structure and explains the weight...

[xwildcat]

and I just noticed... 100+ posts on this thread That's really cool, guys!... and girl.

[benflyn]

Where is Greg,

It would be nice to see how we stack up against Bushwacker!!

xwildcat,

you can thermo form that kydex for the rear door posts.

[mauleguy]

Bushwacker is 0-360 with 10.5 to 1 compression and custom exhaust, 90" prop pitched at 33, Pulled 805 lbs. static. I am guessing around 190-195hp
it weighs 1325 empty on 35" Alaskan Bushwheels.

When I first completed it I had an 84" prop on 31" tires and it weighed in at 1257

It has the 33'8" wing with the full 126" of flaps.

It is really well balanced as I can use pretty much all the braking power for stopping.

I figure the gross weight at 2300lbs. , the wing is good for the 2500 but you can't get the weight in the airplane without having a really bad aft CG

Hope this helps with your list.

Greg