Are the hub caps required?

[DonMuncy]

My hangar elf built my aluminum hubcaps with a hole (properly located for the valve stem) that is covered by a "snap-in" plug (available at Home Depot, etc.). Then use a short extension on the stem for adding air. Thus no need to unscrew mounting screws for the hubcap. (Take a look at my album)

[0TreeLemur]

4 hours ago, Pasturepilot said:

The hubcaps are a nice dust cover to help keep dirt out of your wheel bearings... or grease out of view, depending on your point of view. 

Over time, the threads in those soft aluminum wheels do get worn - mine are pretty well shot at this point. The screw holes wear even quicker if you use cheap tire tubes since you'll be airing those suckers up all the dang time. 

I want to add to this.  Our wheel bearings are not sealed.   They are held in place by a big nut that sandwiches the bearings in between two pieces of felt sandwiched by thin steel washers.    Taxiing on wet surfaces presents a great opportunity for water to wick into the bearing assembly and corrode stuff.   The worse case of corrosion is pitting of the axle, which creates an expensive repair.   Anything you can do to help keep water out of those bearings is a good idea.

I've seen a Mooney with a hub-cap on both sides of the nose gear for that purpose.  If I could find one for the "inside" of my nose gear I'd put it on too.

 

[kortopates]

2 minutes ago, 0TreeLemur said:

I want to add to this.  Our wheel bearings are not sealed.   They are held in place by a big nut that sandwiches the bearings in between two pieces of felt sandwiched by thin steel washers.    Taxiing on wet surfaces presents a great opportunity for water to wick into the bearing assembly and corrode stuff.   The worse case of corrosion is pitting of the axle, which creates an expensive repair.   Anything you can do to help keep water out of those bearings is a good idea.

I've seen a Mooney with a hub-cap on both sides of the nose gear for that purpose.  If I could find one for the "inside" of my nose gear I'd put it on too.

 

LASAR sells/sold the polished hub caps for both side of the nose wheel. Multiple options exist for main wheels (plastic and aluminum).

Parker makes a plastic bearing seal that is more effective in keeping moisture out than the original felt. They're available from Spruce. For some reason the nose wheel bearing seals are almost twice as expensive than the main wheel bearing seals.

[cliffy]

I find it amazing that none of you have ever heard of using valve grinding compound on a  phillips screwdriver tip to remove screws with  wallowed out heads. 

[PT20J]

41 minutes ago, cliffy said:

I find it amazing that none of you have ever heard of using valve grinding compound on a  phillips screwdriver tip to remove screws with  wallowed out heads. 

Old mechanic’s trick. I’ve done that with some success if they aren’t too wallowed out. Like most things, prevention is best.

The fact that Phillips screws cam out easily is actually a design feature that was supposed to prevent over torquing. To damage the screw requires severe over torque. Many people tighten screws (and bolts) too tight.

Best advice is to buy high quality screw drivers, use non-slip bits for electric drivers, and always tighten by hand to avoid over torquing. I also like to use stainless steel screws for non-structural applications.

Skip

[Shadrach]

53 minutes ago, cliffy said:

I find it amazing that none of you have ever heard of using valve grinding compound on a  phillips screwdriver tip to remove screws with  wallowed out heads. 

That does not work when the screw head has been essentially countersunk by someone with power driver.

[cliffy]

6 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

That does not work when the screw head has been essentially countersunk by someone with power driver.

Tim the Tool Man    :More power, More power!

[0TreeLemur]

17 minutes ago, PT20J said:

Best advice is to buy high quality screw drivers, use non-slip bits for electric drivers, and always tighten by hand to avoid over torquing. I also like to use stainless steel screws for non-structural applications.

My dearly departed A&P Dave recommended screwdrivers with embedded industrial diamonds.   Not terribly expensive.  Worked great when new, but seem to have a half-life.

I bathe inspection panel screws in Corrosion-X before installation.  Seems to help, maybe a little.

[Pinecone]

On 10/9/2022 at 12:47 PM, A64Pilot said:

If you have access to a set of vise grips, pulling on the screw as you unscrew it will usually get it out, if not then put something under the head of the screw and pry it out as you unscrew it, like a flat tip screwdriver, pen knife whatever.

On edit I reread it, screw head stripped, vise grips is your best bet, or taking a flat tip with a hammer and using it like a chisel to turn a screw often works too.

It was one of the screws you cannot grip the head with vise grips.  

Finally got it off with a better screw driver and some Screw Grab.

[PT20J]

3 hours ago, Pinecone said:

It was one of the screws you cannot grip the head with vise grips.  

Finally got it off with a better screw driver and some Screw Grab.

Whatever works!

[A64Pilot]

22 hours ago, cliffy said:

I find it amazing that none of you have ever heard of using valve grinding compound on a  phillips screwdriver tip to remove screws with  wallowed out heads. 

