| Maule Information |
I bought my first Maul in 1995. It was an 1970 M-4 220 with original Razorback cover and mid time engine. I
decided I would recover it with the Poly Fiber process and have it ready to go the next spring. Two and a half
years later I finally got it in the air! First bit of advice. Don't buy a project because you think you will save
money or with the idea of making money when you sell it. Do a project if you enjoy working on airplanes. If you
want to fly. Pay a bit more, find a good sound airframe and engine, put gas in it and go flying.
So far I've owned the M-4 220, an M-5 235 that I modified to an M-6, and an MX7 160. All started out as
projects. All took longer than I thought they would to complete. In the process I've gained some experience about
used Maules and what to look for when buying. I've seen a lot of people buy a cheep airplane only to find out in a
couple of years they can't afford to maintain it in good airworthy condition. So they lose interest and sell the
airplane. Second bit of advice. It takes money to own and maintain an airplane. Be prepared for unexpected
expenses and know they are part of owning an airplane.
This seems to happen most often with engine related issues. Most of the problems can be traced back to the
engine setting around for years at a time with low usage. I'd rather buy an engine that had 1500 hrs. put on it in
the last 5 years than one that is 20 years old and only has 500 hrs. total time. When I bought the MX7-160 it had
300 hrs since overhaul, 50 hrs since tear down and inspection for prop strike, but had set 2 years without flying.
We did a annual inspection. It had great compression, low oil consumption and ran great for 80 hours. Then I
started noticing higher oil use. To make a long story short I ended up tearing the engine down, replacing the cam
and lifters, polishing the crank and honing the cylinders. The lifter faces were starting to deteriorate and little
flakes of metal were floating around in the oil grinding away on all the other engine surfaces. I had changed the
oil and cut the filter open three times and never found a thing to worry about. I'm sure if I had run it another 50
hours I would have needed a major over haul. Low engine usage equals rust equals problems.
As time goes on I will add to this rambling narrative. For information on specific topics click the links below.
Westernization Kit Extended Baggage
decided I would recover it with the Poly Fiber process and have it ready to go the next spring. Two and a half
years later I finally got it in the air! First bit of advice. Don't buy a project because you think you will save
money or with the idea of making money when you sell it. Do a project if you enjoy working on airplanes. If you
want to fly. Pay a bit more, find a good sound airframe and engine, put gas in it and go flying.
So far I've owned the M-4 220, an M-5 235 that I modified to an M-6, and an MX7 160. All started out as
projects. All took longer than I thought they would to complete. In the process I've gained some experience about
used Maules and what to look for when buying. I've seen a lot of people buy a cheep airplane only to find out in a
couple of years they can't afford to maintain it in good airworthy condition. So they lose interest and sell the
airplane. Second bit of advice. It takes money to own and maintain an airplane. Be prepared for unexpected
expenses and know they are part of owning an airplane.
This seems to happen most often with engine related issues. Most of the problems can be traced back to the
engine setting around for years at a time with low usage. I'd rather buy an engine that had 1500 hrs. put on it in
the last 5 years than one that is 20 years old and only has 500 hrs. total time. When I bought the MX7-160 it had
300 hrs since overhaul, 50 hrs since tear down and inspection for prop strike, but had set 2 years without flying.
We did a annual inspection. It had great compression, low oil consumption and ran great for 80 hours. Then I
started noticing higher oil use. To make a long story short I ended up tearing the engine down, replacing the cam
and lifters, polishing the crank and honing the cylinders. The lifter faces were starting to deteriorate and little
flakes of metal were floating around in the oil grinding away on all the other engine surfaces. I had changed the
oil and cut the filter open three times and never found a thing to worry about. I'm sure if I had run it another 50
hours I would have needed a major over haul. Low engine usage equals rust equals problems.
As time goes on I will add to this rambling narrative. For information on specific topics click the links below.
Westernization Kit Extended Baggage
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