What Jacks do you Reccommend?

[Yetti]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

Yep, like others: Harbor Freight, Home Depot.

Not sure what you are trying to accomplish there, not an gineering degree here, but the unequal/non centered legs of non structural conduit tubing could be worse than better.

 

[RLCarter]

I fabricated my own, the store bought aircraft jacks have a flaw I have had to help with before. One the aircraft is lifted there is a collar that locks the ram so the cant bleed down, my I/A had one that would pump back up and we had to lift the aircraft up by hand and get another jack under it (nerve racking too me and I had no dog in the hunt). My design allows for the jack to replaced if it should fail. As mentioned, Mooney no longer wants the tail weighted or the prop supported and recommends an engine hoist, I have never seen one that don't bleed down over time so I build an A-Frame and use a chain hoist. So fabricating 2 wing jacks, 1 tail stand and an A-frame was how I spent a weekend several years ago. While purposely build for a short body they have been used on several other low wings including a Cessna 310 & a 421 and every aircraft they have been under is rock solid an be left lifted with no fear of a jack failing. below is a crappy 3-d rendering but I have the CAD drawings along with a cut sheet and assemble process if you want it...and no they are not the same scale

[RobertGary1]

I had a student who had a jack go right through his Mooney wing. You don’t want those things slipping. 

-Robert

[DonMuncy]

50 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

I had a student who had a jack go right through his Mooney wing. You don’t want those things slipping. 

-Robert

Were they having a square dance on the wing to get it to fall off the jack?

[RobertGary1]

2 minutes ago, DonMuncy said:

Were they having a square dance on the wing to get it to fall off the jack?

No crappy jack and plane was bumped. 

-Robert

[cnoe]

I had a student who had a jack go right through his Mooney wing. You don’t want those things slipping. 
-Robert

Is that a turbo-fan hanging below that wing? Now that’s an STC I’d like to explore!


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[kerry]

This is from my m20a service and maintenance manual.  Works well for me.  I don't know why it wouldn't work on a metal wing.  

[Guest]

I don’t know why Mooney would suggest lifting the front of the plane using the engine lift ring.  I asked Lycoming and they said no, it’s meant for lifting the engine only.  There was a member here who posted a picture of his Bravo engine with cracks at the lift ring.  My guess is that there was a failure of the tail tie down ring worn thinner from ground contact.  

I find it quite surprising that people will spend thousands on the latest gadgets like LED lights to be safer, then cheap out and risk injury or death by cobbling up a jack made of plywood, electrical conduit and hose clamps, and a tail support screwed to the floor.

As an employer I guess I have a different few of safety.

Clarence

[RLCarter]

Someone before me  put (4) 1/2-13 redhead anchors in the floor, then bolted a 6" x 6" x 3/8" plate with a "D" welded to it, I removed the plate and hung it on the wall 'cause I was tired of tripping over it. I have used it with the 172 when I pulled the gear legs off

[cnoe]

I don’t know why Mooney would suggest lifting the front of the plane using the engine lift ring.  I asked Lycoming and they said no, it’s meant for lifting the engine only.  There was a member here who posted a picture of his Bravo engine with cracks at the lift ring.  My guess is that there was a failure of the tail tie down ring worn thinner from ground contact.  
I find it quite surprising that people will spend thousands on the latest gadgets like LED lights to be safer, then cheap out and risk injury or death by cobbling up a jack made of plywood, electrical conduit and hose clamps, and a tail support screwed to the floor.
As an employer I guess I have a different few of safety.
Clarence

I agree with you that safety should be paramount. I certainly wouldn’t crawl around underneath my plane jostling things unless I was certain it was stable and secure. I also fully understand that as a professional and an employer you are held to a higher standard. I do respect that.

But as an owner who has my plane on jacks infrequently at most, a sturdily constructed, more affordable option is preferable for me. It’s a risk analysis I must perform, and risk analysis is something I’m well versed in.

Regarding construction materials I seem to recall that wings used to be made of wood, and were quite strong. I agree that conduit is marginal, but properly utilized might suffice. Like you I can’t imagine how hose clamps could be used effectively. I wouldn’t trust the concrete slab in my hanger for a tie-down, but it may work for others if engineered properly.

In your situation I would certainly utilize the most robust system available. We all appreciate your professionalism!


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[Yetti]

Oh and in the redundant systems.  I place saw horses with packing cloths under the wing as "jack stands" for safety.

[Yetti]

While I am signing my tax return that I did all by myself without professional help, I am trying to figure the slip/friction coeficient of 2 stainless band clamps with 4 contact points on a smooth Chinese painted surface.

[DanM20C]

Here are the ones I started making.  Harbor Freight bottle jack.  The color scheme suggests a December annual would be best. We were shooting the green epoxy paint for a job one day and I just added these to the que. The bottle jack is floating in the assembly, it can be easily replaced down the road. I still need to machine an end to accept the jack pad. I’m going to make a split collar the fits around the piston rod. It will not clamp on the rod, it will be long enough to transfer the load from the jack point to the body of the jack. That way I won’t have to worry about a leek down or lock collar failure.  

Cheers,

 

[Wildhorsesracing]

I made mine last year and used them for my 2017 annual.  I used the Harbor Freight jacks, C-Channel, welded them together and 3/4" conduit to make the uprights.   If you look closely you'll see the tops drilled to accept the Mooney jack points.

My A&P has a prop yoke jack that I used to hold the front up, they worked good and I plan to use them next week when I do my 2018 annual...

