REFLECTOR: Main gear not locking on dump

[jeff findarle]

Interesting, I just tightened up my main gear and replaced all the seals in the Main gear cylinder. I will be ckg the dump/lock scenario. By the way, this is the 2nd time the Cylinder has been rebuilt on my 1995 N173ZG. I just purchased her in March. The last 4 yrs it had been sitting and not being used, so that would explain the seal failure. I stove up when I  don't move too.


 
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>________________________________
> From: Laurence Coen <lwcoen at hotmail.com>
>To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org> 
>Sent: Thursday, August 1, 2013 2:13 PM
>Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Main gear not locking on dump
> 
>
>
>Phil,
> 
>First, my cylinder works fine and is 18 years old.  I did actually 
inadvertently create the condition that you describe. My plane was complete and 
flying with no gear problems.  However if I rocked the wings on the ground 
the gear made a creaking sound.  Us old folks don't like creaking joints so 
I set out to fix the "problem".  I started adding shims between the gear 
leg outboard  tops and the sockets to get rid of play.  I reached 
a point where the gear went down on power but wouldn't lock with manual dump. 
Sound familiar?  It turns out that the combination of normal cylinder 
friction and too good a fit on the sockets can be a bad thing.  By the way, 
I eliminated the creaking sound by applying Lubriplate to the gear tops.
> 
>Larry Coen
>N136LC
>
>
>From: Phil Hooper 
>Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 10:36 PM
>To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list 
>Subject: REFLECTOR: Main gear not locking on dump
>
>
>Dear collective, slow building 
Hooper here.  
>
>I have a bit of a challenge with the main gear.  
Everything works fine, full lock when hydraulic-driven.  When we test the 
dump valve release, the gear goes down, but stops just short of lock.  
Scott Swing thought it might be a weak spring and sent me the strongest he 
had...same problem.  There is no drag whatsover on the main gear bolt, nor 
in the gear pocket sleeves.  It all moves freely and will lock every time 
when hand dropped slowly from both sides, but with no cables attached.  
There is also plenty of slack in the cables when using hydraulics, probably too 
much at this point.  
>
>We have found that by giving a manual nudge, 
pulling the ram out about another 1/2" out, bam, it locks.  So the problem 
points to the ram having resistance to coming out to the end of it's travel as 
the weight of the gear pulls the cables, and thus the ram. 
>
>
>Scott speculated that the ram 
might loosen up with time, but so far, it shows no signs of yielding.  I 
wonder if the seals are too old (about 11 years) and if the cylinder should be 
rebuilt...ugh, just when we got all the leaks cleared and cleaned up the last of 
the spilled fluid.
>
>
>I wonder if any of you fine 
folks have had a similar problem and how you solved it.  One interesting 
thing we tested was adding two and half pounds of weight to the center of the 
mechanism...presto, down it came, and locked.  I have also thought about 
adding a downward pulling spring without 5 pounds of force, or an emergency 
cable connection that would pull the overcenter down into lock (parts to 
break).  The easiest solution may be g-forces if I'm ever alone and it 
won't lock, but I don't know if I can trust that.
>
>
>What say you, and thanks to 
any and all with wisdom superior to mine.  Blessings to all.  
>
>Phil
>
>-- 
>
>-- 
>Phil Hooper
>President
>Harvest Development & Media 
Inc.
>19851 
Yorba Linda Blvd., Suite 204
>Yorba Linda, CA 92886  
>voice: 714.693.8745
>fax: 714.777.0134
>web: http://www.hdmnet.com/
>email: phil at hdmnet.com
>
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