Do you have wheel covers on your Mooney?

[corn_flake]

Do yo have wheel covers on your Mooney?  

https://lasar.com/tires-wheels-brakes/stainless-steel-main-wheel-covers-ss-wheel-cover

I was about to order few items from Lasar and thought it may be a good idea to protect those wheel bearing with a dust covers.  However, look like it may not be possible to check tire pressure with the cover installed.  

[toto]

The only one I've seen that allows you to check tire pressure with the covers on is the Hubba Hubba hub caps from Lopresti. 

[0TreeLemur]

My C has wheel covers, they make it look cooler.   Mine are black.   Chrome look high-speed.  Yes, you gotta take the wheel covers off to check the tire pressure.   Three screws. 

[PT20J]

Took them off my ‘78 so I didn’t have to fool with them for maintenance. Previous owner did me the favor on my ‘94. The felt seals keep dust out of the bearings. If you also want to keep moisture out, Parker now makes automotive-style seals. 

I think leaving the hubcaps off makes it look more like a jet 

[Derek]

On my J (1995) the nose wheel cover has a hole that a tire pressure gauge can fit through, but if I need to inflate I have to take the cover off as the hole isn't big enough for the compressor's attachment.

The main wheels have no such hole.

It is a bit annoying to deal with the covers. But, I like to think it's healthier for the wheels.

[corn_flake]

24 minutes ago, PT20J said:

Took them off my ‘78 so I didn’t have to fool with them for maintenance. Previous owner did me the favor on my ‘94. The felt seals keep dust out of the bearings. If you also want to keep moisture out, Parker now makes automotive-style seals. 

I think leaving the hubcaps off makes it look more like a jet 

 

@PT20J Where may I find said felt seals?  I think that's great idea.  Keep the dust out while not trapping moisture in!!

[Lance Link]

Mine has them.  Frankly, I don't think they are worth the trouble.  And, I want the extra drag when slowing down .  When I paint the plane, I may epoxy coat the wheels and leave them off.  I'd drill holes in them, but don't want to go down the road of unintended consequences and violate the rules.  

[ArtVandelay]

Mine has them.  Frankly, I don't think they are worth the trouble.  And, I want the extra drag when slowing down .  When I paint the plane, I may epoxy coat the wheels and leave them off.  I'd drill holes in them, but don't want to go down the road of unintended consequences and violate the rules.  

I don’t have them and pretty sure no log entry about it. What would the holes do for you?

[Hank]

3 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

I don’t have them and pretty sure no log entry about it. What would the holes do for you?

Give access to the valve stem . . . .

[RLCarter]

2 hours ago, 0TreeLemur said:

Yes, you gotta take the wheel covers off to check the tire pressure.   Three screws. 

3 screws ain’t nothing on a Mooney, if hubcaps would have been installed at the factory you’d have to remove 30

[McMooney]

I have them, sitting on a table probably never to be installed 8).

Purchased fully intending to install but figured it was sooo much easier checking tire pressure without

[GeeBee]

3 hours ago, PT20J said:

Took them off my ‘78 so I didn’t have to fool with them for maintenance. Previous owner did me the favor on my ‘94. The felt seals keep dust out of the bearings. If you also want to keep moisture out, Parker now makes automotive-style seals. 

I think leaving the hubcaps off makes it look more like a jet 

Actually there are "hub caps" there in the center. They actually call them that in the MEL. They also provide rpm input to the anti skid, so if they are off, the anti skid for that wheel is inop.  Also they leave the thru bolts on the periphery exposed, because they are a preflight item  along with cooling. They snap in half with some regularity. Many people are surprised that on a typical wide body you can have up to 7 thru bolts missing, not all adjacent of course. By the way, if the anti skid goes inop, you can cap that brake. However, you have to leave the wheels extended after takeoff for tire spin down. Not because of a spining tire in the well but because the gyro precession forces are very significant on the gear leg during retraction with wheels that size.

