Hartstoc
Well Known Member
I recently jacked up my 7A to send the main wheels to Aerosplat for the bearing upgrade and spin balance(I was thrilled with the job they did on my nose wheel a few months ago). The bird is exceptionally well built but others put the first few hundred hours on the airframe.
Gently levering the gearlegs up, down, and around revealed roughly 3/32”-1/8” of free travel uniformly on both sides, and a lesser amount of rotational freedom of movement measured at the tip of the axel.
I’ll definitely be removing and inspecting the retaining bolts, and replacing or oversizing them if needed to eliminate rotational play as this alters axel alignment. I can also insert and secure some stainless steel shims made from feeler guages between the gear legs and lower socket openings to reduce free play.
Given that the sockets are cylindrical and not tapered, I expect that some free play when unloaded is normal, but I was wondering how my observations compare with others, and what sort of limits may have been established or recommended. I’m actually surprised that the main gearlegs are not retained into a tapered socket by bolts threaded axially into the ends of the gear legs, but that is probably because threads could not survive the heat-treatment process.
Any comments or shared experiences would be appreciated.- Otis
Gently levering the gearlegs up, down, and around revealed roughly 3/32”-1/8” of free travel uniformly on both sides, and a lesser amount of rotational freedom of movement measured at the tip of the axel.
I’ll definitely be removing and inspecting the retaining bolts, and replacing or oversizing them if needed to eliminate rotational play as this alters axel alignment. I can also insert and secure some stainless steel shims made from feeler guages between the gear legs and lower socket openings to reduce free play.
Given that the sockets are cylindrical and not tapered, I expect that some free play when unloaded is normal, but I was wondering how my observations compare with others, and what sort of limits may have been established or recommended. I’m actually surprised that the main gearlegs are not retained into a tapered socket by bolts threaded axially into the ends of the gear legs, but that is probably because threads could not survive the heat-treatment process.
Any comments or shared experiences would be appreciated.- Otis
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