Slotting Nose Gear Leg for Cotter Pin

[UnPossible]

Hey - I'm installing the nose fork assembly to the nose gear leg and running into an issue. When I tighten up the nut enough to set the break-out force to ~26 lbs, I can not get the cotter pin through the nut into the pre-drilled holes in the nose gear leg. (FYI - I can see the hole, but I can't get the entire diameter of the cotter pin to go through the hole)

I know that tightening the nut further will compress the Belleville washers, but ff I try to tighten it until the next slot on the nut, the breakout force appears to be too high. I don't want to extend the slots in the nut, as there isn't a ton of material remaining. Has anyone had to slot out the pre-drilled hole in the gear leg to get the cotter pin in, or is there something else I can do that I'm not thinking of?

Thanks,
Jason

[Mike S]

The washers will wear fairly quick in the beginning, I suggest just tightening to the next crenellation of the nut.

At that is what I did and all was fine.

[lr172]

I wouldn't go over on the std b/o force. You'll find it very stiff and jerky at the correct setting for the first ten hours, then will get consistently less for another 10-20 hours as it all wears in. Watch this, as the force will likely go under 10 #'s. It is butter smooth after tightening the second time. Added grease to bellevilles and nut at the second tightening. You don't want grease initially, as you want the wear to occur to bed things in.

There is no issue drilling another hole to use a different slot. You are drilling holes into the tube well past the area where strength is required, so no harm in drilling a couple more. Do not hog out the hole to make it work, see below.

On another note, my break out force was different in both directions, due to excessive clearance between the cotter pin and slot. The nut tightened when turning in one directoin and loosened in the other. When I tightened again at 35 hours, I drilled only one hole and used a #6 flat head screw with a lock nut on the inside of tube. The flare mates firmly with the castle solt and avoid the play in the nut that exists with the cotter pin, causing the different forces.

Larry