Opinions/Expereince with RCGF Engines?

[seawolf]

Purchased a 65cc single from Aerovate.Am curious if anyone is flying this or any other RCGF engine.How is that going?

[Tired Old Man]

The RCGF 65 is closely modeled after the original Peak 65, which was a pretty good engine. The cylinder design was a close approximation of the Zenoah. RCGF was the maker of the Peak engine. Aerovate is the line of RCGF engines specifically altered to fit the quality preferences of a group of importers/dealers that prefer higher quality products to better serve their customers. So they get quite a bit more QA on the dealer end than engines handled and distributed from other sellers. There have been some design improvements since the conception of the Peak engine, mostly in bearings and machine work. It should work out pretty well, and time will be the deciding factor since RCGF, like so many other new engine manufacturers, has not been on the block as long as some others. Much of how well the engine will perform and last is up to how the user treats it.

[seawolf]

Any known issues with excessive run out of prop hubs?

[seawolf]

Must not be any out there or nobody wants to admit it.I received my first with 20 thousands TIR at prop hub-brand new out of the box..Returned it and was replaced with another new in the box engine with same condition.What are the chances of getting two new engines with the same defect?I guess that old adage-you get what you pay for applies here.

[Tired Old Man]

Was it the hub or the prop adaptor? I've found it to be at the adaptor with the 100 twin. Check concentricity of the hub at the sides and flatness of the hub face. Sounds like you already have a dial indicator.

RCGF makes one of the better Chinese cranks so it might be worth the time and effort to correct a hub if you can. Otherwise make a call to Henry and have him check the next one before he sends it out. Another option is to see if he wants o have it sent to Bill Jensen to correct the one you have. There's always the final option of a return for money back or cc unwind so you know you're not going to get stuck holding the bag.

The lack of replies is due to the fact that the vast majority of the RCGF buyers are hanging out at RCU, where RCGF has a long engine thread running, not here. Sooner or later we need to get that fixed.

[rcign]

Another tempest in another teapot...I have a 20cc I got from Henry...Very nice little engine...
Betcha you could put an indicator on ANY high dollar engine and get some runout...Runout on a long stud is not as important as how much runout up and down the FACE of the hub has...If the hub face is PERFECTLY flat and 90 degrees to the crank the stud is unimportant...Why not just cut the end of the stud off and just use the multi bolts ? All the stud does is provide a threaded hole for the spinner bolt...ANY machinist KNOWS that the 6 bolts (or 4) center the prop, not the stud...Runout does not affect the prop tip tracking, the face does...Of course you have to tighten all SIX prop bolts the same, don't you ? To 110 or less inch lbs ??HMMM ??
None of these problems affect single bolt hubs, but I'm NOT ever going there again .
If you don't have the long stud and need a threaded hole for the spinner bolt, you can get a prop washer with a 10-32 threaded hole in the center, now that the long stud is no longer there...

[Tired Old Man]

10-4 to all Ralph.

[seawolf]

Both engines have similair conditions-20 thousands measured at the side of the prop hub 90 degrees to the center line of the crankshaft and 8 thousands on the face of the prop hub.Both measurements taken with dial indicator of course.To my thinking that is way to much.And the RCU thread on RCGF enngines seems to be kind of a sing along with the distributors of these engines.I was hoping to hear from guys actually flying some of the larger engines in this line.Also the engine has been sent to Bill Jensen as per Henry's instructions and that is great but I am still curious about other
guys experiences with longevity and such.Thanks

[Tired Old Man]

They have not been out long enough to establish any kind of life cycle. You folks having them are going to have to provide that info as time rolls on. The RCU thread is populated with a whole lot of people brand spanking new to gas engines and for the most part are people that have only a couple things in common. They want a small gasser for glow powered planes and they want one cheap. Aside from that they are learning everything new and patting each other on the back in mutual support. The dealers, doing as they should do, are making good use of the demographics and the thread. Lot's of good info in that thread once you navigate past the social bs.

I did a review on the original RCGF 100. It had some flaws that they later corrected due to info from that review and from the dealers that had similar experiences. The first version ran quite well after a couple of mods while the second corrected engine was better still. I don't fly anything smaller than 50cc and haven't tried any of the smaller engines from them yet. Haven't had a plane to put one in.

