[bjohnson1234]

My right wheel is very hard to take on and off the axle. There are no visible problems with either the bearings or the axle, but it definitely "sticks" part way. My only guess is that the axle itself is slightly larger at one point. Any tips on how to deal with this by either fixing it somehow or a good method to get it past the sticking point? Several times taking it on and off have warped the grease seal washers and I had to order new ones. Thanks!

 

[n5lp]

I don't see what kind of airplane your are talking about. During assembly, I found it necessary to sand both axles on my RV-6 to get the wheels to fit on easily. The sanding was easy and it didn't take long to remove enough material.

 

[bjohnson1234]

Sorry, it's a 6. What did you use to sand them?

 

[n5lp]

Sorry, it's a 6. What did you use to sand them?

Who knows? That was 20 or so years ago. Probably whatever sandpaper was handy.

 

[Infidel]

I'd use some emery(sp?)paper or regular paper along the lines of 320 grit, but nothing lower. Some anti-seize on the axle will help too.

 

[bjohnson1234]

Worked great. Didn't take that much to get it to slide on and off easily. Thanks!

 

[Richard@Langair]

If you are hand sanding, dont be afraid to go as low as 180 grit emery cloth on the axles. Just be sure to keep it even across the whole axle and try to sand in a way that creates a crosshatch pattern.

That material is hard enough that you will have a very difficult time hurting it with hand sanding. I wouldn't use any kind of power sander. You can easily create gouges with powered sanders if you are not careful.


This is what we sometimes need to do when doing the final checks on the legs before shipping them out.

Richard @ Langaire