Lifting wheels for Tire/brake work

[Plummit]

How are you guys lifting the MLG for work on the tires and brakes? Is it OK to use the tie-downs as a jack point?

thanks

Marc

[Mel]

Yes, it is perfectly OK to use the wing tie-down point as a jack-point. Just be sure everything is properly supported so nothing will slide off.

[Carl Froehlich]

I suspect you can - but why would you want to do that? Putting all your faith in an aluminum block that you cut the treads for is, in my view, an unnecessary risk. Depending on how you do this adds more risk. I've seen very expensive planes jacked up with an eyebolt screwed into the tie down, and the jack then balancing the plane on the end of the eyebolt. One bump and the wing would have a new lightning hole.

I made two wing jacks from Harbor Freight bottle jacks like this one http://www.harborfreight.com/8-ton-h...ack-60394.html The jack is held upright by a simple homemade frame.

I use a padded 12" 2x6 between the jack and the wing. The 2x6 has a floor pipe flange screwed to the bottom such that the jack ram can't slip off. I put a piece of 1/4" aluminum plate under the pipe flange so the ram does not work it's way through the 2x6.

The 2x6 gets centered under the wing spar just outboard of the tank.

Two planes and 13 years and all is well.

Carl

[cjhukill]

Here is a fixture that I made to jack a main wheel to change a tire or brake. You can use the fixture with any floor or scissor jack as well, so you only have to travel with the fixture. I have shaken the wingtip with the wheel slightly off the ground and it is very secure, but I would still chock the non-jacked wheel. After the wheel is removed, lower the jack slightly to allow the axle to rest on a block of wood while you work on the tire change. This is much safer than jacking the wing tie downs
.

[flynwest]

I use a galvanized pipe cap big enough for you bottle jack to fit in with extra room for the angle if I remember about 1-1/4". Drill a 3/8" hole in the end put 3/8" bolt through the hole with a nut on it. Tighten the nut now you can screw the whole thing in the tie down point. Then just block up your bottle jack I use a little saw horse and jack away. Caution don't jack both sides at once or it will get nose heavy. I keep one in the plane in case I need it on the road. With this the jack can't slip off and cause damage to the under side of the wing.

[Dustyone]

I wanted a quick ,light way to jack the wheel for possible flat tires out bush.

While not as elegant as the previous post,I found this to work well and only $3.00 at your local auto store.
I use a bit of tape to protect the powder-coat and with both other wheels chocked,it was very stable to remove the wheel.





The small ratcheting screw driver was added to the fly away kit,because if you do have a flat,there is very little room to get to the lower wheel pant screws.



Cheers,

[BillL]

Originally Posted by Dustyone

I wanted a quick ,light way to jack the wheel for possible flat tires out bush.

While not as elegant as the previous post,I found this to work well and only $3.00 at your local auto store.
I use a bit of tape to protect the powder-coat and with both other wheels chocked,it was very stable to remove the wheel.

The small ratcheting screw driver was added to the fly away kit,because if you do have a flat,there is very little room to get to the lower wheel pant screws.

Photos here :

https://goo.gl/photos/H62RDWJFU7cMLB5L8

ps: if anyone can help me to re-size photos and add to post,this old mechanic would be most grateful

I had to download to post as insufficient authority was granted.

[MikeyDale]

I found that a 3/4" bar will slide perfectly in the RV7 axle. Take the axle nut off, slide the bar in and jack up the LG from the outside of the 12" bar. Pull the wheel out a ways, then block the axle and take the jack off the bar and remove the wheel. Lots safer than a wing jack....I used a short piece of 3/4" sucker rod. If you are from West Texas Oil Country, you know what a sucker rod is!

[Low Pass]

So, we trust the tie down to be good for holding the plane to the ground in conditions that may lift it off the ground. Why can't we trust the tie down point to hold a comparable load in the reverse direction?

[LuisR]

The tie down point CAN hold the weight. The risk is the balancing of the load on a small point. There are horror stories of the jack slipping off the tie down and busting a hole in the wing. Some have suggested screwing in a bolt into the tiedown spot. The bolt method is also risky due to side loads possibly snapping the bolt ending in again a hole through the bottom skin. It can be done, but with extreme caution.