No Back Clutch Spring M20-282-0001 Eaton Kit Update Good News

[Dustin Kurath]

Just received this email from Lasar. Eaton is back in business making the no back clutch springs, and is selling directly through Lasar since Mooney is no longer ordering parts from outside vendors. See below:

 

Hello-

 

We are now taking deposits for the M20-282-001 Eaton no back spring kits. Pricing is $2,795.00 up until Jan 1st the pricing will go up to $2,995.00. The deposit to secure your order is $1,250.00. Please note that we need around 45 deposits before we can place the first order. Please let me know if you want to continue with your open order and if you need to make any payment changes for what I have on file please let me know. 

 

 

Memo for sales pricing on the Eaton No-Back Spring

 LASAR current price: $2575.00

 LASAR Deposit: $1250.00

 Remainder due upon shipment.

 Lead time: 32 weeks- Once the deposits are collected and order is placed

 

 

 

 

Thank You,

 

 

"Earth School is the most difficult in the universe; only the bravest souls sign up for this assignment." - Dolores Cannon

 

Sent from Area 51

 

 

Heather S., LASAR Inc. 

 

541-398-7430- Direct Line

707-263-0412, #1 Parts Dept.

 

 

LASAR INC

4439 SW Airport Road

Prineville, OR 97754

www.lasar.com 

[LANCECASPER]

Jonny Pollack mentioned this at MooneyMax 2024 that Mooney had given LASAR the authority to order these parts and distribute them to Mooney owners. 

[Wingover]

That’s $25 per hour flight…. For a part that probably cost them $20 to make? I get that it’s aviation and unique part but $2550 ??

[N201MKTurbo]

Makes my Dukes look good…..

[PT20J]

It's a good deal for LASAR. They are probably marking them up a lot. The deposits will probably cover any set up fee they have to pay. Nothing out of pocket and it will assure a supply for their actuator overhaul business. Also prevents other MSCs from undercutting them because the other MSCs will have to buy from LASAR rather than the factory. 

1 hour ago, Wingover said:

That’s $25 per hour flight…. For a part that probably cost them $20 to make? I get that it’s aviation and unique part but $2550 ??

Decimal point is in the wrong place. It's $2.50 per flight hour. 

[toto]

Cross link to the other thread 

https://mooneyspace.com/topic/49784-lasar-taking-deposits-on-no-back-spring-kits/

[N201MKTurbo]

It seems silly to replace by hours, it should be replaced by landings.

[1980Mooney]

$3,000 for a spring the size of your little finger. This is insane .  And it still needs to be installed…more $.@PT20J is right. This is a good deal for Lasar.  And of course for Eaton. 

It sucks for owners. 

Mooney must really be in dire straits if it could not scrape up any cash in order to get on this gravy train.  

 

[toto]

3 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

$3,000 for a spring the size of your little finger. This is insane .  And it still needs to be installed…more $.@PT20J is right. This is a good deal for Lasar.  And of course for Eaton. 

It sucks for owners. 

Mooney must really be in dire straits if it could not scrape up any cash in order to get on this gravy train.  

 

I honestly think they've overshot on this one.  There are many out there, myself included, who were very much on the fence about whether the infant mortality unknowns of a replacement spring were better than the unknowns of an otherwise healthy spring with a lot of hours on it.  And that was when the spring was selling for an eye-watering $1000 per unit.  But at $3000 per unit, those of us who were already on the fence probably have our decision made easier.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

Ya know. We talk a lot around here about getting a PMA and DERs and such. Nobody wants to do it because it is too expensive. Well LASAR bit the bullet and spent all the money. Now they want to earn a profit on a very low volume item with high NRE. 
 

Be glad they are available.

[MikeOH]

Just now, N201MKTurbo said:

Ya know. We talk a lot around here about getting a PMA and DERs and such. Nobody wants to do it because it is too expensive. Well LASAR bit the bullet and spent all the money. Now they want to earn a profit on a very low volume item with high NRE. 
 

Be glad they are available.

I'm sorry but your post is way over the top!  Would you be defending them if the price was $10,000?  No way the NRE for this spring is anywhere close to this kind of money.

Frankly, I hope they don't get a SINGLE taker at this INSANE price.

[toto]

10 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Ya know. We talk a lot around here about getting a PMA and DERs and such. Nobody wants to do it because it is too expensive. Well LASAR bit the bullet and spent all the money. Now they want to earn a profit on a very low volume item with high NRE. 
 

Be glad they are available.

I thought that they were just buying a minimum quantity of the same old part through Mooney Intl?  They aren't actually manufacturing these.

[Ragsf15e]

Hopefully they actually get delivered to those that need them.  I ordered one of the E/F intake ducts from Lasar last December.  Paid the deposit and the estimated 6 months is well past, I have yet to hear anything.  I’m glad I wasn’t grounded for that part!  I’m with @N201MKTurbo on this one, I'm glad it’s (probably) available.

