Hagermeister

I was comparing the Zenoah 26, Evolution 26GT, and the Brillelli 26cc SS. I want the capability to tow gliders and drop jumpers. What I have gathered is that Zenoah is the cheapist and heaviest but the most used engine I have seen. The Brillelli is the same price as the Zenoah but with great customer service and 10 oz. lighter than the Zenoah. The Evolution is a hundered dollars more than the other two but more powerful and the lightest of them.

I need some good advice for bang for the buck, dependability, and application. Remember this is for a Sig Rascal 110 tow plane and possibly camera plane and NOT a 3D.

I called Sig and they said whatever gas size you want or a Saito 180. I would appreciate real advice on a GAS engine.

Thanks for any recommendations from some Sig Rascal 110 or similar plane owners.

Bob Laine

My Feedback: (91)

I have an Zenoah G 38 on mine. It's a perfect combination. Of course you can't use the cowl on it, but it look's great without it. Bob

rc bugman

My Feedback: (30)

3W-24 or 28. The 24 has the same power as a g-38 and weighs a lot less. You can pick a good one up here on RCU for around $400 with muffler. The 28 is the same engine with 4 more cc and more power.


The 24 is an engine with lots of use in the UAV applications and is a reliable, sweet running engine. At one point, I had 18 of them in my project. Then I needed bigger planes with heavier loads and sold all the engines here on RCU. Some of them are cycling back through for the second time.

Elson

Scott Ellingson

My Feedback: (146)

The Evolution is actually in the middler for weight. The bare engine is 33.6oz. Add the heavy EI thay come with 4+oz, Now add a muffler 6oz, now the rail mounts you need H9 mounts, 6oz. So total true weight 49.6oz or 3.1 lbs. Heavy. Now cost on the 26. Engine $399.99, Muffler 84.99, H9 aluminum mounts $9.99 True total cost 499.97. That is more than a G62! and less than 9oz lighter than a G26 (you need the nose weight) and more than 9oz heavier than the B 26ss. It would ballance allmost perfect with the G26 and save you a ton of cash over the Evo 26. Plus I am willing to bet the EVO 26 does not have much more power than the G26.

Antique

My Feedback: (4)

The converted G26 is the best, the Brillelli 26 is next...For price get the Brillelli, for power get the Zenoah...All you Evolution fans have not checked the converted G26 against the Evolution..I AM prejudiced, I have been converting the G26 since its inception...Why Horizon sells both the Zenoah and Evolution is a mystery to me, they already had the best...
My converted G26s will outdo the Evolution 26 in any category, with any prop...If Horizon would sell the G26 at a more reasonable price there would be no contest there either..I know pretty much what they pay Zenoah for the engines...They could blow all the other 26s away if they chose to..
Atimatik on Ebay sells G62s for $264.95..You think he is losing money ?
I guess almost double wholesale is good business practice
And don't even get me started on the Chinese engines....Now THAT'S profit

Scott Ellingson

My Feedback: (146)

Ralph hit the nail on the head. The G26 on EI would be the best of all. It would be a little heavier than our 26, but it would have more power. Plus you need the nose weight on that plane. Engine is better than lead. The over priced over weight Evo should be at the bottom of any list Maybe Ralph could hook you up with a gently used 26 on EI. The engine would outlast many planes anyway.


Ralph, what do you think about the statement of a 3W 24 doing the same as a G38. I don't think there is a snow balls chance in he** of that happening

Antique

My Feedback: (4)

Actually pretty close, especially using an 18 inch prop...the 3W 24 was a great little engine, the strongest of all the small engines...rcbugman knows all about those...
With a 20 inch prop the G38 comes out on top....
Webra sold a 1.9 many years ago that was the best small engine ever. You could get it either gas or glow...sStill as strong or stronger than anything today... The same cylinder and piston was used by 3W It was piston port.....I think the cylinder and piston came from a Husky engine..One of my friends flies a 38 lb scale plane with one of those...Don't know why they ever quit selling...I still have one here somewhere....

F1race79

My Feedback: (6)

Ralph, are you referring to the engine called a "BULLY"?

There are still a few around. The ignition was the down fall on the gas one.

Bob Laine

My Feedback: (91)

When I recommend the Zenoah, G38 I'm considering the whole package. When you put the servos in the tail for the rudder, the weight comes out perfectly balanced. I have a Rascal 110 that I'm flying right now. Of course if you want a lighter engine, there are any number of engines that will fit what you're asking. As a matter of fact........If you want to use the cowl on the rascal, Get a "JAG" 31. (Ryobi 31). It will fit completely within the cowl and it's as good a the Brillelli and the Zenoah G26. But, you need the weight for balance. Bob

ZAGNUT

My Feedback: (1)

but without prop hub or mount...wonder how much horizon wants for those parts? if horizon's site wasn't such a PITA i might actually check myself...


dave

Bob Laine

My Feedback: (91)

Here is pictures of mine with G38. Bob Laine

Antique

My Feedback: (4)

