Dented Nose Gear Truss: Replace or Repair?

[ThorFlight]

Greetings everyone,

So I’m planning to close on an ’81 J this Thursday and the nose gear truss was found to be dented during the pre-buy. Now the purchase price was adjusted accordingly and the plane's annual is due in January, so I’m going to flow right into that process with the same shop that did the pre-buy.

The replacement part from Mooney is apparently ~$1500, which can be had in a couple of days. Sending in mine for repair at LASAR is about $750 + shipping (~$100), but it takes about 3 weeks for the turn-around (apparently they don’t have any refurbished ones available).

Beyond the time and money differences, is there any other argument for one approach vs. the other?

At this point, I’m leaning towards repairing it as I don’t have a pressing need to fly in January and wouldn’t mind putting $650 into my ADS-B nest egg.

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with everyone and someday shedding my newbie status! 

Philip

[DonMuncy]

Definitely go with the LASAR rebuild. But no hurry. Don Maxwell says he has seen them with humongous dents and not giving any problem.

[gsengle]

I have a very small dent, and wasn't planning to replace. Is there really any need?


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[gsengle]

I will look into that thanks


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[DonMuncy]

Maxwell says that originally there was no limitation on the size dent. But someone pushed and pushed until the factory came up with the 1/32 inch limit. So, legally there is a definite downside, but no practical one; till you sell.

[gsengle]

1/32" basically means any dent is a problem :/


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[kortopates]

The LASAR rebuild is better than new and really the better option.


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[DonMuncy]

LASARs rebuilt ones are beefed up, and have stops to help prevent damage. If someone really wants to, they can bend the stops. But still better than original.

[ThorFlight]

1 minute ago, DonMuncy said:

Maxwell says that originally there was no limitation on the size dent. But someone pushed and pushed until the factory came up with the 1/32 inch limit. So, legally there is a definite downside, but no practical one; till you sell.

Wow! Yeah, I can't recall ever hear about a nose gear failure due to a "dented truss".

Anyone have a recent report regarding the rubber tube fix preventing this in the future? Seems like a good idea.

[gsengle]

Mine got dented despite having the lasar stops :/


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[ThorFlight]

Seems like LASAR is the winner. Good to know and thanks!

[DonMuncy]

My hangar elf designed and installed an alarm system that is activated when the limit is reached. It sounds a piezo while the limit is in contact, but you probably could not hear it over a running tug. Better, though, it activates a quieter piezo in the cabin, which remains on until re-set. When parked out of town, if I open the door and hear the alarm, I know to go check the truss for damage.

[kortopates]

I am pretty sure the 1/32" stems from the 43.13.b data that allows up to 10% of wall thickness. Mooney could not exceed that.
We see plenty of nose wheel trusses fail - presumably after being dented and ignored for sometime. But I don't have any first hand info on that but would not be ignoring it either. Why risk a $40k repair for less than a $1K?


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[Hector]

I have the Lasar strut with the stops. The stops need to be checked occasionally to make sure they are set right but it will prevent costly dents and it's a load off my mind when I travel and the FBO moves my plane.


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[slowflyin]

I have the Lasar strut with the stops. The stops need to be checked occasionally to make sure they are set right but it will prevent costly dents and it's a load off my mind when I travel and the FBO moves my plane.


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+1, The stops give me more peace of mind as well. However, a tug will still break the stop off. But all in all, it is still a much better truss.


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[kevinw]

Always learning something new on MS. My first thought would've been OEM. Thanks for the info guys!

[mike_elliott]

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 8:44 PM, DonMuncy said:

My hangar elf designed and installed an alarm system that is activated when the limit is reached. It sounds a piezo while the limit is in contact, but you probably could not hear it over a running tug. Better, though, it activates a quieter piezo in the cabin, which remains on until re-set. When parked out of town, if I open the door and hear the alarm, I know to go check the truss for damage.

Don, have your hanger elf contact me about this system!

[DonMuncy]

12 hours ago, mike_elliott said:

Don, have your hanger elf contact me about this system!

PM semt

[Richwilde]

Don, could you send me contact info for this system?   Thanks

306-581-9830

richwilde@yahoo.com

[Chocks]

Do any of you have a link or images on what that damage looks like and/or what to look for?


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[FBCK]

Is it possible to exceed the limits with the rudder peddle and directional brakes, it seem the turning radius can be pretty tight when turning in the plane.

[jclemens]

No, you need a tug to bend the nose truss.  FYI- if you order a new one from Mooney you can get the one with stops.  

[Andy95W]

2 hours ago, jclemens said:

No, you need a tug to bend the nose truss.  FYI- if you order a new one from Mooney you can get the one with stops.  

It's a lot cheaper to send your old one to LASAR.  They have authorization to perform weld repairs and add the stops.

[jclemens]

The last one I bought was about the same either way.  One just took longer.  

[XXX]

On 12/27/2016 at 9:03 PM, Hector said:

I have the Lasar strut with the stops. The stops need to be checked occasionally to make sure they are set right but it will prevent costly dents and it's a load off my mind when I travel and the FBO moves my plane.


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Hector, I just replaced my nose truss because the right stop was broken completely off. The truss was not dented but the broken weld had a pinhole that was leaking water (not sure how water got in). Going forward, I will only allow my plane to be tugged by the kind that supports the nose wheel.  Every FBO I visit I always ask if they understand the turning limitations of the Mooney and every one of them has told me yes. Every time I preflight after visiting another airport, I feel the truss for dents but didn't think I needed to check the stops. Due to their location, it is difficult to see the stops without laying on the ground and using a flashlight. The universal tow bars (see pic) are designed for much larger aircraft and should never be used on a Mooney. I learned my lesson. Never again.