Spit on the screwdriver head, stick it into Ajax or Comet, often found in the FBO bathroom

[Yetti]

Dremel cut off wheel cut a slot.  Get the big bladed snap on screw driver.   Use a #2 snap on phillips to prevent stripping in the first place.   What is nice about snap on screw drivers is you can put a wrench on them if you have weak hands or your grip is gone after a long day.  The wrench allows to put most of the muscle force into the screw  while gaining leverage with the wrench.

[Pinecone]

This stuff - https://www.amazon.com/Align-Rite-Screwgrab/dp/B0000DD2JZ

 

Then Dremel a slot.

[Fly Boomer]

4 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

This stuff - https://www.amazon.com/Align-Rite-Screwgrab/dp/B0000DD2JZ

 

Then Dremel a slot.

The seller on Amazon helpfully told me it is odorless and non-toxic, but didn’t explain what does.  Maybe it glues your screwdriver to the screw so they become one — turning the screwdriver turns the screw?

[EricJ]

You can save a lot of time and just go straight to a screw extractor. 

 

[MBDiagMan]

I find the hubcaps easy to deal with.  I keep a creeper in the hangar.  Once I throw it down with a Philips screwdriver, pressure gauge and air hose close at hand it only takes a few minutes to check/service all three tires.  I have the stem location marked so I remove two screws and loosen one.  Pivot the hubcap out of the way and snug the screw.  Check and pressure the tire and put the hubcap back in place.  I can do it about as quick as I can describe it.

Do the hubcaps serve any purpose beyond looking good when on the ground?  Nope, nothing, but my plane has fresh paint and great ramp appeal, so pride is the only thing that makes them advantageous.

[Pinecone]

18 hours ago, Fly Boomer said:

The seller on Amazon helpfully told me it is odorless and non-toxic, but didn’t explain what does.  Maybe it glues your screwdriver to the screw so they become one — turning the screwdriver turns the screw?

It increases the friction so the screwdriver doesn't spin around.

A guy I knew was the first person I know to sell it.  At shows he screw a Philips screw into something, then purposely mess up the screw.  He would have to you try to remove the screw.  NO WAY.  A drop of screw grab, and it came out like a new undamaged screw.

The spit and Ajax that AH64 mentioned is the same idea.  But Screw Grab works better.

This is the company of the guy I know - https://www.solderit.com/

 

His Solder-It products are also pretty amazing.

[GeeBee]

I use this with a Milwaukee bit. Every stuck screw I have ever had succumbs to it. When I first got my Ovation a lot of wing panel screws were busted out with this with no damage to the anchor nuts. Replaced them all with stainless soaked in LPS.

https://www.yardstore.com/air-capital-screw-extractor-screw-knocker-old-man-combo

[DonMuncy]

28 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

I use this with a Milwaukee bit. Every stuck screw I have ever had succumbs to it. When I first got my Ovation a lot of wing panel screws were busted out with this with no damage to the anchor nuts. Replaced them all with stainless soaked in LPS.

https://www.yardstore.com/air-capital-screw-extractor-screw-knocker-old-man-combo

How do they work? The website is not informative.

[Fly Boomer]

38 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

I use this with a Milwaukee bit. Every stuck screw I have ever had succumbs to it. When I first got my Ovation a lot of wing panel screws were busted out with this with no damage to the anchor nuts. Replaced them all with stainless soaked in LPS.

https://www.yardstore.com/air-capital-screw-extractor-screw-knocker-old-man-combo

what does it do?  How does it work?

[M20F]

44 minutes ago, Fly Boomer said:

what does it do?  How does it work?

 

[Fly Boomer]

5 minutes ago, M20F said:

 

Thanks!  Guess I need an air hammer?

[GeeBee]

Thanks guys, yes you need an air hammer. You don't need to spend a lot of money for one. I use one of those 50 dollar Home Depot specials. You insert the shank in the air hammer, the screw bit on the screw. One hand on the lever. Pull the trigger and rotate the lever to loosen the screw. Bazinga!

[Fly Boomer]

Just now, GeeBee said:

Thanks guys, yes you need an air hammer. You don't need to spend a lot of money for one. I use one of those 50 dollar Home Depot specials. You insert the shank in the air hammer, the screw bit on the screw. One hand on the lever. Pull the trigger and rotate the lever to loosen the screw. Bazinga!

Back in my motorcycle days, I had a device with a spring-loaded ramp inside that accomplished the same thing by striking it with a hammer.  This new-fangled gizmo appears to be much faster.

[GeeBee]

4 minutes ago, Fly Boomer said:

Back in my motorcycle days, I had a device with a spring-loaded ramp inside that accomplished the same thing by striking it with a hammer.  This new-fangled gizmo appears to be much faster.

Yeah this works much better.