What gear actuator do I have?

[AndreiC]

My 1970 M20E came from the factory with the dreaded Dukes gear actuator, which had problems with the gearbox. Eventually it failed in the 1990's, giving the plane the only gear up it had. At that point the actuator was replaced with a more modern one, and I was told it is one that was used in the J models. From reading about the no back spring (NBS) I understand that there were two types of such actuators, Plessey and Eaton, and they need the NBS replaced or inspected every 1000 hours. (I understand that there is considerable debate on whether this is really a good idea, and I don't want to start a new discussion about this.)

I can't find either the Plessey or the Eaton words anywhere on the data plate of my actuator. I attach a pic. Which kind do I have? Also, my plate that lists "clutch spring replacement" has a 1 and a 2 stamped on it. Does it mean that it has been done once, or twice? I'll spend some time looking in the log books to figure out when and if the spring was ever replaced, but I wanted to hear what people on the forum know about this situation. Thanks.

Edited December 2, 2023 by Andrei Caldararu

[PT20J]

That is an EATON. I’m not clear about the history of all the trade names and company acquisitions over the years - maybe someone else has figured that out. 

Skip

[AndreiC]

Are the NBS unobtanium both for Eaton and Plessey actuators, or only for Plessey?

 

[A64Pilot]

Currently neither is available, but I have from a reliable source that Mooney has worked through or is close to the Quality problems with the last batch and hopefully the Eaton ones will be available soon.

You may not find data beyond “replaced” landing gear actuator in your logbook, many or most A&P’s wouldn’t think to carry forward how many hours the clutch spring has, but you may get lucky.

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, Andrei Caldararu said:

Are the NBS unobtanium both for Eaton and Plessey actuators, or only for Plessey?

 

There aren’t any. Plessey Aerospace is out of business I believe. Eaton is still around, but the parts supply has dried up unless some MSC has one on a shelf somewhere. It was reported here that Mooney ordered a batch a year or so ago but rejected them as out of spec in some dimension. Probably Dan at Lasar or Don Maxwell would know the current status. Frank Crawford at Mooney would also know. 

Don Maxwell told me that the Eaton spring is rated for something like 20,000 cycles. Only a handful have ever failed and Eaton recalled actuators from a certain batch that may have had improperly heat treated springs. That was many years ago.  Those should have either been replaced, scrapped or failed by now. 

The Plessey design is slightly different. There have been more documented failures of Plessey springs than Eaton. The 1000 hour replacement recommendation appears to have originated with two Plessey failures at slightly more than 1000 hours total time, and then was carried over to the Eaton as well. 

Skip

[AndreiC]

Great, thanks for the replies. In any case, my spring was replaced 300 or so hours ago, so I am good to go for many more years. I can sleep soundly for now.

[1980Mooney]

12 hours ago, PT20J said:

That is an EATON. I’m not clear about the history of all the trade names and company acquisitions over the years - maybe someone else has figured that out. 

Skip

Mooney shifted from Dukes actuators to actuators made by Avionics Products Company (Denville, NJ) on the M20J starting with serial number 24-0378 in 1977.

• Avionics Products Company (Denville, NJ) was owned by Consolidated Controls Corporation (CONDEC) which was purchased by Chicago industrialist Farley in 1984.
  • Avionics Products Company sold actuators to Mooney labeled under the name Avionics Products Company (Denville, NJ) 
    • Some are just labeled CONDEC - Consolidated Controls Corp. like the OP picture above.
  • The acquisition went badly for Farley and Farley sold CONDEC to Eaton in May 1986.
    • So in 1986 Eaton inherited Avionics Products Company actuators - they changed the labeling at some point to Eaton.
      • I have seen some labeled with Eaton Valve and Actuator Div. (El Segundo, CA)
• In 1984, Libbey-Owens-Ford (L-O-F) acquired Vickers Inc., a leading maker of hydraulic and electrohydraulic systems, from the Sperry Corporation. (no relation to the Vickers PLC (UK).  L-O-F combined Vickers with Aeroquip, which they had purchased in 1968 and renames it Aeroquip-Vickers
  • In 1999 Eaton acquires Aeroquip-Vickers
    • The Vickers Aerospace Actuators and Controls Div.is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
      • There are Mooney actuators labeled with only the Vickers name (Vickers Aerospace Actuators and Controls Div.- Grand Rapids, Michigan)
  • It is not clear if Vickers made any actuators before the Eaton takeover.  More likely Eaton consolidated all Mooney landing gear actuator manufacturing in the Vickers division.  However, the actuators labeled with "Vickers" do no say that they are a division of Eaton.
• At some point in the early 1980's GEC (UK) (that is General Electric Company UK no relation to US GE) also became a supplier of actuators made in Whippany, NJ
  • GEC sold actuators to Mooney labeled with the name GEC (UK) Aerospace Inc. (Whippany, NJ)
    •  In 1989 GEC and Siemans jointly acquired Plessey PLC (the focus was upon the telecom and electronics businesses)
      • GEC (UK) Aerospace Inc was dropped into a Plessey company with all the businesses that did not fit with the overall acquisition focus on telecom/electronics.
      • Actuators were then labeled with the Plessey name only.
    • The deal went badly (along with the entire "Dot-bomb" era)
      • Things were sold off.  I think the Plessey "Electro Mechanical Div" just atrophied away and shut down.