[zx32tt]

I've got a 65. Their quality control leaves a lot to be desired . I put a Bowman ring in mine. Seems to run much better. And yes there are run-out problems with the prop hub. pm me if you want all the ugly details.
zx32tt

[driesbabe]

Hi Guys
I'm one of the distributors, so I will try and explain.
the 65cc engine is the oldest and least looked after in the RCGF range. I received my first 4 65cc engines about 4 years ago, when RCGF was not even around as they are now. I also had the run out problem, but once that was fixed, the engine performed. This particular engine is still flying today. (so are the other 3 that came in that shipment) after about probably 100 gallons of fuel and thrashings from the first day, the engine is still a one flipper.
Why RCGF is not fixing the run-out problem (that is apparently still arround) I don't know but I will make an effort to find out.
Concerning the rest of the line up of engines, that are just by the way, the most comprihensive in the bussiness they are all very good engines. I am not saying that we at RCGF are not having problems with the occasional hicup that creaps in, and as with all Chinese companies, we do have our QC worries here and there, but as a whole, they make a very good and solid product that works.
The factory is very willing to learn and understand the customers demands and needs and responds to this, sometimes in there chinese way of doing things.
The main thing is, if you buy a RCGF product, you will be looked after by the people that sell the product and if problems arrise, we will try and sort them out as efficiently as possible.
I am quite sure that Henry will sort this problem out for you ASAP, and you will have a reliable engine that will last you many years to come.
Regards
Andreas

[seawolf]

It does not sound like this is a" hicup that creeps in" if it was present in engines four years ago.Apparently the deal is if you buy an RCGF engine you must send it to a qualified repair shop after you receive it to have it rebuilt so you can use it.I wanted to bolt it on to the airframe not the UPS truck.

[Awesome]

My experience for what it's worth is with the RCGF 62cc rear carb engine. I purchased this engine about 2 months ago from an Aussie RCGF dealer. This was the "old" style engine with 14mm spark plug. I have retro fitted a CM6 plug and re-engineered for a DL50 4petal reed assembly, also i made a new 6bolt prop hub with the MT57 bolt pattern as i have a lot of props drilled that i can use on the RCGF62. None of these mods were required on the engine as supplied , but were done to use common consumables i have for other engines. To say i am pleased with this engine so far would be an understatement! The engine has a total of about 15 minutes run time on an engine stand and also on a GP Christen Eagle bipe. No prop runout with either hub is or was present , the transition has to be seen to be believed , it's razor sharp! Needles have been dialed in to the point i can run the engine at any rpm through the range clean with no burble. Power wise , well , all i have is a gut feeling as i haven't had an opporunity to tach or fishscale it yet , but man , has this thing got some grunt.
I have a Mej 22 x 10 prop fitted for the run in , but i think a 23 x8 or maybe a 24 x8 on a pipe would be insane power. Static runups on this engine vs a 30% SD Yak54 with an MT57 on a custom made tuned pipe make me think the MT57 might get the flick for another one of these RCGF62'S. Also the vibration is minimal compared to the MT57 , though to be fair the engines are fitted to two totally different airframes.
I will report more on the RCGF62 if anyone is interested.
Cheers from OZ , Leon.

[seawolf]

Thanks for your input Leon and keep it coming.I am very interested in your 62's story and sure there are many FG guys also looking.
Chris

[Awesome]

No probs Seawolf , i have uploaded some pics of the RCGF62 with the DL50 reed fitted , MT57 style prop hub and some pics of the standard RCGF reeds. The standard reeds are metal , i don't really like this as we all know what can happen if one was to snap off and be ingested by the engine. One of the pics shows the metal reeds and a carbon fibre replacement for it which is commonly available via FeeBay , just look up MiniMoto 49cc reeds and you will find that's what has been used on the RCGF62 and you can buy the carbon reeds real cheap!
As i said in the previous post i made , i am using the DL50 reeds because most of my 50cc - 60cc engines have been converted to this design so i don't have to carry a large variety of spares , plus i can get them cheap from the Australian DL dealer.
Will post more pics and perhaps some vid of the Christen Eagle with the RCGF62 in it , hopefully will get to fly it this weekend.
Cheers , Leon.