Gear Issues...

rexbaker · #1 11-17-2012, 07:13 PM

Hey everyone, I have a recently purchased RV-6 that was bought for me by a buddy of mine while I was out of the country for a while. After finally getting to fly it a little bit, Ive notice from time to time the right main wheel seems to be toed out, and appears as though someone has smacked it on the ground too hard once or twice.

I was curious if anyone has any ideas or knowledge of how to fix this problem without removing the gear, or if someone could point me in the right direction to have the gear bent back to the proper angles.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Rex

ecurington · #2 11-19-2012, 09:06 AM

If it is the gear leg that is bent consult Langair Machining to see if it is repairable. http://www.langair.com/ Langair is the company that makes the gear legs for Vans and he also straightens them.

If it is the gear mount then it will need to be repaired or replaced. I have seen the bolt hole that locks in the leg to the mount elongated causing the issue you discribed. This was evident by jacking the plane and observing movement of the leg. In that case it was drilled to a larger size and a larger bolt installed.

Good Luck.

Eulice

roadrunner20 · #3 11-19-2012, 05:51 PM

I don't believe Langeair can or will rebend the gear leg.

If you do need to replace the gear leg, depending on when your mount was manufactured, you might need to get an undrilled gear leg.
The 2004 and earlier gear legs were match drilled to the mount. In late 2004/early 2005, they began jig drilling the mount & gear leg holes.
I ran into this problem as I purchased a pre-drilled gear leg and attempted to match it to an early mount. I ended up with a toe-out condition.
I was able to oversize the hole and re-align to correct the toe out.

rexbaker · #4 12-05-2012, 08:00 AM

If it is not the actual gear leg that is bent, but mis matched bolts and holes, what should I be looking for if I jack up he airplane? Will the wheels actually be loose in the motor mount?

rexbaker · #5 12-05-2012, 08:01 AM

Oh yea...and if oversizing the holes is the correct solution, are there any recommendations besides pulling the motor and taking the mount and and gear legs to a machine shop to have them drilled and matched?

ecurington · #6 12-05-2012, 10:30 AM

Once you have the plane jacked up, try to move the leg or legs forward and aft. Taking the weight off the gear should allow movement if the holes are elongated. If there is no movement, and the wheels are toed, then you probably have bent legs or mount.

I believe taking the engine and gear mount off the plane are the only way to drill to a larger size. Before I did that I would make sure it is not just a worn bolt. You should be able to remove the bolt and inspect with the plane jacked up. You should also be able to see the elongated hole with the bolt removed, if that is the problem.

Eulice

Richard@Langair · #7 12-05-2012, 05:13 PM

We will most definitely straighten that leg for you as long as it is not bent too bad. And, if you are still able to fly on it, then it is definitely not bent too bad to be fixed.

If you can take the weight off that leg and twist the leg in it's mount, then the hole in the engine mount is likely elongated. The engine mounts usually show wear before the gear leg when things start to go bad. If it is not too terribly out of shape, you can just ream it up to an oversize bolt. You can get piloted reamers that guide themselves through the holes and do a nice job.

There is a member on the forums that sells the oversize bolts. The nominal size bolt is 0.3125 (5/16), my memory says he has bolts that are 1/64 and 1/32 over. That is the best solution in my opinion, but others have found different solutions they liked better.

If it is just a bent gear leg, then you can just contact Langaire for details on how to get it fixed.

Richard Squires
(Langaire Aircraft Parts LLC)

roadrunner20 · #8 12-05-2012, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard@Langair

We will most definitely straighten that leg for you as long as it is not bent too bad. And, if you are still able to fly on it, then it is definitely not bent too bad to be fixed.

If you can take the weight off that leg and twist the leg in it's mount, then the hole in the engine mount is likely elongated. The engine mounts usually show wear before the gear leg when things start to go bad. If it is not too terribly out of shape, you can just ream it up to an oversize bolt. You can get piloted reamers that guide themselves through the holes and do a nice job.

There is a member on the forums that sells the oversize bolts. The nominal size bolt is 0.3125 (5/16), my memory says he has bolts that are 1/64 and 1/32 over. That is the best solution in my opinion, but others have found different solutions they liked better.

If it is just a bent gear leg, then you can just contact Langaire for details on how to get it fixed.

Richard Squires
(Langaire Aircraft Parts LLC)

I am very interested in hearing about the ablility to straighten out a bent gear leg. In out conversations, this could not be done. This is why I ended up oversizing the gear leg/mount holes.

rexbaker · #9 12-06-2012, 07:38 AM

What is the best point to jack the aircraft so the gear legs will be free?

Rex

Richard@Langair · #10 12-06-2012, 02:22 PM

You can jack it from the tiedown hardpoint about halfway out on the bottom of the wing. Just put a suitable bolt in there and put your jack on the bolt. Make sure your jack can not slip off the bolthead though!!! That would be catastrophic!!!!!