Tension on nose wheel

[PeteP]

The fork assembly (WD630-1) and spacers (U-623-1) are adding excess load to the bearing set on my nose gear. It is so tight that the nose wheel is difficult to turn even without the nut on the axel bolt.

Is it OK to spread the arms of the fork a little? If so what is a good way to spread the arms?

Pete
RV-9A

[frazitl]

by bending or using narrower spacers, consider this:

http://www.matcomfg.com/AXLEASSEMBLY...dv-3657-1.html

I have one and it does almost the same thing as the grove nose wheel axle setup except it's cheaper. The standard seals in the standard bearings still drag some, but you can carefully cut one of the seal lips out to reduce that drag.

Another option is the sealed ball bearing mod by anti-splat-aero. Lots of discussion via the search function.

[gasman]

Originally Posted by PeteP

The fork assembly (WD630-1) and spacers (U-623-1) are adding excess load to the bearing set on my nose gear. It is so tight that the nose wheel is difficult to turn even with the nut on the axel bolt.

Is it OK to spread the arms of the fork a little? If so what is a good way to spread the arms?

Pete
RV-9A

A porta-power will do it. Most welding shops will have one.

[rvbuilder2002]

I suggest you check with someone at Vans before jacking/spreading the fork... I believe their are instances of forks cracking as a result of people doing this.

[flyboy1963]

before you start hitting it with a big hammer, have a beer, sit and look at it a while etc.
'hard to turn' with your hand, is not nearly the same force as a 1700 lb aircraft rolling along.
or
have you actually tightened the tapered bearings real snug, turned the wheel a bit, then loosened the nut off? you might find you 'create' more free play that way.
or
once you've taxied the thing a few miles, have a close look. you may find the rubber seals have scuffed a flat spot, and the normal runout of the wheel assembly has loosened things up.
if not, ok, go get a big hammer.
I am also a user of the Grove spacer, which eliminates some of the putzing around trying to get the bearing crush correct.
just my $.02

[MauiLvrs]

Originally Posted by flyboy1963

before you start hitting it with a big hammer, have a beer, sit and look at it a while etc.
'hard to turn' with your hand, is not nearly the same force as a 1700 lb aircraft rolling along.

The indicate that will be a noticeable amount of drag...
One think that it does is keep the shimmies down...

[BSwayze]

Originally Posted by frazitl

by bending or using narrower spacers, consider this:
Another option is the sealed ball bearing mod by anti-splat-aero. Lots of discussion via the search function.

Terry mentioned this modification by Anti-Splat Aero. I sent my nose wheel in to them for this mod, and I am very happy that I did! Before you do anything else, take a few minutes and watch this YouTube video clip, explaining the mod and how it is done. If you're like me, you won't hesitate to go this route:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpfazTrtbyY

The turnaround time was very fast. Good service. When I mounted up my nosewheel and torqued the axle bolt down real good, I can grab the wheel and spin it with my fingers. It's now frictionless. It spins, and spins, and spins, completely freely.

Here's another video clip, showing before-and-after views of the nosewheel and gear leg, during actual landings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0kHXOIop5Y

[AF_Alan]

I recently mounted my Nose Wheel and was also worried about the 'reluctance' of the wheel to turn. I thought it was the fork pressure but took a closer look at what parts were/not moving when turned. Seal should not turn with the wheel.

After reading many of the forum posts on this, I carefully trimmed part of the rubber dust seal (inner side only) and greased the seal heavily as per the instructions. Effort required to turn the wheel was much less after.

Before investing in more whiz bang bearings, contract milling, or bending of the forks, I recommend the DIY corrections to the stock parts. Only thing you'd lose is a bit of time...but less than any other mod.

Good luck!

Alan

[Sunriver Ken]

I know it is one more thing to spend money on but the anti-splat nose wheel modification is very nice. The ease of rotation is amazing and I will never have to grease the beaarings......NICE!

I did not have any problems that I know of with the stock set-up (425 flying hours) but I do like the plane more with the wheel mod.