Actually it's very simple. Weight prop blades individually and add like weights opposite of ea. blade. or closest as possible. Or just slap em on without weighing em end result is the same. Once blades are on the backplate, put setup in a balancer and blow/spin prop in forward thrust direction. If the same blade constantly keeps dropping to the bottom this is the heavy balde. You can tell once it starts to slow down that a heavy blade reaches the 12 o'clock position it will quickly drop to the bottom and rock back and forth, this signifies heavy blade is the bottom blade. Add tape, glue, ca, etc. to the bottom outer edge of the backplate opposite the heavy blade. Keep doing this until the prop spins freely and doesn't land with the same blade on the bottom. Add spinner and valance again in the same matter 95% of time it will stay balanced. However incase ot doesn't balance and you do have to rebalance mark a line that intersects on the bckplate and spinner so that when/if you remove the spinner it is reattached to the balanced position. Wheeeew! Gotta catch my breath 4th I had to explain this process in the past wk. Hope it helps and hope u guys understand as ita hard to explain via txt.

Me three. Also do you have a recommendation on what balancer to get.

Dubro prop balancer, I've had 2 different HK balancers and the dubro is tops, easy, and true.

It doesn't actually matter to balance without the spinner on because balanced is balanced. That's how it will be put on the plane. You can also sand the back of the heavy blade, you won't be removing enough to affect the airfoil

And to clarify when I was asking before, when I said spinner I meant the cone and backplate.

True it doesn't actually matter, but it's a more precise balance individually balancing ea. separately. Just like weighting the blades doesn't need to be done but it give a more presice balance with less need to add weight to a particular side. So either way will work.

Thanks v8 I cut and pasted your comments in a word doc so I can refer to them. Never balanced any of these 1700's before. Are you finding all of them need balancing out of the box?

Mine didn't really need balancing out the box when I bought my plane. However as I have broken or scuffed blades it has needed rebalancing. Especially my last batch of blades were heavier than the current blades on my plane, but I balance regardless.

srt8madness, You asked.

"Why not just take the backplate and blades off the prop shaft and set the whole assy on the floorboard or something? Its only one screw and one bolts, easy with pliers, faster than taking off blades."

That's what I do. I just remove the whole assembly. It doesn't take long at all to do. I never said anything about taking the blades off the back plate.

The way I balance my prop assembly is this.

I weigh each blade. usually they are real close to each other. Most I have found to be only a couple of 1/10g apart from each other. However I have found a couple blades to be up to 2g off from the other blades. One of those will throw the whole assembly way off balance.

Most times I have sanded the heavier blades to mach the others. Way back in the past I used tape on the less heavy blades. However I can't stand seeing tape on the back of the prop. I also had tape come off my PZ P-47 two blade prop a couple winters ago on a real cold day & nosing over in the snow. Yep, a p-47 on skis!

If on a 4 bladed assy 2 blades mach & the other two mach but a diff weight then the first two I assemble the blades so the same weight blades appose each other on the hub or back plate. No need to sand two of the blades to mach the other two.

Oh, I don't try balancing the whole 4 or 3 blade assemby attached to the back plate. I balance the back plate by itself. It's to heavy for my magnetic Top Flite Balancer.

Hello P51 Fans.... question for those of you that recently purchased this bird from Banana Hobby........ are they shipping with V2 retracts and V2 struts yet? I assume not since Banana most likely has many first shipment units to sell. Figured I would ask the TEAM.

Ya that's why I don't add tape to blade itself, cuz the tape could depart. If adding tape always add it to the bottom of the outer rim of the backplate. That way the tape is forced against the rim with the rotation and centrifugal force of the plate and will never fly off.

K,

I have no idea. Think someone may have mentioned v2 retracts with his plane from BH, not struts. Sorry .

Originally Posted by v8truckin

K,

I have no idea. Think someone may have mentioned v2 retracts with his plane from BH, not struts. Sorry .

Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by kydawg1

Hello P51 Fans.... question for those of you that recently purchased this bird from Banana Hobby........ are they shipping with V2 retracts and V2 struts yet? I assume not since Banana most likely has many first shipment units to sell. Figured I would ask the TEAM.

i bought mine a few weeks ago and got v1 with Ferocious Frankie