Large High Power Launch Pads

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cwbullet

cwbullet

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I am looking for design ideas for large launch pads that can handle 60 pounds and larger. Anyone have one to share?

Chuck
 
the Rockwell Jawstand works great. There are multiple threads on it here .
 
MDRA has had nearly maintenance free service from pads made by Ron's Pads. They are heavy duty and made to last. Unfortunately, I think Ron quit making them a few years ago. There are pics on the MDRA website. Someone may have contact info for him.
 
nh4clo4 said:
https://www.jcrocket.com/prorailbase.shtml

SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda (Gus) has made a high power pad based on that design and it is very sturdy. Maybe he will chime in as well.
Click to expand...

:Dui! *We are here!*

Chuck, several years ago i looked at John's website and, really liked what i saw...I took all the dimensions and, upscaled the lengths by 50% and, went with 3" X 2" rectangular tubing.
Other modifications were:
1. All tubing boxed for strength ( I know overkill).
2. Foot pads made for all three corners, allowing easy adjustment of angle.
3. Safety stop built in to keep arm from over extending backwards.
4. Removable Blast Plate made from approx. 1/8" thick Stainless Steel.
5. Launch arm has a 10/10 rail and, adapters avail. to be bolted onto other side of arm...not visible in photo. Currently has the 15/15 rail mounted to its side in photo.
6. All seams Tig welded.

Plus's: Light weight, folds up and, stores in Pickup truck very well. Cleans up well with Brillo or Scotchbrite pads...then gets a coat or two of PTFE spray for storage.

Minus's: Material cost, machining, welding expenses...etc.

The ONLY two things i would change would be to have the Blast Deflector mount a little higher up and, angled on a 45 degree slant, plus lengthen the swing arm to keep the rail whip (with some motors) from starting to become an issue. Otherwise i would have too say that it has survived MANY vertical assaults by Manny, Dennis Watkins and, myself over the years. It is something i am VERY proud of...

Hope this helps or gives you some ideas to achieve your goal!;) (And, thanks John Coker for the *base* inspiration!)

View attachment 171312

View attachment 171313

View attachment 171314

View attachment 171317

View attachment 171315

View attachment 171316
 
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SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda said:
......The ONLY two things i would change would be to have the Blast Deflector mount a little higher up and, angled on a 45 degree slant, plus lengthen the swing arm to keep the rail whip (with some motors) from starting to become an issue. Otherwise i would have too say that it has survived MANY vertical assaults by Manny, Dennis Watkins and, myself over the years. It is something i am VERY proud of...
Click to expand...
John's basic design is very scalable. Your example is very well done.

You could accomplish what you would like to change simply by sliding the rail back a foot or so and mounting a 45 degree blast deflector directly to the rail. This defects the exhaust away from the base parallel to the ground. It also prevents the rocket from slipping too far down the rail.

Bob
 
Ok, only three things i would like to change...

3. A magical button to push that allows the stand to go fully upright in a reasonable amount of time without *winging* the soon to be flown victim too hard.

You only get ONE back and, somedays it reminds me...it's back there.:rolleyes:
 
cwbullet said:
I have looked at their pads. I own one. I would like to build one that fold sup like John Coker: https://www.vernk.com/LaunchPads.htm.

Chuck
Click to expand...


I checked out the pads you linked. One thing, I see pads with blast plate and pads with blast deflector. What I don't understand is why a pad with both a blast plate and a blast deflector? It would seem that the blast deflector makes the blast plate moot or vice versa. Is there a reason for both? Edit: I just read that he used the deflector as a rail stop.

I own one of the old Quad Pods and the blast plate has never been a negative. Of course, I have used this pad for rockets up to 15 pounds and nothing over a K motor.
 
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SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda said:
Ok, only three things i would like to change...

3. A magical button to push that allows the stand to go fully upright in a reasonable amount of time without *winging* the soon to be flown victim too hard.

You only get ONE back and, somedays it reminds me...it's back there.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
https://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?limit=60&q=Winches The $80 2500 lb remote control winches will work fine after you read the comments and use it properly.

I would recommend dropping the rail down a bit and attaching a block and tackle mechanical advantage system to it if you want to keep the amps down and slow the lift a bit.

Bob
 
Bob, Thanks for the advice there.:D

At the request of good friend "pondman" i have included some new photos and, line drawings...(Because some of us do not know how to draw in CAD) of the Stand to show others how i upscaled John's design.

First up are some basic shots of the frame showing more of the weld details.

View attachment 171846
View attachment 171847

A photo of the Legs.

View attachment 171851

Next, are the line drawings...