Today Eaton is the "last man standing" in Mooney gear actuators for J and up.

Edited December 3, 2023 by 1980Mooney

[toto]

16 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

Mooney shifted from Dukes actuators to actuators made by Avionics Products Company (Denville, NJ) on the M20J starting with serial number 24-0378 in 1977.

• Avionics Products Company (Denville, NJ) was owned by Consolidated Controls Corporation (CONDEC) which was purchased by Chicago industrialist Farley in 1984.
  • Avionics Products Company sold actuators to Mooney labeled under the name Avionics Products Company (Denville, NJ) 
  • The acquisition went badly for Farley and Farley sold CONDEC to Eaton in May 1986.
    • So in 1986 Eaton inherited Avionics Products Company actuators - they changed the labeling at some point to Eaton.
      • I have seen some labeled with Eaton Valve and Actuator Div. (El Segundo, CA)
• In 1984, Libbey-Owens-Ford (L-O-F) acquired Vickers Inc., a leading maker of hydraulic and electrohydraulic systems, from the Sperry Corporation. (no relation to the Vickers PLC (UK).  L-O-F combined Vickers with Aeroquip, which they had purchased in 1968 and renames it Aeroquip-Vickers
  • In 1999 Eaton acquires Aeroquip-Vickers
    • The Vickers Aerospace Actuators and Controls Div.is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
      • There are Mooney actuators labeled with only the Vickers name (Vickers Aerospace Actuators and Controls Div.- Grand Rapids, Michigan)
  • It is not clear if Vickers made any actuators before the Eaton takeover.  More likely Eaton consolidated all Mooney landing gear actuator manufacturing in the Vickers division.  However, the actuators labeled with "Vickers" do no say that they are a division of Eaton.
• At some point in the early 1980's GEC (UK) (that is General Electric Company UK no relation to US GE) also became a supplier of actuators made in Whippany, NJ
  • GEC sold actuators to Mooney labeled with the name GEC (UK) Aerospace Inc. (Whippany, NJ)
    •  In 1989 GEC and Siemans jointly acquired Plessey PLC (the focus was upon the telecom and electronics businesses)
      • GEC (UK) Aerospace Inc was dropped into a Plessey company with all the businesses that did not fit with the overall acquisition focus on telecom/electronics.
      • Actuators were then labeled with the Plessey name only.
    • The deal went badly (along with the entire "Dot-bomb" era)
      • Things were sold off.  I think the Plessey "Electro Mechanical Div" just atrophied away and shut down.

Today Eaton is the "last man standing" in Mooney gear actuators for J and up.

Thanks 1980 for this. Fantastic summary.

Is it possible to tell purely by a serial number which actuator is installed on a particular airframe? Beyond some serial number, everything is Eaton?

[1980Mooney]

25 minutes ago, toto said:

Thanks 1980 for this. Fantastic summary.

Is it possible to tell purely by a serial number which actuator is installed on a particular airframe? Beyond some serial number, everything is Eaton?

I don't know if the serial numbers are sequential.  Here is a pic of one at BAS that shows an old Consolidated Controls label but also a separate Vickers label.  Perhaps it is an overhaul by Eaton.

On Edit - look at the one posted by the OP.  It has 2 labels also!

Edited December 3, 2023 by 1980Mooney

[1980Mooney]

12 hours ago, Andrei Caldararu said:

My 1970 M20E came from the factory with the dreaded Dukes gear actuator, which had problems with the gearbox. Eventually it failed in the 1990's, giving the plane the only gear up it had. At that point the actuator was replaced with a more modern one, and I was told it is one that was used in the J models. From reading about the no back spring (NBS) I understand that there were two types of such actuators, Plessey and Eaton, and they need the NBS replaced or inspected every 1000 hours. (I understand that there is considerable debate on whether this is really a good idea, and I don't want to start a new discussion about this.)

I can't find either the Plessey or the Eaton words anywhere on the data plate of my actuator. I attach a pic. Which kind do I have? Also, my plate that lists "clutch spring replacement" has a 1 and a 2 stamped on it. Does it mean that it has been done once, or twice? I'll spend some time looking in the log books to figure out when and if the spring was ever replaced, but I wanted to hear what people on the forum know about this situation. Thanks.

That was manufactured by CONDEC (now Eaton) and apparently worked on by Vickers (now Eaton).  But the pic is to small to read much other than CONDEC and  Vickers.  It looks like it has been overhauled at least once by Vickers (Eaton).  Too bad Clarence isn't here anymore to answer your question about the numbering.

[A64Pilot]

What’s interesting to me is to see the ratings of these things. mine is more legible but rated to pull 2000 lbs and draw 55 amps, yet you can tell by the CB that they aren’t anywhere near under that kind of load.

My guess is retraction is the biggest load and that will be A/S dependent but I think a couple of hundred lbs max