[M20F-1968]

I am a firm believer of having the right tools for the job at hand.  Most of us will have an aircraft for a very long time.  I bought a set of Meyers jacks, used in excellent condition for about $375 each plus shipping about 10 years ago.  That is $70/yer so far.  A new engine hoist from Harbor Freight ($175.00) and a well made concrete tail stand on a steel frame with wheels makes for an very stable 4 point support.  The cost difference of good stuff is not worth the risk.  Even minor damage would still not be worth the risk.  Start scouring e-bay of Meyers jacks.  They are the best.  Additionally, when you are not flying the plane for 2-3 weeks, the jacks are sufficiently stble and easy to use that you can give the main gear donuts a rest by jacking up the two mains 1" off the ground and leave the nose on the ground.  

John Breda

[RLCarter]

23 minutes ago, M20F-1968 said:

I am a firm believer of having the right tools for the job at hand. 

I agree, but I also make/modify tools/equipment to make them better. If you count time & material it would have been cheaper to buy jacks and an A-Frame...but as I mentioned above I have seen an "Aviation" jack fail and its a pain to swap it out, if my hydraulic jack fails I just take the bottle jack out and put in another. Not being an engineer I tend to make things much heavier than they need to be, but I sleep well knowing that my plane is rock solid and its safe

[MBDiagMan]

It is obvious that quality tools and equipment are a good investment.  That said, I have many years of welding and fab experience.  I am very confident in RL’s jack design as well as my own fab and welding experience.  I can give the cut sheet to a friend who will plasma cut everything and all I have to do is tack it together then burn it all in with 7018.  I am retired so I have the time to put into it, and am confident that it will result in quality equipment to use as long as I own the aircraft.

[N601RX]

I built these about 5 years ago and have been happy with them. The legs are about 15" long each with leveling bolts and the original top inch or so of the ram was cut off just below the factory cross hole and a countersink hole was drilled in the top as deep as possible to match the LASAR tie down points. The locking collars were machined out to match the ram diameter and were tested on a press to have a slip force greater than 5000lbs.

I had always stored them under the wing, by just sliding them outboard a couple of feet and next time I needed them they were always within arms reach.  I no longer do that, a while back I had a tire go down and the wing was resting on the top of the jack when I stopped by to check on things.  Luckily nothing was hurt.

Edited March 18, 2018 by N601RX

[RLCarter]

I have leveling bolts for my wing jacks, but haven't put them on yet, so far I haven't needed them. I need to decide to install them or not before I send it all out for powder coating (after 2 1/2 years)

[DaV8or]

On 3/14/2018 at 3:14 PM, cnoe said:

After viewing much discussion here I was swayed that the engine-hoist ring may impart too much stress on the aluminum engine case. The hoist ring was designed to lift the "engine" only, not a ~2,000# airplane.

I believe a soft harness around the engine mount is preferred by many if using a hoist.

Yes. The engine loop was not designed to lift the front half of the plane. In addition I think it's hard on your rubber motor mounts. Lift it with lifting straps around the motor mount. I had to have some custom made, but it was only $80 I think. I also have the Alpha Aviation jacks and they have been great. Yes, you can make them yourself and save maybe $150. I didn't find that project very exciting and I really don't need another project. 

Make sure you get locking rings for all of you hydraulic rams! I have them on the wing jacks and on my engine hoist. I had to replace the 30 year old Japanese ram when it gave up and because I needed to get on with the project, I bought a new ram at the only place I know where you can grab one off the shelf... Harbor Freight.  True to form, the new ram leaks a little, so the locking ring is absolutely required! The rings are about $10 a piece on Amazon.

My tail stand is a pipe stand I modified for the purpose. Overall, the rig is excellent and solid.

[DaV8or]

Here's some pictures of my rig-

The straps I had made-

Alpha Jacks and the awesome new Harbor Freight ram () in my 30 year old hoist-

The jack stands and steel bar in the nose gear is just added safety for when I'm not swinging the gear. Don't forget to remove when I do swing the gear!! 

The locking rings-

My modification to the pipe stand. I made it so I can also put the original V back on and use it as a pipe stand if I need to.

Rock solid! About $80 on Amazon.

I have since modified this rig so I can now lift just the nose with a bottle jack and take just the front wheel off if I need to.

[carusoam]

Great pics, Dave!

Thanks for sharing all the details.

Best regards,

-a-

[xcrmckenna]

I bought a set of the Harbor Freight jacks and started welding. I’m competent on building the stands. But I don’t have the tools to lathe a set of safety collars.

Is there anyone that has build their jacks out of the HF jacks interested in selling me a set of collars?


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[DaV8or]

51 minutes ago, xcrmckenna said:

I bought a set of the Harbor Freight jacks and started welding. I’m competent on building the stands. But I don’t have the tools to lathe a set of safety collars.

Is there anyone that has build their jacks out of the HF jacks interested in selling me a set of collars?


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Seriously, $10 on Amazon. You need to mic your ram though. They are all different sizes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026GZQVY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[carusoam]

On 3/18/2018 at 1:59 PM, DaV8or said:

Harbor Freight.  True to form, the new ram leaks a little, so the locking ring is absolutely required! The rings are about $10 a piece on Amazon.

Dave,

Thanks for answering this one so quickly.  I spent a few minutes (not telling how many) reading about bottle jacks, but could not find any safety options.

All hydraulic jacks will leak down over time.  Some faster than others.  The leak rate can change from near nothing to very much over time....

Best regards,

-a-