[Hank]

9 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

Actually there are "hub caps" there in the center. They actually call them that in the MEL. They also provide rpm input to the anti skid, so if they are off, the anti skid for that wheel is inop.  Also they leave the thru bolts on the periphery exposed, because they are a preflight item  along with cooling. They snap in half with some regularity. Many people are surprised that on a typical wide body you can have up to 7 thru bolts missing, not all adjacent of course. By the way, if the anti skid goes inop, you can cap that brake. However, you have to leave the wheels extended after takeoff for tire spin down. Not because of a spining tire in the well but because the gyro precession forces are very significant on the gear leg during retraction with wheels that size.

What, no "tap the brakes and raise the gear"?? 

[PT20J]

3 hours ago, corn_flake said:

@PT20J Where may I find said felt seals?  I think that's great idea.  Keep the dust out while not trapping moisture in!!

They are a standard part of the wheel assemblies. Felt seals, coated with wheel bearing grease, will keep dirt out of the bearings and are usually used in machinery where minimum friction is required. They are not so great at keeping out moisture. I have no idea why Cleveland used them for wheels, but its been that way forever. I replaced mine with the new rubber style seals which are called out by note in the Mooney Illustrated Parts Catalog. They are ridiculously expense, but not as expensive as the magnesium wheels which were starting to pit in the area of the seal due to moisture entrapment.

Skip

[corn_flake]

May be I'll give Airstop a try.  My nose wheel needs top off almost every month.  I got into an habit of checking it every flight.  

[carusoam]

Airstops are magic for that...

-a-

[GeeBee]

11 hours ago, Hank said:

What, no "tap the brakes and raise the gear"?? 

If you have a brake "capped" (meaning the pressure line is removed) the entire brake for that wheel is inoperative. Tapping the brakes won't do anything because there is no brake pressure to that wheel. That said, in ops normal, brake pressure is applied to all wheels automatically when gear is selected up.

The 737 has to take that a step further because if you shred a tire on T/O the spinning tire can cause damage to vital equipment in the wheel well. So it has a  hydraulic "fuse" that sticks down just outside the circumference of the well which will break off from the spinning tire shreds and depressurize that gear from retraction mode.

 

[ArtVandelay]

May be I'll give Airstop a try.  My nose wheel needs top off almost every month.  I got into an habit of checking it every flight.  

Airstops don’t work for me on the high pressure (49) nose tire.

[DonMuncy]

23 hours ago, toto said:

The only one I've seen that allows you to check tire pressure with the covers on is the Hubba Hubba hub caps from Lopresti. 

Take a look at my album to see my solution for hubcaps with pressure checking ability.

[toto]

9 minutes ago, DonMuncy said:

Take a look at my album to see my solution for hubcaps with pressure checking ability.

I just looked at it, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at - are the little white circles plastic plugs?  Do you remove the plugs and then check pressure through the hole?

 

[DonMuncy]

3 minutes ago, toto said:

I just looked at it, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at - are the little white circles plastic plugs?  Do you remove the plugs and then check pressure through the hole?

 

They are "snap-in" metal hole plugs, available in the aviation department of Lowes, etc.  You do have to use an "extender" on the valve stem, available at Pep Boys, etc.

[toto]

37 minutes ago, DonMuncy said:

They are "snap-in" metal hole plugs, available in the aviation department of Lowes, etc.  You do have to use an "extender" on the valve stem, available at Pep Boys, etc.

So I guess you have to drill a hole in your wheel covers to add the plugs?

[DonMuncy]

1 hour ago, toto said:

So I guess you have to drill a hole in your wheel covers to add the plugs?

My hangar elf made mine, but yes, if you have covers you could punch the holes. (Greenlee punches work best)

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, DonMuncy said:

My hangar elf made mine, but yes, if you have covers you could punch the holes. (Greenlee punches work best)

Your elf is really good at cutting circles 

[DonMuncy]

20 minutes ago, PT20J said:

Your elf is really good at cutting circles 

Actually he has a plywood circle and a router.