adjust gear attachment spacing

[Pascal 29]

i have just bought a new and unused, unpainted set of Highwing LLC gear that was built for an avid flyer. I held it in place to see how it would fit on my Model C and noticed, that when the front attachment point is put inside the front bracket, the rear attachment is off by about 2-3mm.

a question to all the experts out here: can i simply cut/grind off the overlap on the left side of the picture (towards the tail of the airplane) and add washers on the right side to fill the gap or do i need to weld something onto the attachment pipe like either a piece of metal which i can then drill through and grind to shape on the outside or even just add material with a mig welder by welding a few rounds on top of the attachment pipe and then drill it out and grind to shape?

the front tube is wider by the way and the attachment tube is just about the same width, so i can't adjust the front as easy as the back, that's why i would like adjust the whole 2-3 mm in the back and leave the front untouched.

the most convenient solution for me would be to just add washers.

cheers

Pascal

 

[1avidflyer 1983]

I just did a calculation, and 2.5 mm is just under 1/8".  If I could, I would probably grind off 1/16" on the front tube and 1/16" on the back one.  But I'm not an expert, so there you go.  :-)  JImChuk

[Pascal 29]

Hi Jim. is 1/8" somehow a critical number or did you convert it only to inches because you (and many others here) are used to inches? (i'm from europe, hence my guess in millimeters ;))

[1avidflyer 1983]

I just did the conversion cause I'm used to inches, or fractions of them.  JImChuk

[CoClimber 33]

From a structural point of view, removing 2-3mm off the end of that tube should have little effect.  Try not to get into the weld.  That weld is primarily in compression so that helps.  The other option is to heat the other end of that large tube and bend the tube forward.  My concern there is that the small tube will now be angled slightly upward and the bolt may not line up.  You wouldn't want to open up the hole in the bracket to get the bolt through.

[Pascal 29]

thanks for your suggestions. bending the tube is not an optin as there is a cross pipe connecting the front to the rear tube of the gear leg. this cross pipe is actually right below where the picutre ends, so maybe an inch away from the attachment point.. in order to bend the tube enough, i would have to cut that cross tube apart and weld it back together and then still struggle to align the bolt with the hole as you said.

cutting off the tube on the left side where it overlaps with the attachment points on the fuselage should be possible without touching the weld.

 

[RFPhtmfxr 23]

Try to fit the new legs again with the old gear removed. You would be surprised how much difference there will be. You might not have to grind off much.

[nlappos 413]

Pascal,

When I installed my Highwing gear, I shaved a bit off the forward barrels, about 1/8" total, and added three washers to the aft. This is entirely within common practice for such items, with no effect on strength. I also had to clean up the inside edge of the tabs with an angle grinder to allow the barrel to seat properly.

I have to add, the gear is terrific in changing the character of the aircraft on landing and roll out. Much more yaw stability, and nice absorption of the landing on touchdown.