Tie downs and chocks

[billy hellcat]

Heading to oshgosh on Wednesday.  I need to get some tie downs. What do you all use?  Also some chocks probably.  Just curious.   M20c

[hammdo]

I like these for chocks…

https://ropechocks.com/

[Greg Ellis]

I have been using this tiedown kit for 8 Oshkosh's now.  It has never failed me.

The Claw Aircraft Tie Down | Aircraft Spruce

The folks up at Oshkosh say to avoid the screw in type because they can back out in a good wind.

[Rick Junkin]

35 minutes ago, billy hellcat said:

Heading to oshgosh on Wednesday.  I need to get some tie downs. What do you all use?  Also some chocks probably.  Just curious.   M20c

https://bigscrewtiedown.com

I use a Milwaukee 12V impact wrench to put them in the ground.

You'll also want something to put under your wheels to keep them from sinking into the ground. These work great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXE0MBM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cheers,
Rick

[RLCarter]

Previous years of the FAR/AIM make for Good chocks………. .  Tie it down good, Oshkosh tends to always have at least one day of storms

[Jim Peace]

I suggest you go to Walmart etc and buy three cheap plastic cutting boards in the kitchen dept.  Put one behind each tire and then push your plane on them.  Makes it so your plane does not sink into that soft wet grass over your days there....When you leave just pull the plane forward and bit and remove them and be on your way...

 

[Joshua Blackh4t]

Just curious, has anyone ever seen or had a mooney be blown away/damaged by wind?

I generally don't tie down my E and I have had her in gale force winds without moving. I feel the worst for her when its a wind from the side and all the force is trying to push the tail and putting force on the nose. 

[Fly Boomer]

3 hours ago, billy hellcat said:

Heading to oshgosh on Wednesday.  I need to get some tie downs. What do you all use?  Also some chocks probably.  Just curious.   M20c

See attached.  Confirms what @Rick Junkin said above.

Tiedowns.pdf

 

[EricJ]

35 minutes ago, Joshua Blackh4t said:

Just curious, has anyone ever seen or had a mooney be blown away/damaged by wind?

I generally don't tie down my E and I have had her in gale force winds without moving. I feel the worst for her when its a wind from the side and all the force is trying to push the tail and putting force on the nose. 

Yes.    I was told by the rampie there that this airplane got picked up by a dust devil and flipped onto it's back.    I couldn't find an airframe assembly that was salvagable except maybe the landing gear.    The wings, empennage, and fuselage were bent, the motor mount failed and the engine case was broken.   

[N201MKTurbo]

The flaps look OK...

[Hank]

I second something flat under the wheels!

Get a good set of ropes, a 50-foot rope will make all you need. Cut two pieces about 15' long, eye splice in one end and end splice the other end; the third piece will do the tail, end splice both ends.

I was at Tornado-n-Fun several years ago. Almost every tie down pulled loose, including the big yellow claws and some of the super-size screw ins.

When I arrived, I bought a set of EAA screw-ins that look like the dog stakes that I had brought, but sturdier and well made. I put two bungees holding the yokes together, drove the screws fully into the ground, and snugged the ropes down tight. The two planes to my right ended up on top of each other, with the Bonanza's prop sticking vertically through the Cessna's wing . . . . My right wheel rolled almost 6" and the left one not at all.

Leaving three days later, the two of us needed help getting out of our parking space, because I hadn't thought of putting something large and flat under each wheel. That was after delaying departure a day because the ground was so soggy.

[MikeOH]

On 7/19/2023 at 3:17 PM, EricJ said:

Yes.    I was told by the rampie there that this airplane got picked up by a dust devil and flipped onto it's back.    I couldn't find an airframe assembly that was salvagable except maybe the landing gear.    The wings, empennage, and fuselage were bent, the motor mount failed and the engine case was broken.   

 

 

Interesting that it's NOW tied down

[EricJ]

2 hours ago, MikeOH said:

Interesting that it's NOW tied down

IIRC it was at the time, too.

[Rick Junkin]

On 7/19/2023 at 3:13 PM, Rick Junkin said:

https://bigscrewtiedown.com

I use a Milwaukee 12V impact wrench to put them in the ground.

You'll also want something to put under your wheels to keep them from sinking into the ground. These work great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXE0MBM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cheers,
Rick

Here's a potential tie down candidate for lower cost and lower weight, similar to the Big Screw but 1/3 smaller. I can't vouch for it, but I ran across it on Amazon and appears to have similar test results to the Big Screw. Plastic/polymer vs aluminum. And you'll need to supply your own tie down ropes/straps.

https://www.amazon.com/Orange-Screw-Ultimate-Ground-Anchor/dp/B01B26DHAU/ref=asc_df_B08Y615QZW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507574165586&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14563042070970388275&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9013376&hvtargid=pla-1211967049863&th=1

Cheers,
Rick

[A64Pilot]

I’ve had the claw forever, used it a couple of times, I used to do the back country thing in my Maule years ago and of course there aren’t tie downs in backcountry strips so you have to bring your own.

From testing I’ve seen on tie downs it doesn’t perform real well, but especially if it’s directly under the tie down points, apparently you want a good angle so it’s being pulled sideways, but having said that it comes with everything even a hammer to drive in and remove the nails. Now if I could just find much longer nails I believe it would work much better in Fl sand.

Here’s one test, in it I believe they recommend putting the claw directly under the tie down, which is opposite of one of their older tests, so who knows, but I think an angle is better. There is a video link at the end of the article.

https://www.avweb.com/insider/sun-n-fun-tiedown-tests/

This test says put them in at an angle

https://www.aviationconsumer.com/accessories/portable-tiedowns-claw-is-a-top-pick/

Last thing if you have LASAR’s combo tie dow / jack point I believe it could cut a rope pretty easy, but get two S hooks at a hardware store and use them to tie the rope to and it won’t cut a rope.

Oh, and at least at Sun-N-Fun you can buy them all at a discount, but Sun-N-Fun won’t let you leave your aircraft untied long enough to buy them, so you end up buying their three dog tie downs with a piece of PVC pipe and cheap rope. I don’t think they make a nickel off the things, they aren’t overpriced or weren’t several years ago when I last went.

Edited July 23, 2023 by A64Pilot

[M20F]

I use the claw.  It is easy to get in and more importantly get out.  Echo some sort of platform for the wheels.  

[Pinecone]

The article points out that knots reduce the strength of the rope.  Better would be to splice the rope, with thimbles amd use GOOD hooks.. Cheap S hooks will become straight with a good pull.

I would use locking carabiners.

[Fly Boomer]

[RobertGary1]

10 hours ago, Pinecone said:

The article points out that knots reduce the strength of the rope.  Better would be to splice the rope, with thimbles amd use GOOD hooks.. Cheap S hooks will become straight with a good pull.

I would use locking carabiners.

Yes, I remember that from my glider checkride. Knots are bad.

-Robert

[Bolter]

I do not know what category these are in, but I have seen them test well in some soil types in the aviation mags.

https://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Anchoring-19-Piece-Lightweight-Strong/dp/B07635JMNH

I used these for OSH, but did not stress test them with a tornado or thunderstorm.  This style is also easily made at home, if you are so inclined.  

Edited July 24, 2023 by Bolter
added picture