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RV-8 jack

yarddart

Well Known Member
Is there a good way to jack just one side to change tire other than lifting at engine mount? I hear wing jacks can be kind of tricky. :confused:
 
Call Alex DeDominicis

Give Alex D a call or check out his Aviation Tech Products. He has a really cool jack that will safely lift a 8 or a 8a. Alex is a great guy to work with give his website a look.
All the Best
 
Wing Jack

Nothing tricky. Just screw in a jack point and pump the hydraulic cylinder. Just don't leave the plane on it for a week or so.
 
jack up

Use a long socket and insert it into the back side of the axle. I assume that you drilled the hole into the bracket that holds the wheel pants.This was suggested in the building manual.
All you need now is your car jack that will fit underneath and pump it up.
It is very stable and should cost you nothing.This works only on flat gear legs.
There are good wing jacks available for several hundred dollars.
 
N427EF said:
Use a long socket and insert it into the back side of the axle. I assume that you drilled the hole into the bracket that holds the wheel pants.This was suggested in the building manual.
All you need now is your car jack that will fit underneath and pump it up.
It is very stable and should cost you nothing.This works only on flat gear legs.
There are good wing jacks available for several hundred dollars.

I'm not sure I understand this technique. My axles are solid and the gear leg is solid... there is no way to insert anything even if I had drilled a hole in the bracket. My -8 is an early one, S/N 240. Maybe they changed things later...

Karl
 
Bottle jacks

Guys,
I've used bottle jacks for years and have used them several times to jack my RV6A for weighing, tire changing, etc, by the wing tiedowns. We put two concrete blocks down with a flat 2 X 6 on them and put the bottle jack on it and go. Go spend the bucks worrying if you want to....sheesh, you ain't jacking a 747!
 
Hard Knox said:
I don't know what causes the fear of wings jacks

My cause for fear is that I have been around airplanes for 25+ years and have seen way too many planes fall off wing jacks. Whether this is from stupidity or negligence, I don't know but it happens way too often. Now I am jacking up MY plane that I built with my own two hands. I don't want it coming off the jack and the jack going up thru the wing. If you guys want to roll the dice, go ahead. I'm looking for a better way.

sheesh, you ain't jacking a 747!
No, I'm hacking MY plane and I may be under it working on the brakes or something else. I want it to be as safe and as sturdy as possible.

If anyone has any REAL solutions that doesn't include wing jacks, I'm all ears.

Karl
 
Just trying to Help

Remove the wheel pants, jack it up with a wing jack, then place a jack stand under the landing gear leg.

Good luck.
 
easy jack

rvjck2cm6.jpg
 
Greg Hale made an RV-8 specific jack that works very well. Here's a link to a page that shows it in action. I'm not sure if he still makes them, but his email address is listed on this page.

http://home.att.net/~bobby.hargrave/pages/Jack.html

I've also used wing jacks on an RV-3, and it worked very well.

I have both for the RV-8, and would use Greg Hale's jack rather than the wing jacks.

Cheers,
Rusty
 
I use my engine hoist to lift the plane. Get a nylon towing strap and wrap it around the motor mount and then onto the hoist arm. I wrap it in two places on the engine mount, the right and left side right at the top between the magnetos. Jack up the hoist until the plane is light on the wheels and then set something on the opposite wing tip area of the tire you want to service. (A bag of dog food or something.) Then jack up the hoist until the one wheel is off the floor. Once you remove the wheel, you can put a 4X4 or something under the axle and let the plane down on that until you are ready to reinstall the wheel.
(I have seen people do this using the engine hoist strap, but I wouldn't. There are only two small crankcase bolts holding that on and it's possible that the weight of the engine and plane together, could crack the crank case at that point. I suspect it was only designed to hold the weight of the engine.)
I have used this method on my RV 6 and on my RV 8 many times and it works well for me. The only drawback is that you have to remove the top cowling. Don't forget to chock the tailwheel and the main that is not being serviced.
 
Fear of wing jacks...

