Nose wheel jack

[MikeOH]

On 10/28/2019 at 8:45 PM, PT20J said:

When I need to jack the whole airplane, I take it to my mechanic's hanger and use his aircraft jacks and engine hoist.

But, often I just need to jack one wheel. Recently, I had the need to raise the nose wheel. I had a local fabricator make the tool shown for about forty bucks. It's a ten inch length of 1 inch diameter solid bar stock welded to a short piece of one inch ID pipe. Works great.

The same bottle jack works for raising one wheel. I just remove the adjustable screw/pad and the hole in the top of the piston mates nicely with the conical Mooney jack points. (The screw/pad is usually bunged up so that it doesn't come out when fully extended. I clamped the piston in a vice with rubber jaws and worked the screw out, Then I cleaned up the threads on the end. Now I can screw it in or out of the piston easily).

Skip

Curious what you are using for safety?

I was taught never to trust the O-ring in an hydraulic jack.  Always used safety stands with cars, and aircraft jacks have safety wheels built-in.

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, MikeOH said:

Curious what you are using for safety?

I was taught never to trust the O-ring in an hydraulic jack.  Always used safety stands with cars, and aircraft jacks have safety wheels built-in.

I always lower the car onto jack stands when I’m crawling under it. Since the plane is tall enough not to crush me, I just let the jack support it until I get the wheel off and the I put some wood blocks under the axel. I only use this method to lift one wheel at a time. 
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[Hank]

On 10/30/2019 at 12:03 AM, PT20J said:

The tail tie down is ahead of the empennage. Still, Mooney SIM20-114 recommends against using the tail tie down and instead suggests lifting the engine with a hoist. That same SI also says not to fly with the wing tie down rings installed 

And Lycoming now says to not lift the whole nose of the plane from the engine hoist locations, only the weight of the engine.

I've lifted my nose wheel by stacking two cases of oil, a large wrench roll and some approach plates on the horizontal stab with the plane up on jacks . . . . A washtub on wheels full of concrete with an eye bolt, chained to the rear tie down, works too . . . . .

[MikeOH]

1 hour ago, PT20J said:

I always lower the car onto jack stands when I’m crawling under it. Since the plane is tall enough not to crush me, I just let the jack support it until I get the wheel off and the I put some wood blocks under the axel. I only use this method to lift one wheel at a time. 
Skip

Makes sense.  Thanks!

[carusoam]

Then engine guys don’t like the idea of jacking the plane up using the engine...

They don’t even like pushing the plane back by the prop...

PP thoughts only, my plane has a jack point as part of the engine mount...

I would have thought it would catch on after a couple of decades...

Best regards,

-a-

[Raptor05121]

The scissor jack from my car worked great. Low enough to fit under the axle, wide enough to grab it as it went up. Changed my nose wheel tube in 20 minutes.

[MooneyMitch]

16 hours ago, carusoam said:

Then engine guys don’t like the idea of jacking the plane up using the engine...

They don’t even like pushing the plane back by the prop...

PP thoughts only, my plane has a jack point as part of the engine mount...

I would have thought it would catch on after a couple of decades...

Best regards,

-a-

Yes, long body nose jack point, or should I say "hoist",  is most safe and useful, eliminates need all other possible options.

[corn_flake]

What's great idea!  But, you are placing alot faith on that small weld.  

I would suggest adding a small gusset preferable on the wheel side of the weld.  

[PT20J]

45 minutes ago, corn_flake said:

What's great idea!  But, you are placing alot faith on that small weld.  

I would suggest adding a small gusset preferable on the wheel side of the weld.  

Actually, there isn’t any appreciable force on the weld. The jack pad lifts on the solid horizontal rod. The short piece of pipe just keeps the jack centered on the rod.

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