Bottle Jack for tire changes?

[SantosDumont]

I got a flat nose tire this week at KSAN.  Signature not really helpful for maintenance, I opted to just pump up the tire and see if the air held overnight.  It did, kinda.  So I figured it would be good enough to pump it back up and head up to MYF and get my tube changed.

Got me thinking though, is there a small bottle jack I could carry in the plane that world work to jack up the nose an inch so I could get the tire off and take it to a maintenance shop?  Looking at this thing: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/tribaljack.php?recfer=16811

[Sean S]

That might work. I was thinking a rig that could possibly put a pipe through the tug point might work?

[kortopates]

I don't know - the jack is just the first step and lots of things can go wrong leaving the plane unsecured on single jack; especially on a ramp.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Guest]

I built a copy of that jack, it works well on Piper gear legs.  I’ve used an automotive scissor jack as well and a block of wood under the axle once the wheel is removed.

Clarence

[Yetti]

An automotive scissor jack and blocks of wood would probably be best.   If you welded a couple angle irons on top of the jack that would hold it there.   You can also use the wings as a lever to pick up mains.   The tail is a decent lever for the nose.

[RLCarter]

I would use a sissor jack, they are lighter in weight and can't leak hydrolic fluid. To reduce the chance of knocking the plane off the jack get everything loose or removed (if possible) before raising it up.

[47U]

As previous posters suggested, I had good luck with a small automotive scissor jack (similar to the pic I found on the internet) although it looks like they're using some kind of hydraulic scissor jack.  The screw type worked good for me.  As in the pic, I do not have inner gear doors.  They might cause a problem if you have them.  I also rotated my calipers which are now in the way, but if you're pulling the wheel off the caliper has to come off anyway.  I like this method because you're not unloading the shock disks which keeps everything lower to the ground and more stable.

[Shadrach]

Be careful,! My hangar neighbor put a bottle jack through the wing of his Comanche 260.  Nearly a $30,000 repair before it was returned to service.    Less dangerous on the nose, but I don;'t like the idea of a roller jack under what is essentially a swing arm.  Maybe one of the old Bilstein jacks from BMW/Mercedes during the 70s and 80s could be fabricated into a useful and light weight option.

[gsxrpilot]

A couple of average sized guys can easily lift the nose by applying some downward pressure to the leading edge of the horizontal stab. And it can be easily held up long enough for someone to remove the wheel and set the axel back down on some blocks.  

You do need a couple of helpers, but then I wouldn't want to be using the jack by myself either.