Cherokee 140 empty weight

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RonP

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Last annual I had the weight and balance done on my 1969 Cherokee 140 and was wondering what weight other 140's tip the scales at. It came in at 1,386 pounds under the following conditions:

- fuel tanks empty
- 7 quarts of oil in the engine
- everything not bolted to the airframe removed (nothing in the luggage area and nothing behind the back seat)
- one nav/com
- one transponder
- rear seat installed
- wheel pants installed
- seat belts only, no shoulder harnesses
- VFR only so minimal instruments (does have 3 gyro instruments: AI, DG and turn coordinator)
- very old tablet size GPS in the dashboard installed
- no mods to the wingtips or elsewhere
- battery installed
- new paint 8 years ago
- no wingtip strobes

Would like to know how it compares to other 140's. Thanks
 
My old '77 was one of the last -140s made. It was stock, with rear seats and wheel fairings, and loaded with 1977 state-of-the-art (read: heavy) avionics. It had the vent fan but no air conditioner. Empty weight was 1420 lb.

If installed, A/C added about 60 pounds, I think.

 
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Not that they are heavy, but you should weigh with the owner's manual and FAA approved AFM aboard. Also, any required supplements.
 
I had my '66 weighed this past summer: 1338. That's with dual nav coms, in-dash gps, 6 pack, EGT, ipad mount (but no ipad), a few normal things in the glove box like manual etc, shoulder harnesses, powerflow, rear seats, wheel pants, gap seals, and wingtips. At 1338, I thought mine was heavy!
I had my mechanic make up 3 more w&b's, for without wheel pants (winter flying) and without rear seats (for hauling larger items) and combinations of the two. Without rear seats and wheel pants, I'm at 1307.
 
Thanks for the replies. Guess my 140 is just about right. The old adds call the 140 a "4 person" airplane but with little legroom in the back seat and 2,150 pound max weight it is better suited to 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults with the shortest in the back seat. I have taken 2 average size adults plus me with 40 gallons in the tanks and within W&B. With 4 average sized people (about 175/ea) I would have just enough fuel (10 gallons) to do the pattern once and glide in!

However with just my wife and I the 140 serves our purposes well with a roomy cockpit, low fuel burn compared to its bigger siblings, lots of fuel for distance (50 gallons) and good baggage carrying capabilities for 2.

Just wondering, anyone ever cram 4 adults into their 140? How much fuel did you carry?

Thanks again
 
RonP said:
Thanks for the replies. Guess my 140 is just about right. The old adds call the 140 a "4 person" airplane but with little legroom in the back seat and 2,150 pound max weight it is better suited to 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults with the shortest in the back seat. I have taken 2 average size adults plus me with 40 gallons in the tanks and within W&B. With 4 average sized people (about 175/ea) I would have just enough fuel (10 gallons) to do the pattern once and glide in!

However with just my wife and I the 140 serves our purposes well with a roomy cockpit, low fuel burn compared to its bigger siblings, lots of fuel for distance (50 gallons) and good baggage carrying capabilities for 2.

Just wondering, anyone ever cram 4 adults into their 140? How much fuel did you carry?

Thanks again
Click to expand...
The most I ever did was my girlfriend and I up front (adding 15lbs for clothes/coats/headsets, girlfriend's purse, etc which put us at about 400) with her two kids in the back, ages 8 and 13...her kids are large for their age, and their combined weight was 195 with similar above-mentioned add-ons. With 36 gallons fuel that put me right at 2150. When we did it, I told her not to get used to it, because I knew that those growing boys would mean it could not be repeated.
I really don't ever plan to fly with less than 36 gallons fuel on take-off.
 
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Interesting. My '65 Skyhawk (which is the dolled-up 172) weighed in at about the same, 1397 lbs., with Loran, ADF, two nav/coms (one with tubes!), and a million dead spiders. (Gross was 2,300, not fun at gross on hot days with 145 alleged horsepower.)
 
My 1969 Cherokee 140 was 1364lbs without the wheel pants installed.
 
Pilawt said:
My old '77 was one of the last -140s made. It was stock, with rear seats and wheel fairings, and loaded with 1977 state-of-the-art (read: heavy) avionics. It had the vent fan but no air conditioner. Empty weight was 1420 lb.

If installed, A/C added about 60 pounds, I think.

Click to expand...

That's the avionics stack I learned on. There was no (civil) GPS back then...
 
