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section 21-9 rollers in the wing spar area

T

tim walter

Well Known Member
Regarding the plastic rollers that get installed, presumably for the wing spars to roll on when being installed;

I installed the bushings into the plastic parts and installed the rollers as directed by the plans.

My question is:
Are they supposed to rotate freely?
There's no bearing as such, just the metal bushing over the an3 bolt.
when I torque the bolt to 20 in/lb (which is the recommended torque for an AN3)
the rollers are tight and do not rotate freely.

Is this normal?
 
My left roller rotated freely but the right one was tight for no obvious reason. I took about 1/32" off one end and that freed it up.
 
If they don't roll freely, diagnose and correct the problem. If you were just to slide the wing spars in and out, flat spots would develop on the rolers.
 
Rollers

I had the same concern...ended up leaving the self-locking nuts just loose enough to let the rollers do their thing i.e. roll.

Also ended up using my belt sander to shave a little of the plastic material off the ends of the rollers to provide some clearance for them to roll freely.

Took 'em on and off 2 or 3 times to get em right.

Clear Skies,

Dave
 
Same Problem

I have the same problem. I had to chuck up the bushings in my drill press and sand the diameter down before they would even go into the rollers, and when they did, it was a bit of a press-fit. My question is: do I need to take that diameter down further so that the roller spins relative to the bushing, or is the bushing supposed to spin around the bolt? If it's the latter, then I think I'll have to shorten the bushing a bit.
 
NO !
the bushings are supposed to be a tight fit.
you will need to press them into the plastic rollers with a vise or other press of some sort.

the metal bushing and plastic roller should be a single solid part that rotates on the shank of the AN3 bolt.

the trouble I have is that the length of the bushing/roller is just a little too large and is squeezed between the two uprights when bolted.

I am going to remove 1/32 material from one end of the roller/bushing to get it to fit better.
Will report back results.
 
tim walter said:
NO !
the bushings are supposed to be a tight fit.
you will need to press them into the plastic rollers with a vise or other press of some sort.
Click to expand...

This statement is incorrect.

The instructions do not tell you to press the bushing into the roller (it should be a slip fit).
Also, a fastener (bolt in this case) is always installed with a castle nut and cotter pin if something is going to be rotating on it. Because a AN365 self locking nut is used, it shows that the bushing is meant to be captured in a fixed position by the bolt.

If the roller wont turn after normal torque of the bolt, reducing the width of the roller (doesn't matter which side) is an acceptable way to correct the problem.
 
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