New nose gear MKll
 

Its been a few years since my last update on the new nose gear for my RV.
As happens life gets in the way and now have found time to continue with the new gear leg.
The strut has been changed to a proper Oleo strut, gone are the internal springs and scissor links. This has resulted in improved ride and is now fully tune able for compression and rebound. I also fitted a larger nose wheel with sealed ball bearings as opposed to the standard tapered bearings.
Steering has improved with no sign of shimmy and turns can still be done with the inner main wheel stationary. Several wheel fork caster angles have been tested and the one fitted has proven so far to be the strongest and most stable.
Next job is to fit a nose wheel fairing from a RV10. ( anyone have a spare or damaged one )
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Mick

Good work
 

Your nose wheel looks really nice. That large wheel should fair better over rougher ground. One of the things that Maule recommends on their nose wheel planes is to cut a small piece of rubber hose and wrap the strut to protect against chips and help prevent bottoming out of the strut. The hose is split and wrapped around the strut and held on with either clamps or in our case, several large tie wraps. Works really well.

Would love to see more pictures of your design and if you are planning on marketing it in the future.

Cj

Two questions;
What is the weight delta?
How much modification is required to the engine mount?

It's really just a personal project/challenge. The wife calls it the stick of steel for some reason.
As for weight, I have yet to weigh it in it's present form. Best guess would be about 5-6lbs heavier than the standard gear, mostly due to the larger wheel. After the silly season I will remove it and weigh it.
There are no mods needed to the engine mount and takes about 10 minutes to fit.
I have written to Santa for a new GoPro so hopefully I will get some video of it in action soon.
Mick

steerable?
 

Do I understand correctly that this is a fully castoring nose wheel and not a steerable nose wheel?

I'm mildly surprised that is enough castor. But great to see you continuing development.

Did you build your own oleo or adapt one from another airplane?

Fully castering steering.
I tested several nose wheel fork caster angles and found most wanted to fall over when turning. It does look deceptive but it has an effective 3degree caster angle.
Mick

Great Job!
 

Keep up the good work and keep us posted on the details

Video
 

Santa dropped off a GoPro and have been able to get some video of the nose gear in action. This is the YouTube link. http://youtu.be/h574vQAQEGg
Mick

Mick,
I think it looked great. I was surprised at how fast you were able to taxi over the grass and rough ground. Nice work.

I am curious about the new set up. Is there any snubbing in rotation?
I am wondering about the rotational wandering I see during turns. It is most clear at :15-:20 seconds. Right after you leave the parking area.