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Nose Wheel SB - squirley on landing roll?


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Hey guys! Jake here, again. You might remember a few weeks ago I made a post on the general thread about advice for the new guy.  Doing transition training in a plane that a family friend is letting me fly for a while.  

First day of complex training today and it all went really well.  The hardest part for me by far has been the ground roll as soon as I touch down.  The owner (family friend with 8-9k hours) has said yeah it’s just a short wheelbase and Mooney’s do that.  I spoke with a fellow Mooney guy from my local field and he advised that there is a SB out for pre 1977 models. The SB includes a spacer for the nose wheel.  Apparently it helps calm it down and not walk all over the runway on landing/ground roll. 

Has anyone experienced this?  I’m sure what I am experiencing is a combination of a new to me, sensitive aircraft, but I’m wondering if it’s harder than it should be.  Going to talk to the owner about it tonight but I’m curious to hear your thoughts. 

Article below; 

http://donmaxwell.com/the-eight-second-ride-sb-m20-202/

https://lasar.com/service-bulletin-kits/service-bulletin-kit-tracking-spacer-m20-202-001

 

Thanks guys! JA 

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1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

If you put in the Laser oversized bushing and shim up or replace the srteering horn, you problems will go away.

I changed my steering horn recently. A HUGE improvement with the overhauled unit from LASAR. Get the hardware package as well. The steering horn is not a very winning design IMHO and the are lots of parts that wear out. lift the front wheel and work it side to side to check yours. 

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Edited by PilotCoyote
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Rod ends that are overly worn in the nose gear can also cause issues with "darting." A good mechanic will likely want to get the nose off the ground and check how much slop is in the nosewheel. This seems like a good place to start. It could just be a case of worn rod ends.

If I remember correctly, checking the nosewheel Castor to know if the spacer is needed requires leveling the plane. 

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Wear is the culprit...

Perfection as a pilot may make the issue non-apparent...

The 8-second ride gets worse with time and additional wear...

Bent or broken parts can also be an issue... some things get broken by towing the plane improperly...

Focus on inspection of the various parts from nose to tail... the rudder may also be showing a fair amount of movement from loose/worn parts...

There is probably guidance in the maintenance manual on how to check the slop and measure what is acceptable and how much is not.

Make it happen...

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic...

Best regards,

-a-

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I had the steering horn replaced as the first repair on my M20K. My transition instructor thought i was totally incompetent and/or trying to kill him by veering off the runway all the time. The replacement horn completely fixed it for me.

The icy runway I slid across yesterday was another story.

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I had a 1965 C that was unstable on the landing rollout just like what you and Don Maxwell's 8 second ride describe.  This was in 1980 before Al invented the internet and people could easily share information.  Thought is was something I was doing. A Mooney shop replaced rod ends and the steering horn.  Uh-uh. More grief followed.  Things can get worse.  Parts broke leaving me with no steering.   I found the SB, showed it to the shop, ordered the spacer, installed and problem solved.  Would roll out straight and where I wanted to go from that point on.  

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Thanks for all of the comments, guys! Going to show this to the owner and we will go from there.  I am not a good enough pilot to KNOW it’s the plane but I know I’m decent enough to keep it straight and not try to knock down the tower on ground roll.  We will investigate.  Much appreciated feedback. 

 

Can anyone estimate the cost to change out the spacer? And what about the rod ends? 

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Not sure what a shop will charge, but they have to:

jack and level aircraft, perform measurement with plumb bob line IAW the SB to determine whether the nose gear requires the spacer.

If spacer is desired, then you remove wheel and axle, compress gear with Mooney tool (unless the Lord insulators are very worn, you will need the tool for the nose gear...the mains are usually easier). Install spacer, Replace collet and retaining bolt. Reassemble .

I would conservatively estimate 3.0 hours, if the shop is familiar with the design. More time if other items are found to be in need of replacement, of course...

not sure which rod ends you are referring to- the ones on the steering horn? If so, I removed them with the horn after removing the forward access panel, so I don’t know whether they can be accessed from inside the wheel house without removing the panel. Hope that helps a little.

Edited by PilotCoyote
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  • 2 years later...
4 hours ago, PT20J said:

I’ve always found it interesting to try to measure .06” between the center of a round axel and a dangling piece of string. ;)

Pretty close to 1/16", easy to see with a tape measure. That's why umbrella bobs are heavy, it keeps the string tight so you can measure to it instead of guessing where you think it might.be.

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Check the wheel for play on the axel. If the nut was not tighten enough you can have a little play that will cause it to dart. Remove the pin tighten a little until you can get the pin in again.
So you have the SB for the spacer assuming that’s the issue. If in the mean time you want to do a little flying until you can get a mechanic to complete the work try this. If you have jacks … jack the mains up about two to three inches. The tires should stay on the ground however it will remove the eight off the pucks and add a little weight to to nose compressing those. The result is temporary however the result is the same as if the spacer is installed..you leave the plane on the jacks overnight. You will like how it tracks. Again not a permanent solution however it will allow you to fly for a few hours after removal from the jacks until you chase down the mechanic for the SB fix.


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