View attachment 171849
View attachment 171848

Last but, not least is how my 80/20 15/15 Rail Brackets are done, along with my Blacksky 10/10 setup...
The Rail Swing Arm is drilled on each side to only except one style. I've found it too be a good practice NOT to have both rails on at the same time so that if someone is lowering the Arm...That they DO NOT let it drop causing the underside rail to *KONK* the support leg. A simple rubber pad may do the trick to lessen damage but, i did not incorporate it into the design.

View attachment 171850

Some things too note: If you do have a good CAD program, (and, would ever want to duplicate it) please double check my measurements as i may be slightly off on both the Swing Arm and, Leg holes...When the Legs are bolted in, the stand sits on supports that are a true 120 degrees from each other. Obviously i have inserts in the Legs and, Frame because 1/8" thick Aluminum is not thick enough for threading. Size of threaded rod and, inserts left up to builder...
I did not include the Safety Stopper in the frame drawing but, it is good to have in case you over extend the Swing Arm with a rocket on it.

This Stand is about 6 years old now and, has had some SERIOUS power thump off of it...Including a few tremendous CATO's (Manny). It's still holding up very well. It has been "Sooted" to the point of no recognition and, regularly gets a good scuffing with a brillo pad and, a recoat of PB Blaster PTFE spray (commonly found at Home Depot).

It's not uncommon to be asked to bring it to our launches by fellow rocketeers who like it more than i do...Cheap to build? No it wasn't...
Could i make a profit selling it? No...

But, i'm pretty proud of it.;)
 
Gus, if it rains while I am at the beach, I'll get these drawn up and get you copies. Otherwise, it will have to wait for my next trip to Germany, China, Iowa City, or wherever else they decide to send me. :wink:
 
SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda said:
Bob, Thanks for the advice there.:D

At the request of good friend "pondman" i have included some new photos and, line drawings...(Because some of us do not know how to draw in CAD) of the Stand to show others how i upscaled John's design.

First up are some basic shots of the frame showing more of the weld details.

View attachment 171846
View attachment 171847

A photo of the Legs.

View attachment 171851

Next, are the line drawings...

View attachment 171849
View attachment 171848

Last but, not least is how my 80/20 15/15 Rail Brackets are done, along with my Blacksky 10/10 setup...
The Rail Swing Arm is drilled on each side to only except one style. I've found it too be a good practice NOT to have both rails on at the same time so that if someone is lowering the Arm...That they DO NOT let it drop causing the underside rail to *KONK* the support leg. A simple rubber pad may do the trick to lessen damage but, i did not incorporate it into the design.

View attachment 171850

Some things too note: If you do have a good CAD program, (and, would ever want to duplicate it) please double check my measurements as i may be slightly off on both the Swing Arm and, Leg holes...When the Legs are bolted in, the stand sits on supports that are a true 120 degrees from each other. Obviously i have inserts in the Legs and, Frame because 1/8" thick Aluminum is not thick enough for threading. Size of threaded rod and, inserts left up to builder...
I did not include the Safety Stopper in the frame drawing but, it is good to have in case you over extend the Swing Arm with a rocket on it.

This Stand is about 6 years old now and, has had some SERIOUS power thump off of it...Including a few tremendous CATO's (Manny). It's still holding up very well. It has been "Sooted" to the point of no recognition and, regularly gets a good scuffing with a brillo pad and, a recoat of PB Blaster PTFE spray (commonly found at Home Depot).

It's not uncommon to be asked to bring it to our launches by fellow rocketeers who like it more than i do...Cheap to build? No it wasn't...
Could i make a profit selling it? No...

But, i'm pretty proud of it.;)
Click to expand...
You should be very proud of it, especially after it survived a Manny CATO.....:smile:

I've been recommending this type of design for larger clubs for the bulk of their Class 2 rocket flights that are too large for tripod type launch pads, and yours is a very robust implementation. What's the largest, heaviest, highest thrust and highest impulse rockets you have launched from this pad?

Bob
 
bobkrech said:
You should be very proud of it, especially after it survived a Manny CATO.....:smile:

I've been recommending this type of design for larger clubs for the bulk of their Class 2 rocket flights that are too large for tripod type launch pads, and yours is a very robust implementation. What's the largest, heaviest, highest thrust and highest impulse rockets you have launched from this pad?

Bob
Click to expand...

Bob, to start off on the smaller range...A boatload of 4"-6" dia. N-10,000 powered Rockets.
On the higher side probably 6"-8" dia. Rockets using up to 22,000ns and, weighing up to 80lbs. would be a fair *Gustimate*
It's never failed too impress in that range although, I'm thinking some sandbags on the leg ends may be a good thought for over 100lb'urs? Maybe in the future....limited to the 15/15 rail currently.
Some Unistrut could fix that REAL quick though!;)
 
I did a quick calculation and estimate the pad itself weighs ~60 pound plus the weight of the rail! That would be ~66 pounds with a 12' 1010 rail or ~76 pounds with a 12' 1515 rail. So your launching ~80 pound rockets with 22 KNs motors from a ~80 pound pad without sandbags or turf bolts. That's amazing.

