3D-Printed Wheel Chocks

[Z W]

I made some wheel chocks, and they turned out better than expected.  I 3D-printed these on a Creality CR-10.  The rope is 3-strand braided paracord, with the ends sealed with electrical heat-shrink.  Any 3/8" rope would probably do.

They weigh in at just under two pounds, with the rope.  I thought I would share the idea and files in an attempt to give back a little to this community that has helped me so much.  I don't post much, but I read a lot.

Details: These are PLA plastic, printed at 50% infill.  That's the wrong material, but I had planned to go through several iterations, and I had a spare roll of PLA to start.  They are nice enough I'm just going to see how long they last.  The next set will be ABS or PETG. 
 This was my first attempt at a filament change (red to black for the letters) and it was really easy.  The print took about two and a half days, and used almost a full 1kg roll of filament.  I designed them in Fusion 360. 

 Pictures and files to follow.  I removed my N-number from the files.  Adding your own is pretty easy though.

I got started on this because I bought some chocks off Amazon, but they were very heavy and bulky.  I wanted something light-weight, durable, high-vis, and with the plane's N-number on them so maybe they won't wander away.  I want them to live on the hat rack in the back and always be available for short stops, fueling on slight inclines, etc, without eating into the useful load.  At under 2 lbs, I think they fit the mission.  I'm very happy with how they turned out, and I hope someone else finds this useful.

Fusion 360 File: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjJPoJhv9yifh4hTLxSOGN5CCDkJYw?e=7X6jQn
STL File: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjJPoJhv9yifh4hVrUax1fYaCavXPw?e=1o7qus

[Rick Junkin]

Very nice!!! Thanks so much for sharing your work.

Cheers,
Rick

[Chocks]

Ooh I like that! You can even get close to your color scheme if you like. 
Kickass! Thanks for sharing this. 

[Z W]

Just now, "Chocks" said:

Ooh I like that! You can even get close to your color scheme if you like. 
Kickass! Thanks for sharing this. 

I debated back and forth between matching the plane's color scheme, and going with red for high visibility.  In the end, I went with the red.  Matching colors would be just as easy to do, though, if you're more confident than I am in your ability to remember to remove the chocks before taxi.

[Chocks]

Just now, Zane Williams said:

I debated back and forth between matching the plane's color scheme, and going with red for high visibility.  In the end, I went with the red.  Matching colors would be just as easy to do, though, if you're more confident than I am in your ability to remember to remove the chocks before taxi.

I got my callsign for a reason... “remembering to” is not why. Hehe

[Chocks]

I’d be happy to fund development of another set to further your material tests. 

[whiskytango]

Nice job.  Having your tail number so prominently built into the chocks makes it less likely that they will "walk away".  It's hard to believe, but I have experienced situations where someone believed that it was more important for their wheels to be chocked than mine. 

[Hank]

7 hours ago, whiskytango said:

Nice job.  Having your tail number so prominently built into the chocks makes it less likely that they will "walk away".  It's hard to believe, but I have experienced situations where someone believed that it was more important for their wheels to be chocked than mine. 

Did any pebbles find their way under the valve stem caps when you reclaimed your chocks?  

[Jim Peace]

13 hours ago, Hank said:

Did any pebbles find their way under the valve stem caps when you reclaimed your chocks?  

Thats so NJ....I like it

[Hank]

14 minutes ago, Jim Peace said:

Thats so NJ....I like it

I've been called a lot of things over the years, but never a yankee!!

[carusoam]

Worse... a NJ Yankee...   

-a-

[FJC]

Very nice!

[lakinzo]

I also have bought some wheel chocks on Amazon. Due to the size of the blocks I had to trim off 1/4 of an inch to get them to fit between my dual axle travel trailer. I use these with a LevelmatePro for a quick and easy job of leveling the trailer. No more guessing 1,2 or 3 boards then pulling on and off until you are close to level. With these you can get the trailer perfectly level. Just use the parking brake and chock them tight to keep everything level.

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by lakinzo

[exM20K]

I got a pair of lightweight plastic chocks with the plane.  They are thin, but sturdy, with some gussets on the underside. Similar to these https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/ASAwheelChocks.php I believe.  1# per set.  Cool what you can do with the 3D printer.

little bits of weight really add up.  I once dumped the plane to weigh all the extra headsets, oil, blankets, chocks, umbrellas, baby wipes, flashlights, O2 supplies, plexus, cleaning cloths, etc etc.  I was not pleased and have edited down that stuff considerably  

-dan

[A64Pilot]

Mine are Thrush wing spar attach angles that were misdrilled so scrap. Aluminum so they don’t weigh much at all.

Mooney drivers actually pay money for chocks?

Fly long enough and everyone will eventually try to taxi with chocks, even try with the tail tied down. Even had a guy show up at the plant dragging a bucket of concrete from the tailwheel, when he got out I asked if it flew funny, he got a look and said yes it took a lot of nose down trim, why? I don’t know what he thought a bucket full of concrete would do in high winds.

[DonMuncy]

29 minutes ago, A64Pilot said:

Mooney drivers actually pay money for chocks?

 

About the only thing stronger than the CB tendencies of MSers is the desire for increased "ramp appeal".

[A64Pilot]

I get the custom ones, I’m asking about the one bought from AC Spruce etc. to me that’s Bonanza.

‘Mooney drivers I expected a piece of 2X4