[N201MKTurbo]

27 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

I'm sorry but your post is way over the top!  Would you be defending them if the price was $10,000?  No way the NRE for this spring is anywhere close to this kind of money.

Frankly, I hope they don't get a SINGLE taker at this INSANE price.

So, PMAs are not exclusive. You can make them too. Go for it and see if you can sell legal ones cheaper.

[MikeOH]

12 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

Hopefully they actually get delivered to those that need them.  I ordered one of the E/F intake ducts from Lasar last December.  Paid the deposit and the estimated 6 months is well past, I have yet to hear anything.  I’m glad I wasn’t grounded for that part!  I’m with @N201MKTurbo on this one, I'm glad it’s (probably) available.

Same question to you, at what price point would you feel taken advantage of?  $5,000,  $10,000, $20,000?  Still going to be 'glad' it's available?

[MikeOH]

2 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

So, PMAs are not exclusive. You can make them too. Go for it and see if you can sell legal ones cheaper.

Seriously???  You truly believe that producing 45 of these little springs requires $115,875?

[Ragsf15e]

1 minute ago, MikeOH said:

Seriously???  You truly believe that producing 45 of these little springs requires $115,875?

I guess that’s my point, if you (or anyone else) can do it for less and thus make a “reasonable” profit, you (or someone else) will do it.  Since I don’t see anyone else doing it and am not holding my breath on you doing it, I’m happy Lasar has taken up supporting the airframe.

[MikeOH]

Just now, Ragsf15e said:

I guess that’s my point, if you (or anyone else) can do it for less and thus make a “reasonable” profit, you (or someone else) will do it.  Since I don’t see anyone else doing it and am not holding my breath on you doing it, I’m happy Lasar has taken up supporting the airframe.

And, that's my point: what do YOU think is "reasonable"?  Clearly, $3,000 is reasonable to you, and NOT to me.

So, I ask again, what price would you find UNreasonable?

[Slick Nick]

I read the service bulliten, how likely is this spring to break? Should I be buying one and having it installed as a precaution?

[N201MKTurbo]

The last place I worked did custom engineering and production. We worked for companies you would all recognize. We rarely did anything for less than 100K. If one of our customers wanted us to make FAA PMA springs, we would do it. It would cost them, well 100K. If you wanted 1 spring or 1000, the cost would be about the same. 
 

How many do you think LASAR will sell in a year? 20? Do the math…

[MikeOH]

5 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

The last place I worked did custom engineering and production. We worked for companies you would all recognize. We rarely did anything for less than 100K. If one of our customers wanted us to make FAA PMA springs, we would do it. It would cost them, well 100K. If you wanted 1 spring or 1000, the cost would be about the same. 
 

How many do you think LASAR will sell in a year? 20? Do the math…

And, the last place I worked at would have charged $250,000.  Both your company and mine would NOT be where to get something like this simple spring made.  

[toto]

11 minutes ago, Slick Nick said:

I read the service bulliten, how likely is this spring to break? Should I be buying one and having it installed as a precaution?

There are many many threads on MS discussing the no-back spring. 

Basically, there’s a very small number of confirmed failures that resulted in gear-up landings, and the failures are mostly attributed to manufacturing defects in the springs themselves. The original bad batch was installed as original equipment from the factory, and at least one aircraft has had a failure in a replacement spring. 

The collective wisdom here I think is that your NBS is very unlikely to fail, and it’s probably low on the list of reasons Mooneys land gear-up.

Don Maxwell has been paraphrased here a number of times saying that they can tell at annual if a spring is chattering during gear swing tests and that you’ll know well before it fails.

And anecdotally, they seem to fail more often on retraction than extension (so you’re stuck with gear down, not with gear up). 

[N201MKTurbo]

21 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

And, the last place I worked at would have charged $250,000.  Both your company and mine would NOT be where to get something like this simple spring made.  

We wouldn’t make the spring either. We would make the drawing, find the vendors, work with the vendor and update the drawing, cut the PO with the vendor, receive the parts and ship them to the customer. They were paying us to make it happen, not to make springs.

 

LASER made it happen. If there springs are too expensive, buy it somewhere else.

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, MikeOH said:

And, that's my point: what do YOU think is "reasonable"?  Clearly, $3,000 is reasonable to you, and NOT to me.

So, I ask again, what price would you find UNreasonable?

My answer won’t help as i have a Dukes, but if they’re selling for $3k and you can make them for less, I say go for it!

[EricJ]

7 hours ago, Dustin Kurath said:

Just received this email from Lasar. Eaton is back in business making the no back clutch springs, and is selling directly through Lasar since Mooney is no longer ordering parts from outside vendors. See below:

 

53 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

LASER made it happen. If there springs are too expensive, buy it somewhere else.

It looks like Lasar just ordered them from existing Mooney drawings/specs/part numbers and is marking them up.   I'm reluctant to give them any credit for doing any engineering here.