fredbauerjr
Well Known Member
We previously built an RV4 and have finished building our second RV which is a new RV3B, (s/n 11366) and we are proceeding with making it an everyday airworthy aircraft. We have discovered in our aircraft an unacceptable landing gear shimmy that sometimes borders on violent.
We are well aware of shimmy issues that affect some aircraft and yet are not present in others.
We know well and have done some of the, (let me call them "patches") that builders try such as: very low tire air pressure, gear leg stiffeners, balancing tires, balancing wheel pants, out of round tires, etc. etc. etc. in an effort to eliminate gear leg shimmy.
We have a destructive shimmy in our right side gear leg and it is busting up the trailing end of our right wheel pant. Only the right gear leg shimmys, the left gear leg seems to be operating OK. We are at this time adding wood gear leg stiffeners to both of our gear legs but have yet to get this finished and tested.
I don't want to get all the Van's crazy faithfull upset over this post, BUT --------------------- I feel we might have a heat treating or a heat treating quality control problem with our gear legs.
That is why, I believe, some gear legs work and others do not.
Has anyone ever taken their gear legs and had the heat treatment checked to see if BOTH gear legs had the SAME heat treatment? or to see what the heat treatment was? or to heat treat them to a harder treatment?
Does anyone know if the Harmon Rocket with titanium gear legs suffers from the shimmy we are experiencing?
Thoughts anyone?