Wing Jack

[A64Pilot]

Anybody put a 6” or so extension on one of the things and used it? Or better just get a longer piece of square tubing and still have a great jack stand for a pickup etc too.

Trying to decide why it wouldn’t be a good Acft jack, positive locking and way more capacity than needed and probably less than $100 a jack all in. I particularly like the positive lock.

https://www.amazon.com/Alltrade-640912-Black-All-Bottle/dp/B003ULZGFU/ref=sr_1_4?crid=19T2PNW3XB1CW&keywords=unijack&qid=1682618233&sprefix=unijack%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

[Tim-37419]

I had rigged up a bottle jack for my RV7A. I only used it to jack one side and pull a wheel. It wasn’t as solid as an expensive wing jack but it didn’t feel unsafe either. I would not have trusted two to get the whole plane off the ground but one side and some blocking under the axle worked fine.

 

 

[A64Pilot]

This thing has a 9” square base, but I agree a regular bottle jack would need a bigger base, you could just weld a piece of 12x12 plate under it to get a bigger base too.

‘I’d have to try it, but surely a 9x9 base on level concrete would be OK?

‘Or a couple pieces of 4x4 square tubing, that would also work to raise it enough I believe

[Tim-37419]

As soon as you declare success I’m going to order one or two as well 

[A64Pilot]

26 minutes ago, Tim-37419 said:

As soon as you declare success I’m going to order one or two as well 

I just went out and measured the airplane, it’s 26” from the jackpoint to the floor, add an inch for the dimple to make it stable, then 6” of lift and we are at 33”.

That’s a foot more than this thing out of the box, and may be too much?

Thinking of doing what most everyone else does, buy a 24” bottle jack and knock up an X type of base with braces, but then you don’t have a positive up lock.

So still thinking, I’ve been borrowing jacks and they are factory “aircraft” jacks, but old and if an O-ring blows its coming down all at once. I want something I can leave on jacks overnight and not worry.

‘Military jacks had a big threaded nut if you will that you screwed down as the jack was raised, so it couldn’t fall if the hydraulics blew, and I’ve looked, those are $$$ as in thousands, so no.

Been scheming, even considered a regular bottle jack put under a regular tripod jack stand, actually stole that idea from someone here.

Think this thing, put a bottle jack under it, while jacking up the inside tube, turn down the big lock collar, when fully jacked up release pressure on the jack which puts all pressure on the legs, saw the big V thing off of course. If you keep the screw thing snug there is no gap between the tripod and the floor, so airplane can’t fall off.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X8H1VVD/?coliid=I1Q6JOD26HS0L5&colid=3IJ05K8APAID9&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

[rickseeman]

What about this one?

https://www.amazon.com/Mophorn-V-Head-Adjustable-Folding-Portable/dp/B07HNLGJMZ/ref=pd_bxgy_vft_med_sccl_1/140-5214894-7043609?pd_rd_w=yt8kV&content-id=amzn1.sym.26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_p=26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_r=VW8HTDDH65RF8JCS2M5N&pd_rd_wg=gxdNh&pd_rd_r=889f66b6-4459-4f7b-91f1-75c09059cd27&pd_rd_i=B07HNLGJMZ&psc=1

 

[ArtVandelay]

What about this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Mophorn-V-Head-Adjustable-Folding-Portable/dp/B07HNLGJMZ/ref=pd_bxgy_vft_med_sccl_1/140-5214894-7043609?pd_rd_w=yt8kV&content-id=amzn1.sym.26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_p=26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_r=VW8HTDDH65RF8JCS2M5N&pd_rd_wg=gxdNh&pd_rd_r=889f66b6-4459-4f7b-91f1-75c09059cd27&pd_rd_i=B07HNLGJMZ&psc=1
 

You’ll have to figure out how to remove the V part.

[rickseeman]

I can remove anything. It's putting it back on that causes me problems.

[rickseeman]

Where do you buy the jack pads to screw in the wings?

[Fly Boomer]

8 minutes ago, rickseeman said:

Where do you buy the jack pads to screw in the wings?

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/jackpointsmooney.php

They don't screw in.

[rickseeman]

Thank you. Does the nose use the same item?

[Fly Boomer]

Just now, rickseeman said:

Thank you. Does the nose use the same item?

I'm not sure on yours.  Mine has no jack point on the nose.

[N201MKTurbo]

I wouldn't feel good climbing in and out of the plane with the wheels up, with the plane sitting on those. My jacks have a base that is about 2 feet.

