I am contemplating purchasing a 3 blade hartzell conversion for my 1976 lance. I am mostly concerned about any vibrations (harmonic or other) greater than with the 2 blade. Also I am concerned about cruising speeds. Hartzell is not saying much about the effects on cruise speeds. I would appreciate any comments other owners may have on the conversion and especially on these areas. Sid
A friend installed on on a Cherokee Six 260. It is quite smooth. The higher frequency makes it seem slightly quieter even though it isn't. The difference in speed isn't measurable. I doubt if it is more than one knot slower than with the two blade.
If your two-blade is coming up on overhaul you should check to see if McCauley or Hartzell have a trade-in program to switch from a 2 to 3 blade.
Personally, I wouldn't consider it if you still have a bunch of hours/months left on your existing prop. I would wait until the prop is ready for an overhaul.
I have a 1979 Cherokee 6 300....basically your Lance with fixed gear.
In April I switched from a 2 blade to the Hartzell 3 blade, because I was in a hurry to get my plane up afer my prop got dinged by my FBO, and like you I couldn't find anybody that could attest to the performance impacts on the PA32-300. I have found it to be a good switch.
Noise....3 blade is much quieter, conversations without intercom is possible at 1000-1500 RPM .
Cruise... change has been imperceptable...I was looking for a drop from 150ish Knots, at 24-24, and found I still get 150ish.
Climb is improved....the 300 has enough guts to get up pretty quick with the 2 blade, but I have found a high degree of confidence in the planes ability to expedite climb...fully loaded I can get 1000 ft/min sustained with full prop and 1 notch of flaps a 80-90 knots. Forward speed isn't good, but when I need to go up in a hurry, I can.
Air Brake....on final approaches, pushing he prop full forward slows me 5-10 knots, and if I go missed she is really responsive in climb.
Ground Clearance....the 3 blade gives me an extra 4-6 inches of clearance, which I like because of the minimal flare used to touchdown the six, and I worry less about ground debris.
Cost....a new 3 blade is a couple grand less than an overhauled 2 blade.
The single negative is the added weight forward...I am a big guy and putting an extra 10 lbs up front had an adverse affect on my W&B envelope.
When I got my 3 blade from Hartzell a few years ago (I am very happy with it), I asked them about complaints regarding the harmonics. I was told by one of the sales reps that the only Piper model that they had any complaints about was the Lance and they did not know the reason, but they were working on it. If you have such a problem, it will show up right away. They will take the blades back if you have this issue.
T
I also have a '76 Lance and replaced the 2-blade with the TopProp from Hartzell to get rid of the AD inspection. I echo most of the comments such as better climbrate, less vibration and about the same speed. I did develop a (still unidentified) drone after the 3-blade. Tried a bunch of things on the cowling but never really found the cause. 4 years later, I just got used to it. I like the better ground clearance, too. Overall the best way to go, I think. Heard horrorstories about the McCauley Prop. So I certainly would go with Hartzell. One thing I never understood is the "frumpy" looking spinner (rounded front rather than pointed. Must be the airflow etc. but it sure looks homely compared to the Saratoga.
Horst.
I have two 1977 Piper Lance.Bought two factory new Mc Cauley Sable tip three blades. After 200 man hours of work we just can not get the aircraft to stop shaking or vibrating. On ground just like a Turbine on all RPMīs. After T/O and reducing rpm, it start to shake. My old two blade Hartzell work just fine. We have tried just about everything.
PLEASE HELP
Carl Bondesson Vero Beach Florida. and Varberg Sweden
I had the same problem with a 1980 Turbo Saratoga, 10 years ago and the new owner still has the problem, he tried to even disasembling the engine and the vibration is still there
