I would like to own a 4-place Maule to use as my family plane and compliment my RV4. Trouble is that the RV4 chewed up enough of my overall budget to put me down in the ~$55K range for the family plane.

I understand that there is no such thing as a “cheap planeâ€￾ but what can I expect to find in terms of remaining fabric and engine time for that price level in a 4-place Maule?

Thx

Define "Family"...

And where do you want to go...

How much has to be carried...

DeltaRomeo wrote:Define "Family"...

And where do you want to go...

How much has to be carried...

Family is 3 people, one of which is 6 years old; total combined weight under 325lbs.

Mission is $100 hamburgers on the weekends, 200-mile trips to the beach and 1-4x / year we will visit family at the 450 mile mark. 90% of the flying will be the first two points.

I am at a 2400’ grass strip now and I like grass strips.

Tail wheel or nose wheel? Insurance is higher in the tail wheel but you have more landing strip and landing gear options. The 180 hp models usually go for a lot less than the 235 or 260 hp models and you should be able to find one in your price range in good condition. Fabric and paint last 25 - 30 years if the airplane has been hangared. Then you can expect a $25000 - $35000 re-fabric and paint cost.

M4 fits the requirements.

andy wrote:Tail wheel or nose wheel? Insurance is higher in the tail wheel but you have more landing strip and landing gear options. The 180 hp models usually go for a lot less than the 235 or 260 hp models and you should be able to find one in your price range in good condition. Fabric and paint last 25 - 30 years if the airplane has been hangared. Then you can expect a $25000 - $35000 re-fabric and paint cost.

I’m not too worried about tailwheel / nosewheel at this point. I fly an RV4 now which folks say is a very easy tailwheel design to fly so I’m probably a bit over confident regarding a tailwheel Maule but I think it would be a fun challenge. Thx for the note about the fabric; I assumed since wings are out of scope that it would have been cheaper.

Any of the M4's (highly recommend the later versions w/ the cargo door) and some M5's could be in that price range and serve the defined mission well.

The M5's with Razorback (fiberglass fabric) should be in great shape for years to come; the biggest issue if kept outside is paint cracking off. Our M5 is one of the last M5's built in '81 that still used the Razorback before the factory switched to Ceconite. It's 39 years old and the fabric is in great shape. Mostly hangared.

M4's were built '62 to '73 using O-300 (145 hp), O-360 (180 hp), IO-360 (210 hp Cont), and 220 hp Franklin. M5's built '73 to '84 using O-360 (180 hp), IO-360 (200 hp Lyc), IO-360 (210 hp Cont), TIO-360 (210 Hp Turbo Lyc: only 6 made), and O-540 (235 hp).

Thx folks! I guess I need to be patient and hover over the usual listing sites. If anyone here knows of something in or near my price range coming available please let me know.

Keep looking. The right deal will come along. Don't worry about your experience when it comes to the Maule vs. RV handing characteristics. Maules aren't any big deal and most who comment about their ground tendencies have probably never flown one. I taught my 16 year old daughter to fly our M-7-235 with about 13 hours Dual in a PA-12-150 and 2 hours solo. She had 3-4 flights with me in the Maule and was landing it on her own in no time.

DeltaRomeo wrote:Any of the M4's (highly recommend the later versions w/ the cargo door) and some M5's could be in that price range and serve the defined mission well.

The M5's with Razorback (fiberglass fabric) should be in great shape for years to come; the biggest issue if kept outside is paint cracking off. Our M5 is one of the last M5's built in '81 that still used the Razorback before the factory switched to Ceconite. It's 39 years old and the fabric is in great shape. Mostly hangared.

M4's were built '62 to '73 using O-300 (145 hp), O-360 (180 hp), IO-360 (210 hp Cont), and 220 hp Franklin. M5's built '73 to '84 using O-360 (180 hp), IO-360 (200 hp Lyc), IO-360 (210 hp Cont), TIO-360 (210 Hp Turbo Lyc: only 6 made), and O-540 (235 hp).

How difficult is it to service and keep those Franklins running? How much does an overhaul cost compared to other 6-cyl?

FlyBall John wrote:How difficult is it to service and keep those Franklins running? How much does an overhaul cost compared to other 6-cyl?

They're not as bad as the rumor mill would have you believe, but your options are certainly more limited. My A&P takes care of several Stinsons, so he's familiar with Franklins, where I've heard of other people that can't find an A&P that will touch one. I don't see what the issue is for those mechanics though- just read the service manual and follow the directions...

I think Airworx will charge about $22-24k for an overhaul, but you'd have to contact them. I had mine done by them recently, but I got a pretty good deal because I had already bought an overhaul kit from Susan at Franklin Engine Co. a couple years prior. Still putting the rest of the plane back together before I can see how it runs.

Edit: Here's an M4-220C that's even under your budget : https://www.barnstormers.com/ad_detail. ... atid=20575

Come on in, the water's fine!

The Franklin is a real fine, and very smooth engine. I overhauled mine a few years ago. Not as easy as a Lyc., or Cont., but still very doable. I guess I might classify the process as an "adventure". There are quite a few real good Franklin gurus around the countryside. If you ever need to go the O/H route give me a shout. I can help you with some tips.

Franklin is a solid engine if it’s in good shape to begin with. A fully over hauled franklin can be had for $27k. Parts are not really an issue these days.

Are there any members on this forum in the central NC area with a 4-place M4 or M5? I would love to see one up close and perhaps sit in it or go for a ride because by the numbers they really look like great planes. Thx