LetTheLeadOut Posted May 9, 2023 Report Share Posted May 9, 2023 (edited) I'm a newbie looking to buy an M20F and found a 68 M20G that almost does the job. It was converted to an IO 360 from an early J and has a nice J model cowling to match the engine. My question, is it possible to get a field 337 or some other magic trick to Increase the gross weight / useful load of this bird to the F specification? The empty weight is 209# over the original specs with all the upgrades turning it into a 2 place plus baggage machine for my family of 4. I really like the Johnson bar landing gear and hydraulic flaps. Edited May 9, 2023 by LetTheLeadOut Typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah20Gflyer Posted May 9, 2023 Report Share Posted May 9, 2023 I don’t think you can do a gross weight increase without a substantial amount of work. I think you would have to get an STC issued by the FAA with all the associated documentation and possibly flight testing. The biggest downside to a G is the gross weight is 50lbs less than a C model. As a G owner I wouldn’t have ever considered something that would substantially increase the weight, in fact I have very consciously tried to reduce the weight of my aircraft at every opportunity. I’d be interested in knowing what kind of speed it’s getting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kortopates Posted May 9, 2023 Report Share Posted May 9, 2023 You’re much better off to keeping looking for an earlier F model. They’re certainly more common than the G.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko182 Posted May 10, 2023 Report Share Posted May 10, 2023 (edited) 9 hours ago, LetTheLeadOut said: I'm a newbie looking to buy an M20F and found a 68 M20G that almost does the job. It was converted to an IO 360 from an early J and has a nice J model cowling to match the engine. My question, is it possible to get a field 337 or some other magic trick to Increase the gross weight / useful load of this bird to the F specification? The empty weight is 209# over the original specs with all the upgrades turning it into a 2 place plus baggage machine for my family of 4. I really like the Johnson bar landing gear and hydraulic flaps. buying a G model with an IO360 and paying for a gross weight increase will cover a nice 252 K model with a lot of fuel. Edited May 10, 2023 by Niko182 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCarlton Posted June 23, 2023 Report Share Posted June 23, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 7:56 AM, LetTheLeadOut said: I'm a newbie looking to buy an M20F and found a 68 M20G that almost does the job. It was converted to an IO 360 from an early J and has a nice J model cowling to match the engine. My question, is it possible to get a field 337 or some other magic trick to Increase the gross weight / useful load of this bird to the F specification? The empty weight is 209# over the original specs with all the upgrades turning it into a 2 place plus baggage machine for my family of 4. I really like the Johnson bar landing gear and hydraulic flaps. Where are you located? I'm starting to toy with the idea of selling my '67F in the fall. Should know more in the next couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetTheLeadOut Posted June 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2023 On 6/23/2023 at 12:20 PM, DCarlton said: Where are you located? I'm starting to toy with the idea of selling my '67F in the fall. Should know more in the next couple of months. I'm near KLGB PM also sent, interested and still looking for the right plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M20F-1968 Posted June 30, 2023 Report Share Posted June 30, 2023 You might check with the factory. The G may have the same structure as the F already, but not the same documentation. It may not be kile the upgrade in Useful load in the leter J's which had the steel change alteration installed to support the increase in useful load. The G and F were made during the same model years and along side each other. I doubt there are diifferent. Just a guess and suspicion. You will need to verify it with Mooney Engineering. John Breda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammdo Posted June 30, 2023 Report Share Posted June 30, 2023 64 vs 52 gallons I think F vs G… -Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetTheLeadOut Posted July 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 2:31 PM, Utah20Gflyer said: I’d be interested in knowing what kind of speed it’s getting. Several of his track logs showed level cruise speeds averaging over 157 kts with all his speed mods. Pretty impressive in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traumamed Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 (edited) I am resurrecting this thread to see if anyone knows if the subject aircraft of this thread happened to be N3293F? I have been thrust back into the market sooner than I planned after having a nose gear extension failure in my Arrow. Airframe damage was essentially nil aside from the lower cowl, so I fully expected my insurance to repair. However, their position is that the mechanical damage is too much $$$ due to the prop strike, so they totaled it and cut me a check. This happened on its second flight after completely overhauling the avionics, of course. Anyway, I have been browsing what is out there, and N3293F landed in my search results on Controller. It appears from the ad to be well cared for, and has the 200hp IO-360 conversion, along with 64-gal tanks. The whole M20G and useful load thing does have me concerned though. I could make due with it, but it seems like a $140K price tag is on the high side if that useful load limitation is for real. Thoughts? Are M20Gs with 200hp conversions to be avoided? Edited to add link to listing: https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/228767907/1968-mooney-m20g-piston-single-aircraft Edited February 22 by traumamed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammdo Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 For that money - looking at J/Ks make more sense - I’d shop around - you loose useful load on the G… if it didn’t get a useful load update with the conversion, it’s still a G… -Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolter Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 34 minutes ago, hammdo said: For that money - looking at J/Ks make more sense - I’d shop around - you loose useful load on the G… if it didn’t get a useful load update with the conversion, it’s still a G… -Don Based on the numbers in the ad, I think it is still a G gross at ~2525 lb instead of 2740 lb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traumamed Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 2 hours ago, hammdo said: For that money - looking at J/Ks make more sense - I’d shop around - you loose useful load on the G… if it didn’t get a useful load update with the conversion, it’s still a G… -Don Thanks for the quick answers guys. That was kind of my thought. I got sucked in by the pretty avionics. I'll be totally honest though, I would rather not fly at all than go backwards on my panel. Can Js or Ks be had for sub-140K with at least glass AI/HSI, a current-gen GPS/nav/com, and a coupled, minimum two-axis, (preferably digital) autopilot? And a not totally run-out engine? I fly enough IFR that I consider it a safety thing, not a convenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LANCECASPER Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 10 hours ago, traumamed said: I am resurrecting this thread to see if anyone knows if the subject aircraft of this thread happened to be N3293F? I have been thrust back into the market sooner than I planned after having a nose gear extension failure in my Arrow. Airframe damage was essentially nil aside from the lower cowl, so I fully expected my insurance to repair. However, their position is that the mechanical damage is too much $$$ due to the prop strike, so they totaled it and cut me a check. This happened on its second flight after completely overhauling the avionics, of course. Anyway, I have been browsing what is out there, and N3293F landed in my search results on Controller. It appears from the ad to be well cared for, and has the 200hp IO-360 conversion, along with 64-gal tanks. The whole M20G and useful load thing does have me concerned though. I could make due with it, but it seems like a $140K price tag is on the high side if that useful load limitation is for real. Thoughts? Are M20Gs with 200hp conversions to be avoided? Edited to add link to listing: https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/228767907/1968-mooney-m20g-piston-single-aircraft That would be the most expensive G ever sold by a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragsf15e Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 9 hours ago, traumamed said: Thanks for the quick answers guys. That was kind of my thought. I got sucked in by the pretty avionics. I'll be totally honest though, I would rather not fly at all than go backwards on my panel. Can Js or Ks be had for sub-140K with at least glass AI/HSI, a current-gen GPS/nav/com, and a coupled, minimum two-axis, (preferably digital) autopilot? And a not totally run-out engine? I fly enough IFR that I consider it a safety thing, not a convenience. Unlikely that you find a nicely equipped j/k that low. Id look at E, F and C depending on your needs. Should be able to get one with really nice avionics and reasonable engine time for your budget. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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