ailron push pull tube

[burgundyja]

when i drove the rivets for the ends of my push pull tubes the shop head bent over slighty. i have tried severel metheds and they all do the same thing. they are not complety bent over but they kind of lopsided. is this normal? do i need to redo them.

[rrd1_99]

I wasn't happy with my rivets either, so I had mine welded and am much more pleased with the result. However, after having just read the thread from earlier today, it seems a lot of -9 builders are finding that their rods are too short when built to plans. I haven't got my wings on yet to find out, but it seems there is a good chance I will get to make new ones. If I do, I will have them welded again.

Roger Barnes
-9A slow QB
La Grande Oregon

[Flying Scotsman]

I went through several of these things before I got satisfactory results. It was very frustrating, but they're done now. The callout on the plans is for rivets that are way too long and practically guaranteed to topple over. Either trim them or go one size shorter and it should work out okay. Also, we found that driving them w/ a c-frame worked a little better, but it's hard to get *perfectly* square to the rivet using just about any method (or at least, it was for us).

I'm still thinking about making two more and having them welded by a shop...

[rv9av8tr]

I had the same problem But what really concerned me was how close the rivets pass near the rear spar hole. I had mine welded then ground the shop heads back so they couldn't even remotely catch on the spar hole.

[rv9aviator]

This from the earlier post. I finally figured the long aileron tubes would work even though there is more thread showing than I would like. The rod end can't unscrew all the way out because the jam nut will stop the travel with a few threads still in the tube end. I am making new aileron to bell-crank push pull tubes and will make them 1/2 inch longer than the drawing calls for. That should take care of the problem. I would definitely wait until I was ready to rig the wings before making the tubes up. If I had it to over again I would make the large tubes 1/4 inch longer and the short tubes 1/2 inch longer. Keep in mind that is working on my RV9 but your mileage may vary. I did call Gus and he said they have been the same dimension since 2000 and no one has called in about them being too short so it must be something I did wrong.

[RV10Rob]

Good thread on this here:
http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ead.php?t=8358

I recently did mine using a c-frame and a hammer, checking to make sure the they were still straight after every blow. My wife used the hammer while I held the rod... did both ends of both in about 15 minutes, with great results.

Interestingly, the RV-10 plans call for -11 rivets; maybe they've learned the -12s are too long?

[Flying Scotsman]

Originally Posted by rv9av8tr

I had the same problem But what really concerned me was how close the rivets pass near the rear spar hole. I had mine welded then ground the shop heads back so they couldn't even remotely catch on the spar hole.

This will be the fourth wing we've built, and every one required that hole to be filed open to ensure clearance, but once it's done, no problemo.

I do still like the idea of a welded tube, though...

Also...

I finally figured the long aileron tubes would work even though there is more thread showing than I would like. The rod end can't unscrew all the way out because the jam nut will stop the travel with a few threads still in the tube end. I am making new aileron to bell-crank push pull tubes and will make them 1/2 inch longer than the drawing calls for. That should take care of the problem. I would definitely wait until I was ready to rig the wings before making the tubes up. If I had it to over again I would make the large tubes 1/4 inch longer and the short tubes 1/2 inch longer.

The rod end bearings should have witness holes on them so you can check to ensure adequate threads. 1/2 an inch is a LOT more length...I built mine exactly to the specified length and the dimensions are dead on. Put that little jig thingie in place to lock the bellcrank, and both ends have sufficient threads inserted as evidenced by the witness hole (and measuring).

Aren't you supposed to safety wire these suckers on, too? I haven't gotten that far yet, but I thought there was an SB to drill a hole and safety them (or am I thinking of something else?).

[rv9aviator]

Maybe I took the small hole to be for something it's not. I thought it was there to drill through the rod end to safety wire it. If it is just a way to see daylight through to check to see if there is enough engagement then It would have barely worked I guess.

[tmbg]

I welded mine, and they came out quite nice. No issues with rivets clearing the hole in the rear spar either.