RV8N said:
My cause for fear is that I have been around airplanes for 25+ years and have seen way too many planes fall off wing jacks. Whether this is from stupidity or negligence, I don't know but it happens way too often. Now I am jacking up MY plane that I built with my own two hands. I don't want it coming off the jack and the jack going up thru the wing. If you guys want to roll the dice, go ahead. I'm looking for a better way.

No, I'm hacking MY plane and I may be under it working on the brakes or something else. I want it to be as safe and as sturdy as possible.

If anyone has any REAL solutions that doesn't include wing jacks, I'm all ears.

Karl

I don't intend to start an 'I know more than you' contest or anything, but working as an A&P on heavy and light twins as well as bizjets for years, I've never seen a plane fall off a wing jack, we just used some common ground rules.

-Use only aircraft jacks, nothing kludged together.
-Never jack an aircraft in a place where wind or a taxiing plane can cause lift.
-Read the manual, if it says to put weight on the tail or support the nose, do it.
-Always use jacks with locking collars or push pins, and use them.
-Never, ever, place anything under the aircraft that can damage the skin if the jacks are let down.
-Jack up or down slowly, it's best to work two jacks simultaneously with two mechanics, but if alone, go a little at a time.
-Minimize any trips into the flight deck while on jacks.
-Oh, and watch your fingers around jacks.... ;-)

Also, another thing that most people probably do not do if they are not in a working shop is securing the tail. Every shop I worked in we had a 55 gal drum that was cut in half (or quarter), casters were mounted to the bottom, and concrete was poured in around a very large eyebolt. When hardened, this makes a very good portable tail weight. Roll under the aircraft, chain it to the tail, then position your wing jacks. I never lost a plane, and we jacked at least one aircraft per day.

RV-ers seem to be the only people I've run into who fear wing jacks. All production planes from 152's to 777's have jacking and hoisting points out on the wings. I use wing jacks, it's simple, easy, safe (if you use good stuff and follow the rules above) and a proven method. Even early Mooney's specify wing jacks, even tho the jacking point is aft of the CG, which means that the nose must be propped up, or the tail chained to a heavy object.

I see all the gyrations guys are going thru to avoid wing jacks, and..... well to each his/her own. I just wanted to dispel what I consider an Urban Legend. No need to refute, just another opinion, worth what you paid for it... ;)

Art in Asheville
 
Rev 0 wasa jack arrgt was a wooden pyramid structure that lifted below a 24" length of spar with a 24" x 24" overall area. Used the tie down to stabilize the structure. Then used a floor jack to lift the wooden structure and plane. Very stable but a pain to use.

Rev 1. Bought a ~20" hydraulic cylinder at Northern Tool for ~$39 and made my own stabilized aircraft style jack. I lift at the tie down using a threaded stud in the wing and a drilled out/cupped cylinder shaft.

As others have said, let the plane down onto a block when you get the wheel off or walk away.
 
Ahhhhhh....

With all due respect, cinder blocks should not be part of any jacking scheme. They've been known to crumble unexpectedly. If you must use a cinder block, use them with the web holes vertical, and pad them with wood.

Also not such a good idea to put a hinge in a column in compression unless it is very close to the end.
 
call Alpha Aviation 800-653-5112. They have good jack prices, get Vans half-moon adaptor for tie-down hole and it works great and safely
 
Old thread, new idea

Built a wing jack out of spare parts around my shop


Eye bolt threads into tie down, rubber bushing between 2 fender washers for dampening, and a clevis. Scissor jack from small passenger car. Think this one was a 2000 Camero.
 
A better mousetrap

Cobbled together prototype to prove functionality. Tire jack from a Ford Explorer. Simple, dependable, safe, will go low enough to raise with flat tire.
 
Prototype

Pictures show how it captures the square end of gear leg. 1/4" square key stock tack welded in place. My -8 is a tail dragger so the end of gear leg is 8 degrees or so off perpendicular. Fixture rides vertically against a flat on the jack.



 
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