A steel pad that size would handle a rocket of ~200 pound but would weigh about ~200 pounds and would not be easy to set up. When a pad weighs ~60 pounds, one person can set it up, attach the rail, load a rocket and raise the rocket to vertical. It would be a lot of work, but that would be impossible for a single person with a steel pad unless it had a power winch or hydraulics.

Bob
 
P1010686.jpgheres a pic of my High Power pad its a 15 x 15 1/2 inch steel plate I have an adapter for 10-10 and 15-15 rail and it will hold from a 1/4 inch rod to a 1inch rod also I pull the pivot pin and my 20 ft radio tower rail adapts on to it P1010686.jpg its handled over 400 lbs of rockets and up to a P motor its got a low center of gravity so loading and uprighting rockets isn't that difficult
 

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bobkrech said:
I did a quick calculation and estimate the pad itself weighs ~60 pound plus the weight of the rail! That would be ~66 pounds with a 12' 1010 rail or ~76 pounds with a 12' 1515 rail. So your launching ~80 pound rockets with 22 KNs motors from a ~80 pound pad without sandbags or turf bolts. That's amazing.
Click to expand...

Without ever having weighed the Stand, Bob. I would say you hit it right on the number weight wise...If all the components are there, i can put it together in five minutes tops.:cool:
 
oddmanrockets said:
View attachment 171946heres a pic of my High Power pad its a 15 x 15 1/2 inch steel plate I have an adapter for 10-10 and 15-15 rail and it will hold from a 1/4 inch rod to a 1inch rod also I pull the pivot pin and my 20 ft radio tower rail adapts on to it View attachment 171946 its handled over 400 lbs of rockets and up to a P motor its got a low center of gravity so loading and uprighting rockets isn't that difficult
Click to expand...
Goto ask the stupid question. How to you raise a 20 foot tower hinged at the base with a 400 pound rocket on it without a winch or hydraulics?
SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda said:
Without ever having weighed the Stand, Bob. I would say you hit it right on the number weight wise...If all the components are there, i can put it together in five minutes tops.:cool:
Click to expand...
I just looked at your drawings, figured out the approximate aluminum volume and multiplied it by the density of aluminum...... should be good to < ~10%. It easily breaks down into 4 pieces weighing not more than 20 pound each, and requires a minimal number of bolts for assembly. Since the largest dimension is 60.5" it will fit in just about any pickup or van and almost any hatchback. The one difficult part would be the rail if it was one piece.....but it could be 2 or 3 pieces pinned and joined together...........

Expensive but worth every dollar. (Hopefully you didn't get much of an aluminum sunburn when you welded it....:blush:)

Bob
 
bobkrech said:
Goto ask the stupid question. How to you raise a 20 foot tower hinged at the base with a 400 pound rocket on it without a winch or hydraulics?

Bob
Click to expand...

Hire the Marines...
WW2_Iwo_Jima_flag_raising.jpg


I know that flag doesn't weigh 400 lbs. but I bet those boys could have done the job.

I just got my Fade to Black X-treme launch pad back from the powder coat facility and thought I would share it here.

I'm not suggesting that you could launch a 200 lb. rocket off this pad, but it will support me at that weight with little sag. Staking the legs down would make it even more stable.
Fred doesn't have a webpage, and he apparently is having some trouble keeping these in production:
attachment.php


Here is mine:
007.jpg


His shots don't show much detail, so I got some closeups:
008.jpg


Mine has been modified to accept the 1010 rail directly into the head/blast deflector. It was originally designed to accept a 1" rod that attached to the rail and slid down into the head, but that rod was not included.
Here is more detail in the "down" position:
010.jpg


011.jpg



I thought from the original picture that this pad would have a post to re-enforce the center, but that must be another version in red at the back of his picture. I measured the distance from the cement to the base with nothing on it:

012.jpg


Then I had Sharon take a couple of shots with me loaded on it:
013.jpg


015.jpg


I took these pic's because I know that it won't look like this after a few launches, but I did take it to a launch last month in it's "naked glory" and found it to be very easy to set up and operate. Five minutes to slide the legs in and pin them, then add the rail. Way easier than any other launch pad I have had by a long shot.

After I loaded these pic's to this thread, I noticed that my rail is installed backwards, pretty sure I can get that right next time. :facepalm:
 
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