Hey Julius, come on back to GSR, it's getting big again and we're having a ball...Yup, it was a Bully...Diego still has one on his scale plane...Gene Barton built at least one twin from those...Zagnut...The flat steel plate that comes with the engine from Horizon is no big deal, I have thrown away over 1000 in the last 18 years...Most pilots buy a cup mount from B&B...Hubs on the Horizon website are three different prices, abpiut $25 for the cheapest...no big deal..the Horizon G62s have the newer 2 pipe muffler, the others have the old one that comes on the Red Max 62cc chainsaw...Again no big deal, most pilots use aftermarket mufflers that restrict less..
The engines are otherwise identical, Horizon puts their label on the box...Warranty ?
Yes, Horizon has a warranty...G62s are so good that no warranty is ever needed, I have seen very little wrong in the last 19 years...Or the aftermarket spring starter, you gotta grease it once in a while...
If there WAS a problem it was the phenolic carb rotator block that Horizon came out with, a very bad attempt to copy what I have been doing for 18 years...Mine don't crack and leak, and are only 3/8 thick...
I guess to be fair to Horizon, the redesigned black rotator block mostly works if you get the gasket in the right place, the pulse passage is too wide and very close to the port...

RTK

My Feedback: (1)

Here is a picture of my G26 RCIGN1 conversion

rc bugman

My Feedback: (30)

Ralph,

G-38 vs 3w-24: What kind of 20" prop will the g-38 outperform the 3W-24? As you know, I mostly used the 18" range but I am not convinced that there is much difference in the 20" range either. Are we talking about a 20 x 8? Just curious about an rpm estimate with the G-38 and a 20 x 8.

Elson

Antique

My Feedback: (4)

Not sure that it WOULD outperform a 3W 24...I was comparing it to the G26, I haven't run a 3W 24..
In Phoenix at 1000 feet a good G38 with a non restrictive muffler got about 7000 using a Zinger prop...A G26 won't run that prop that fast, but at 9000 with an 18-6 pulls 17+ lbs..Haven't pull tested a G38...
The 3W 24 is stronger than most of the other small engines, must be the reed valve setup..
The old Webra Bully 1.9 was as strong as the 3W 24, some of the early 3Ws used the same cylinder (Husky) but were piston port...
I have a very good thrust chart from the old Grish Brothers prop company..
The number for the 18-6 @ 9000 is 17 lbs, the number for the G38 turning a 20-8 @ 7000 is 19...the chart exactly agrees with the scale test on the G26, so 19 for the G38 should be really close...The 26 is over a pound lighter than the 38, so it's really quite close if you factor in the weight of the plane...

Sturtz

My Feedback: (20)

What features would one want in a tow-plane ? Plenty of low-end pulling power is a no-brainer. But what about all the other things to look for ? I've thought about building one someday.

rc bugman

My Feedback: (30)

Ralph,

The comparison of a G-38 and a 3w-24 with a 20 x 8 would be close. I never tested Zingers but other brands were in the high 6K rpms with the 24. we all know that prop brand can vary rpms up to 500 rpms. With larger loads, displacement usually has the edge over porting and compression. Ithaca, NY is also about 1000 ft above sea level.

Elson

Antique

My Feedback: (4)

Or more...A G62 with a 22-10 MSC turns 6400, a DynaThrust 22-10 7400, others somewhere in between....

jerryg

I built a 110" Rascal with a Zenoah G38 and was able to use the cowl. I did have to add a one-inch extension in front of the firewall to mount the cowl but it only took a couple of hours and worked out great. I had no trouble balancing it with the G38 --- had to add 4 or 5 ounces to the tail (mounted the rudder servo in the tail rather than pull-pull). I also mounted it on floats and it has plenty of power to perform loops and rolls with this combination. The total weight (set up for land) is 15 lbs. Because I was going to set it up on floats I also made the following changes: beefed up the firewall with two layers of fiberglass, added several access hatches to the bottom of the fuselage, added a hardwood plate for the rear mounts needed for the floats, and reinforced the wing holddown plate as well as the wing strut attachment points in the wings. The total weight on floats is 21 lbs. You can see pictures and videos of it at www.larksrc.com. There is a picture of it on the lower right corner of the home page. Select "Member Videos" from the left menu to see it on floats. There are also still pictures under "Member Photos" for Jerry Gable.

Bob Laine

My Feedback: (91)

Looks like you really had a nice float fly. I mounted my G38 on mine without the "cowl". I just can't stand to butcher the cowl in order to fit the carburetor. I have a set of floats for mine also, but as of now......I haven't installed them. I'm running a 22 X 8 "NX" prop on my Rascal 110, and it will knife edge loop all day. It's really a super flying bird, with only minor coupling problems. Bob Laine

jbarnes

I know the Evo is more expensive than the rest of your alternatives but it has one very key attribute, its narrow. When I have a narrow fuse like the Rascal the Evo fits in it just fine with the cowl. For my own personnel tastes I prefer to use the cowl. I only buy the Evo for narrow applications but I must say its a fine running motor. Just a consideration when selecting your motor for the Rascal. Its a great flying plane, we have several guys in our club with them.

Hagermeister

Thank you all for all the help!! I finally bought the plane and went with a G38 for the price and your recommendations. Now I just need to get it buit and decide on the muffler and prop. Then I want to find or design a sheet metal box for a mid size sky diver/ glider tow/ camera holder for my Exilim.