REFLECTOR: nose gear retract.

Michael Watson mikewatsspg at gmail.com
Wed Nov 20 10:02:49 CST 2013


Jim,

After I had the same problem you are experiencing, I posted this in 2008.



to Reflector
To All Retractable Velocity owners. This week while doing my annual
inspection,
I noticed that my nose gear was not retracting fully into the wheel well.
The doors
also would not close.

I had flown the plane two days earlier and had made two landings without
any
problems, so this was a big mystery. Why would it work on take off and
landing
but not on the jack stand.

On the forth try cycling the gear, I noticed that the base of the Hydraulic
Cylinder
where it mounts between the brackets on the floor, was moving for and aft
around
a 1/4 inch. (on the velocity site under construction manual, SE-RG see
Page7.2.1
ANGLE BRACKET).

Removing the brackets through the service hole in the keel, reveled that the
bolt hole had elongated. This was enough to prevent the arm from hitting
the sequence valve that activate the nose gear door cylinder.

Fearing the same on the rear gear cylinder bracket, I decided to check,
sure enough, the bolt was also showing signs of elongating. (Page 7.39)

After duplicating both aluminum brackets out of 1/8 STEEL ANGLE IRON,
and reinstalling both cylinders and a new gas spring, all systems now work
perfectly.

In retrospect, I believe that both cross bolts may not have been tightened
snugly
against the pivot ball. or the thin aluminum bracket compressed and play
developed, which caused the elongation. or the brackets are just not up to
the task. Anyway, I now feel safer with the steel brackets. At your next
Annual
please check yours.


On Tue, Nov 19, 2013 at 2:42 PM, Jim & Sharon Beck <jsbeck618 at gmail.com>wrote:

> I was working on an oil cooler clearence on my 173 RG and when retracting
> the gear noticed that the door was notclosing completely,  about 1/4 to1/2
> inch open on one side,  the gearwas not retracting far enough and holding
> the door open,
> reaching in from the top it is ver easy to pull the gear up a lille
> farther and the door closes.  the gear pulls up another 2  to 3 inches.
> This has never been a problem before on other retract tests and I have been
> flying it almost 9 years.
> I did not build it and have never had to work on the nose gear retract
> before.
> Does anyone have any ideas on what could cause this to happen? the gear is
> solid and does not seem to have any looseness when I try to shake it. Have
> never had any shimmy problems.  only 1 landing last spring I stalled the
> canard a bit too high.
>
> Thank you for any Ideas you may have.
>
> Jim
> N29RP 173E RG  IO360/electric MT  460 hrs
>
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