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Show Me Your Tail Anchor


MBDiagMan

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I have need to put the Mooney on jacks.  I have the jacks on the way, so now I need to lag an anchor point to the hangar floor.  My thinking is to over engineer it by about five to one, but that is a side comment.

Show me what you used in your hangar floor.  I would like to find some standard hardware piece of some sort.  I will use flush mount lag nuts, so I can remove it when no in use to eliminate a trip hazard.

Thanks!

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My A&P screwed wheels onto a galvanized tub, then bent a piece of all-thread so it would stand up with the end higher than the sides. Fill with concrete, let harden. Attach turnbuckle to the allthread, then eyebolt. Use rope / chain of your choice up to the airplane. 

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Piece of steel tubing with boards across so tubing does not pull through the bags of sacreate.   Two bags of sacreate each side.  1" tubular webbing with a stainless carabiener.  So you need about 230lbs.  It will work with 2 bags....   but is sketchy

tailtiedown.jpg

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I've put a case of oil on the horizontal stab, bound approach plates and a wrench roll on the other stab, then added misc stuff from the shelves until it balanced. The electric gear can be moved from outside, reaching in the storm window. 

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I put that anchor in the floor the day after I got this hangar in ‘93. 

There is 8 inches of lead anchor in the floor, the concrete is thicker than that. It took about 3 hours to drill that hole with a hammer drill. They must have used granite for aggregate!   

1B84BE3B-3DC5-4567-8579-A05653CB5FD9.jpeg

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2 hours ago, MBDiagMan said:

Thanks for the weight ideas.  I prefer a floor anchor because of the lack of need for storage while not in use.

I was too lazy to weld a link on a plate then find the Hilti hammer and pop it onto the floor.   Moveable is better because you move it to the plane vs. moving the plane to the tie down.   Those bags of sacrete stay there year round.   They are out of the way since you can't walk under the horizontal stabilizer.

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Thanks for the good info RL!  As I recall, the lift point on my Lycoming is not like the one pictured.  As I recall, it is simply a flat piece of metal held on with two bolts and a big hole at the top.  Seems like I read somewhere that it should not be used for this purpose.  Your attachment is very compelling.  I don’t mind buying a cherry picker, but sure hate to have to use space to store it.

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I use a nylon strap at the top motor mounts, I don't like cherry pickers because they can bleed down over time, so I built an A-frame and bought a chain hoist. I've left my plane jacked for several weeks and never worried about it bleeding down and possibly falling off the jacks

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2 Meyers aircraft jacks - bought used

Pittsburgh engine hoist - about $175.00

Steel frame on wheels with concrete square about 3' X 3' X 10" with adjustable vertical arrachment

The plan is very stable on 4 points

John Breda

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2 minutes ago, MBDiagMan said:

I think it must have been you RL that sent me the AFrame plans.  You can tell I’ve been all over that one.:wacko:

Probably, my jacks, tail stand and A-frame are overkill,  I tend to overbuild things at times

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57 minutes ago, MBDiagMan said:

I am ready for the jacks to arrive.  My tail anchor is ready and plane in position.  How high do I need to raise the wheels off the floor to safely swing the gear?

You need to lift it high enough to get the safety locks in place. Most of the work is done from a floor creeper, height is subjective.

Clarence

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Here is my follow up.  Hopefully it will be helpful to someone along the way.

I got jacks and I marked off an area at the back center of my hangar which I use as the maintenance area.  I made a line directly under the tail tie down perpindicular to the aircraft centerline.  I marked a spot directly under the tiedown and made two holes three feet to either side of the aircraft centerline.   I put a 1/2” drop in anchor in each hole.  These use a 3/8” bolt and are good for more than 2,000 tension and a little less in shear..  I bolted a chain to each anchor with a turnbuckle on each chain and counted off the links so each chain was the same length and set both turnbuckles to the same medium length.

When I started jacking up the plane on each side the chains were almost taut and one was a little more loose than the other.  I tightened a turnbuckle a little for equal tension and jacked the plane until I could slide a 2x4 block under each wheel.  The plane was incredibly stable.  I am very pleased with this arrangement and when I am finished using it, I will roll the jacks to the side and put the chains with them.  I will put set screws in the anchors to keep dirt and grime out of the threads until I use them again.

I will try to remember to post some pictures.

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Also remember to check the quality of the tie-down threads back at the tail... some of the tale tie downs have had a tough life...

My M20C’s eye bolt had a certain bend to it and its eye was ground thin on the bottom... :)

PP thoughts only,

-a-

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SI M20-114 describes the proper procedure to follow. It specifically states:

“It is not recommended to use tail-tie down fitting during jacking process to lift nose wheel off ground.”

and warns strongly: 

“DO NOT USE PROPELLER JACKS
OR PROPELLER STANDS”

 

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4 hours ago, PTK said:

SI M20-114 describes the proper procedure to follow. It specifically states:

“It is not recommended to use tail-tie down fitting during jacking process to lift nose wheel off ground.”

and warns strongly: 

“DO NOT USE PROPELLER JACKS
OR PROPELLER STANDS”

 

And Lycoming says to not lift the nose of the plane using the engine hoist point.

So we all need to practice our levitation skills . . . . .

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Turns out I made the gear swing just fine.  There is some concern that the air speed switch diaphragm might be sticky, but the gear is working fine.  Leads me to believe that i did indeed knock the breaker out when working under the panel.

it is very good to know that I can now raise the plane and swing the gear when I need to.  It will make annual time a little more flexible also.

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3 hours ago, Hank said:

And Lycoming says to not lift the nose of the plane using the engine hoist point.

So we all need to practice our levitation skills . . . . .

Mooney as the airframe manufacturer is the authority and has published the SI on how to jack up the airplane. That’s what I’d follow. 

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8 hours ago, PTK said:

SI M20-114 describes the proper procedure to follow. It specifically states:

“It is not recommended to use tail-tie down fitting during jacking process to lift nose wheel off ground.”

and warns strongly: 

“DO NOT USE PROPELLER JACKS
OR PROPELLER STANDS”

 

Does anyone know the MSC shops do it!

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27 minutes ago, PTK said:

Mooney as the airframe manufacturer is the authority and has published the SI on how to jack up the airplane. That’s what I’d follow. 

You're right. The airframe people say lift by the engine, never mind what the engine maker says, right?  :wacko:

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40 minutes ago, Hank said:

You're right. The airframe people say lift by the engine, never mind what the engine maker says, right?  :wacko:

The engine maker will refer you to the airframe manufacturer. The Mooney SI is the official document. If you ask Lycoming, as I have, they will direct you to Mooney.

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