Mooney Fan said:
I have a 1967 Cherokee 140 that comes in at 1309 empty weight.
Click to expand...
Has it been weighed lately? I only ask because my W&B was showing 1308 last year, "calculated" but had not been actually weighed in some time. When I had it actually weighed it "gained" 30 lbs.
 
tawood said:
Has it been weighed lately? I only ask because my W&B was showing 1308 last year, "calculated" but had not been actually weighed in some time. When I had it actually weighed it "gained" 30 lbs.
Click to expand...
Good question. I have only owned it 10 months, the most recent W&B update in 2016 after ADS-B transponder installation, used the 1309 as empty weight. It goes in for annual next month, I may have it weighed for an update. How much time does it take for a shop to perform a W&B?
 
Mooney Fan said:
Good question. I have only owned it 10 months, the most recent W&B update in 2016 after ADS-B transponder installation, used the 1309 as empty weight. It goes in for annual next month, I may have it weighed for an update. How much time does it take for a shop to perform a W&B?
Click to expand...
It only takes an hour or two counting filling out the new W&B. My mechanic did one for me, then he calculated for me several W&B's for the various setups I fly (with/without wheelpants, with/without rear seats).
 
My '65 140 was 1290, according to the 337 after installing the BAS shoulder harness. I suspect it was a bit heavier, though. Might haul 4 adults with every speed mod and that $4k exhaust to free up the engine's HP output. Then you'll have another $20k in a still slow 140.
 
Raymo said:
My '65 140 was 1290, according to the 337 after installing the BAS shoulder harness. I suspect it was a bit heavier, though. Might haul 4 adults with every speed mod and that $4k exhaust to free up the engine's HP output. Then you'll have another $20k in a still slow 140.
Click to expand...

Which is what the 140 does very well, gets along on 7.5/8 gph . If speed were always the priority, the Cherokee would have never been built
 
The W&B for our 65' claims that she is 1296, we haven't had her weighed though so i'm betting she's actually a bit heavier than that.
 
1,368 with wheel pants, sexy leather interior and my Broom Hilda doll attached to the hat shelf.
 
RonP said:
Last annual I had the weight and balance done on my 1969 Cherokee 140 and was wondering what weight other 140's tip the scales at. It came in at 1,386 pounds under the following conditions:

- fuel tanks empty
- 7 quarts of oil in the engine
- everything not bolted to the airframe removed (nothing in the luggage area and nothing behind the back seat)
- one nav/com
- one transponder
- rear seat installed
- wheel pants installed
- seat belts only, no shoulder harnesses
- VFR only so minimal instruments (does have 3 gyro instruments: AI, DG and turn coordinator)
- very old tablet size GPS in the dashboard installed
- no mods to the wingtips or elsewhere
- battery installed
- new paint 8 years ago
- no wingtip strobes

Would like to know how it compares to other 140's. Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Pilawt said:
My old '77 was one of the last -140s made. It was stock, with rear seats and wheel fairings, and loaded with 1977 state-of-the-art (read: heavy) avionics. It had the vent fan but no air conditioner. Empty weight was 1420 lb.

If installed, A/C added about 60 pounds, I think.

Click to expand...
Any chance you have the weights of each main?
 
I have the W&B info in the airplane. Due to weather have not been there to get the info. Will remember to get it next time there.
 
RonP said:
I have the W&B info in the airplane. Due to weather have not been there to get the info. Will remember to get it next time there.
Click to expand...
I'm interested in the mains, what the spread is.
I think my spread is excessive and am investigating. So far, I've only seen one that was about a 12lb spread - nothing. Thankx, or email at Joe@JoesPiper.com
 
RonP said:
Thanks for the replies. Guess my 140 is just about right. The old adds call the 140 a "4 person" airplane but with little legroom in the back seat and 2,150 pound max weight it is better suited to 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults with the shortest in the back seat. I have taken 2 average size adults plus me with 40 gallons in the tanks and within W&B. With 4 average sized people (about 175/ea) I would have just enough fuel (10 gallons) to do the pattern once and glide in!

However with just my wife and I the 140 serves our purposes well with a roomy cockpit, low fuel burn compared to its bigger siblings, lots of fuel for distance (50 gallons) and good baggage carrying capabilities for 2.

Just wondering, anyone ever cram 4 adults into their 140? How much fuel did you carry?

Thanks again
Click to expand...
I think you need a 235/Dakota to carry 4 people and go anywhere
 
JoesPiper said:
I'm interested in the mains, what the spread is.
I think my spread is excessive and am investigating. So far, I've only seen one that was about a 12lb spread - nothing. Thankx, or email at Joe@JoesPiper.com
Click to expand...

Spread meaning between the mains? Slightly heavier on the right would be normal. You have a beefier wing on that side because of the wing walk and the battery is mounted behind the right rear passenger seat.
 
To Joespiper........

Sorry for the delay, here are the weight numbers on my 1969 Cherokee 140:

Nose: 444
L main: 467
R main: 475
Total: 1,386

Arm: 85.9

Moment: 119057.4
 
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