[Skates97]

Years ago I just bit the bullet and bought the Alpha Aviation Jacks and haven't ever regretted the decision. Looks like $800 for a pair now, I don't remember what I spent then. Over the course of 6 1/2 years of ownership that's a drop in the bucket, not even a rounding error.

https://alphaaviation.com/324w-3-ton-low-wing-jack-24-40/

[rickseeman]

It looks like the top of the jack is a cup shape. The Mooney jack points look pointed. Do you use an adapter on those? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, Skates97 said:

Years ago I just bit the bullet and bought the Alpha Aviation Jacks and haven't ever regretted the decision. Looks like $800 for a pair now, I don't remember what I spent then. Over the course of 6 1/2 years of ownership that's a drop in the bucket, not even a rounding error.

https://alphaaviation.com/324w-3-ton-low-wing-jack-24-40/

Same here.   No regrets there.    They're good jacks, the wheels are useful, and the locks are very good.    I got mine after the pair I bought from AS that were labelled as "for Mooney" were way too tall, unusable, and were a nightmare to return.   So I bought the Alphas directly from them.

[larryb]

I also bought the Alpha jacks. I bought them when I needed to change my own tire. I am sure I could have rigged up something cheaper, but in this case the cost of a failure so very high I didn't want to take any chances. 

[ArtVandelay]

Years ago I just bit the bullet and bought the Alpha Aviation Jacks and haven't ever regretted the decision. Looks like $800 for a pair now, I don't remember what I spent then. Over the course of 6 1/2 years of ownership that's a drop in the bucket, not even a rounding error.
https://alphaaviation.com/324w-3-ton-low-wing-jack-24-40/

They don’t show a locking collar?

[Guest]

3 hours ago, rickseeman said:

Thank you. Does the nose use the same item?

Depending on the jack, you can use the same three points on a long body.  As for the jack stands in your other post you could cut the top off the threaded post and drill a deep Vee in the top to mate up to the Mooney jack point.  Plenty of grease on the thread should make it possible to lift the plane.  A hangar neighbour has something similar.

[rickseeman]

That's what I was thinking. I have a lathe and could machine a receptacle in the top of the screw. For less than $100 it seems worth a try. 

[Skates97]

1 hour ago, ArtVandelay said:

They don’t show a locking collar?

In the picture just showing the shaft it doesn't have it, but there is a locking collar. In the main picture you can see it, little black ring, tighten it with two allen bolts, wrench is hanging off the bolt in the picture.

[Fly Boomer]

57 minutes ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Mine came from The Jack House 40 and 15 years ago.  I have two sets.  All with locking collars.  Modifying car jacks is a mistake in most cases. Even if the extensions were properly done I don’t think nine inch bases would give me the stability I would want climbing in and out of the plane to swing the gear.  
 

http://www.jackhouse.com

They may be out of business.  Tried 10 or 15 links on that web site -- all links broken.  Nothing on "eBay Store" either.

[RLCarter]

A friend has 1 he uses on his fixed gear Cessna, works ok but it will “shift” do to the jack not being under the ram that contacts the aircraft. As mentioned, the base isn’t big enough for my liking, but that’s an easy fix

[Tim-37419]

1 hour ago, RLCarter said:

A friend has 1 he uses on his fixed gear Cessna, works ok but it will “shift” do to the jack not being under the ram that contacts the aircraft. As mentioned, the base isn’t big enough for my liking, but that’s an easy fix

@RLCarter - are you talking about the original jack asked about or one of the others in the thread?

[Z W]

Just picked up a set of these and used them for the first time yesterday:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/alphaJacks.php

They worked great for the Mooney, the 324 model is the perfect size.  This was my first time jacking up any aircraft, though I've done lots of work on cars and ground-based equipment.

Looked at several threads and options to build or modify a set of jacks.  Decided if I did that and managed to knock the plane off and put a jack up through the wing, I'd feel pretty bad about it.

Having used the purpose-designed item, I would not hack something together for this, and I've been known to hack things together from time to time.  The jack points on the wings are tiny.  The plane is a little wonky and tipsy until you have it stabilized up in the air.  Many tasks involve climbing in and out of the plane and swinging the gear.  This is something that deserves an engineered solution, in my opinion.  If you're going to do it, I'd spend some time on the engineering, and maybe get a set of real aircraft jacks to copy.  

I was impressed by the design and sturdiness of the ones linked above.  Thought the price was steep until I got them, but now would do it again.