Gear legs won't go into sockets

[RScott]

I used Scotchbrite to remove any roughness, rust, burs, etc. Made sure the powdercoat was not interfering.

I greased the machined portions of the legs and the sockets (weldments) really well.

I shoved them on and one of them goes almost all the way, but shy of about 3/8" from enough. Hammer it with a rubber mallet, used a rivet gun on a block of wood, twisted it around, nothing seems to work.

Searched the archives, best I found is that someone called Van's, who said, "don't sand it down; it's supposed to be tight". Called Van's myself; they said use a little crocus cloth to polish the machined surfaces. Both legs stop about 3/8" short of going on.

Short of using a sledge hammer or a jack hammer, how did you get your gear legs on the sockets?

Thanks.

[Jamie]

Did you apply oil to them?

It's recommended to prevent corrosion but it does help getting them in there.

[RScott]

Yup, used grease, also tried oil.

[jsharkey]

Any powder coat build-up near the edges?
That can be just enough to prevent the last bit of engagement.
Jim Sharkey

[flybill7]

I had the same problem when mounting my 7 on the gear. It was the powder coating that caused the problem. Sanding a little off the edge on each gear leg with the Dremel sanding drum made all the difference.

... Bill

[chaskuss]

Originally Posted by RScott

I used Scotchbrite to remove any roughness, rust, burs, etc. Made sure the powdercoat was not interfering.

I greased the machined portions of the legs and the sockets (weldments) really well.

I shoved them on and one of them goes almost all the way, but shy of about 3/8" from enough. Hammer it with a rubber mallet, used a rivet gun on a block of wood, twisted it around, nothing seems to work.

Searched the archives, best I found is that someone called Van's, who said, "don't sand it down; it's supposed to be tight". Called Van's myself; they said use a little crocus cloth to polish the machined surfaces. Both legs stop about 3/8" short of going on.

Short of using a sledge hammer or a jack hammer, how did you get your gear legs on the sockets?

Thanks.

Richard,
The issue is that Vans vendor machines the sockets to size BEFORE they do the welding! Duh, that is why there are tight spots. The welding distorts the tubing. Rather than attempt to correct this via hand sanding, I purchased an adjustable reamer from MSC. I then measured the diameter of the gear legs. I adjusted the reamer to be .001" larger and ran it through the socket. The only place it removed metal was at the welds. After reaming, everything fit beautifully.
Charlie Kuss

[RScott]

One thing I forgot to mention: With both sides, I can turn the weldment around and slide it on upside down the same distance as if it were installed properly, i.e., it needs another 3/8" to go on all the way.

That means: It isn't the welds, because both ends of the socket pass the upper machined surface. It isn't the powdercoat, because it slides past the powdercoat except for the area below the second (lower) machined surface, and still has about 1/8" of machined surface exposed.

Help, guys! I have been struggling with this for parts of 3 days, now.

Thanks.

[Mark Burns]

Originally Posted by RScott

One thing I forgot to mention: With both sides, I can turn the weldment around and slide it on upside down the same distance as if it were installed properly, i.e., it needs another 3/8" to go on all the way.

That means: It isn't the welds, because both ends of the socket pass the upper machined surface. It isn't the powdercoat, because it slides past the powdercoat except for the area below the second (lower) machined surface, and still has about 1/8" of machined surface exposed.

Help, guys! I have been struggling with this for parts of 3 days, now.

Thanks.

Sounds like it's not the weldments. I think the next step is to mic the gearlegs. They must be larger in diameter where they start to get tight.
Then you might want to contact Vans with the measurements. They "might" suggest you sand (polish) the legs a little more.

Mark

[captainron]

How about heating up the sockets with a heat gun while the gear legs spend some quality time in the freezer.

[rv6ejguy]

Had to sand the legs on my 6A (both sets) and rework the right weldment on my -10 as it distorted .018 when all the bolts were tightened down. Had to remove itand drill out all the bolt holes and file a couple more. Was the worst fitting part on the whole plane.

I think this is pretty common.