tow angle limit detection device

[DonMuncy]

My hangar elf finally got my tow angle limit device installed and adjusted.

It is kinda neat. When the tow limit is reached, a fairly loud piezzo squawk goes off, hopefully loud enough to alert a line guy. But more importantly, it triggers a relay in the cabin, turning on a fairly quiet piezzo and warning light. These stay on until a reset button is pressed. So if you park at an FBO and come back the next day to find the alert activated, you know to crawl up under the gear doors to check and make sure the steering horn tube is not damaged. I know, you are supposed to check that as part of your preflight, but I know I didn't do it routinely. And if at some point, you find a bent tube, are you certain you know when it happened, or more importantly, can you convince the FBO it happened on its watch. 

I have a hard time recommending it, as it is a lot of work for a limited benefit. But I suppose if it ever comes into play, it would be worth it.

[David Mazer]

 Is this something you created or is it available on the market?

[DonMuncy]

It is the my creation.

[mike_elliott]

It is the my creation.

 

Back when Don Maxwell was in Gladewater and would take his customers to the Chickin biscuit for lunch, For grins I grabbed a couple of buscuits and wedged them in my F's nose truss. If Don's guys exceeded the tow limits, the biscuits would coat the tire with biscuit grease, ratting them out

 

Don did say he has heard of people using ketchup packs ty wrapped on the nose truss for this

[flyboy0681]

 And if at some point, you find a bent tube, are you certain you know when it happened, or more importantly, can you convince the FBO it happened on its watch. 

 

 

Question is, would they fess up and accept responsibility or deny that their guys did the damage?

[DonMuncy]

Question is, would they fess up and accept responsibility or deny that their guys did the damage?

I think your odds of convincing them go up when you show them the damage, the blinking light and how the system works; as opposed to just going in and saying it is bent now and it was not when I checked before flying yesterday.

[JohnL]

Does anyone know about or has anyone tried the Lasar "upgraded" truss? I guess it has reinforcements to help reduce over limit turn damage?

 

http://www.lasar.com/parts/w/id/4/part_details.asp

 

Also, I have seen a Mooney with an indicator and limit lines painted on the truss to show line guys how far they are from the turn limits. Who makes these? or was it DYI?

[N601RX]

Look on Mooneys website, they have a service bulletin or instruction one that covers the indicator and limit lines.

http://www.mooney.com/images/pdfs/sb-pdf/sbm20-151.pdf

[Rhumbline]

Does anyone know about or has anyone tried the Lasar "upgraded" truss? I guess it has reinforcements to help reduce over limit turn damage?

 

http://www.lasar.com/parts/w/id/4/part_details.asp

 

Also, I have seen a Mooney with an indicator and limit lines painted on the truss to show line guys how far they are from the turn limits. Who makes these? or was it DYI?

 

 

I just had mine overhauled/upgraded by LASAR.  I'm still waiting for my guy at this end to finish installation so I cannot comment on the effectiveness of the upgrade but it was incidental to needed repairs.  I believe that the tow limit indicator & placards were a kit as part of a service bulletin for planes the vintage of mine.  This was installed on mine but clearly wasn't sufficient to prevent damage.  The kits, or at least the placards, must still be available as LASAR replaced them when they repainted my truss.   

[Super Dave]

Del.

[phecksel]

I had started to make some locking tow bars, have about 5 of the initial prototypes.

[triple8s]

I took pic of my nose gear with my phone once when I parked at an airport where the line ppls didn't look to my liking. We used to put those ketchup packs under the toilet seat in the bathroom at school when I was a kid...lol

If you take a pic you have a date stamp for proof of when the tubes/gear was damaged.

[outermarker]

Where can I buy a "Tow Limit Kit"? If none are around, are there drawings available? 

thanks, albert

[carusoam]

6 hours ago, outermarker said:

Where can I buy a "Tow Limit Kit"? If none are around, are there drawings available? 

thanks, albert

not a full answer, but ….

 

The limit is a bolt in a tab that is welded on the nose gear… X2…

Lasar has a way of adding these to the nose gear they rebuild….

There is also a pointer and a decal to show the limits to line personnel….

 

Lasar is an MSC, so they are a great place to start… call Dan in the parts department…

 

PP thoughts only,

-a-

[Guest]

6 hours ago, outermarker said:

Where can I buy a "Tow Limit Kit"? If none are around, are there drawings available? 

thanks, albert

From the J model IPC 

[A64Pilot]

On 12/28/2013 at 7:02 PM, JohnL said:

Does anyone know about or has anyone tried the Lasar "upgraded" truss? I guess it has reinforcements to help reduce over limit turn damage?

 

http://www.lasar.com/parts/w/id/4/part_details.asp

 

Also, I have seen a Mooney with an indicator and limit lines painted on the truss to show line guys how far they are from the turn limits. Who makes these? or was it DYI?

Link seems broken?

[Skyland]

This must be the upgraded truss with turn limit stops that's on my J.

[outermarker]

The part’s circled is what I’m after. Thanks for the parts breakdown.

[EricJ]

36 minutes ago, outermarker said:

The part’s circled is what I’m after. Thanks for the parts breakdown.

If you have a pic of a complete one it'd be pretty easy to make one as an OPP.  It's just a metal pointer to a sticky placard that could be made from vinyl or painted on or even a sharpie.

[Davidv]

On 9/18/2013 at 10:32 PM, DonMuncy said:

My hangar elf finally got my tow angle limit device installed and adjusted.

It is kinda neat. When the tow limit is reached, a fairly loud piezzo squawk goes off, hopefully loud enough to alert a line guy. But more importantly, it triggers a relay in the cabin, turning on a fairly quiet piezzo and warning light. These stay on until a reset button is pressed. So if you park at an FBO and come back the next day to find the alert activated, you know to crawl up under the gear doors to check and make sure the steering horn tube is not damaged. I know, you are supposed to check that as part of your preflight, but I know I didn't do it routinely. And if at some point, you find a bent tube, are you certain you know when it happened, or more importantly, can you convince the FBO it happened on its watch. 

I have a hard time recommending it, as it is a lot of work for a limited benefit. But I suppose if it ever comes into play, it would be worth it.

This is great Don, what a piece of ingenuity!  

[N201MKTurbo]

18 hours ago, Skyland said:

This must be the upgraded truss with turn limit stops that's on my J.

I hope you tightened the nut and put a cotter pin in it after you took this picture.

[N201MKTurbo]

I’ve seen a truss damaged by improper towing with the turn limit stops busted off.