Heavy & Difficult Manual Gear Operation on M-20C

[mslisaj]

I have a friend with a 1965 M-20C with manual landing gear.  He took me for a flight and I was in the left seat as the PIC and I could not operate the landing gear.  He had to help me raise the gear  and the same to extend it for landing.  I mentioned that I thought there was an issue with this as it was extremely heavy.  If I let go of the yoke and used two hands I could manage to operate it with great difficulty but I can't believe Mooney built this plane this way.  If I was to buy this airplane brand new back in the day and took a test flight this would absolutely be a deal breaker.  I told my friend I won't fly his airplane again.  Anyone have any thoughts about this?  It's a nice  plane but the gear is so hard to operate I would fly it with the gear down instead of doing battle with that heavy "Johnson bar".

[hammdo]

Get the gear up before 80 mph or do the mooney dip. Down @ or below 120 mph.  Mine works pretty well. Also a bent jbar can make it hard work or something caught in the bar area. Down block can also be egg shaped…

[PT20J]

I used to fly a 1968 M20C many years ago and never had a problem raising the gear from the left seat once I got the motion down so it would have momentum to get over center.

A few years ago, I few in the right seat with a friend in his M20C and I had a lot of difficulty getting the gear up. Could be a difference in the airplanes. Maybe I've gotten weaker. Maybe my left arm is weaker than my right. Not sure. But I had to get the gear up immediately after takeoff at as low an airspeed as possible to raise it with my left arm. I'm pretty sure his airplane was rigged correctly because he was the most meticulous A&P/IA I've known. I'd be interested to know if others have found it more difficult to raise the gear from the right seat. 

[Joshua Blackh4t]

I get mine up below 90kts, and down at about 100 kts but i never feel like i need to worry about speed.

Occasionally i have had seatbelt tangles and had to let go for a second and it just sits about halfway. It easier than the gearshift on some old machinery

[RangerM20]

If it is hard to stow, it could be that the nose tire is striking the inner wheel well.  There is an adjustment for this.  If it is doing this during the entire travel, it could be bent retraction tubes, or seized bushings.

[Rwsavory]

2 hours ago, mslisaj said:

I have a friend with a 1965 M-20C with manual landing gear.  He took me for a flight and I was in the left seat as the PIC and I could not operate the landing gear.  He had to help me raise the gear  and the same to extend it for landing.  I mentioned that I thought there was an issue with this as it was extremely heavy.  If I let go of the yoke and used two hands I could manage to operate it with great difficulty but I can't believe Mooney built this plane this way.  If I was to buy this airplane brand new back in the day and took a test flight this would absolutely be a deal breaker.  I told my friend I won't fly his airplane again.  Anyone have any thoughts about this?  It's a nice  plane but the gear is so hard to operate I would fly it with the gear down instead of doing battle with that heavy "Johnson bar".

Your friend needs to get his Mooney into a competent shop.  This video show normal function. It works the same way in the air, assuming you're not trying to raise the gear over 90 mph, in which case it's a little more difficult.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

I have fixed a few of these. It is almost certainly the nose gear actuator rods. 
 

At some point, somebody tried to fix the preloads. They fixed it alright. Those rods need to be precisely adjusted. It isn’t hard if you know what you are doing, but if you don’t, you can screw them up royally in short order.

When properly adjusted you can work the J bar with your fingertips.

[C.J.]

It can take a few attempts to get the proper technique. Don't pause during process. Retraction becomes difficult as speed increases. I raise the gear at 80 mph with no problem. Extending the gear is easier requiring no effort as gravity is your friend, your part being ensuring it's placed properly into the down-lock block; green light is secondary. I find it operates even smoother after annual with the gear newly greased. There are eleven zerks for the nose and seven per main (eight on later years).  

[takair]

I think technique is the number one reason for a person new to the Johnson bar.  As others said, too much speed is a big factor.  With the Johnson bar, get the gear up early.  Most folks new to the gear struggle to hit the thumb release, pull down on the handle and then swing it.  Usually by the time they figure out step 1 and 2, the speed is too high.  Oh, and then there is an awkward motion of the hand and wrist about half way through.   If the speed does get too high, one can momentarily help the gear with a slight push on the yoke, but don’t forget to release the push.  It usually takes about a dozen cycles to feel comfortable.  Putting the gear down is easier, it tends to want to come down hard, so one must use care not to let it slam home……but you want enough momentum to get into the down lock.   Once you get used to it, it is an awesome system….assuming it is rigged right.

For Skip @PT20J, I find it more difficult from the right seat because I can’t use my thumb to release the lock.  Once used to it, it’s not impossible, but like the being new to the left seat, it takes about a dozen cycles to learn to do it from the right seat……not to mention I’m right handed and weaker left arm.

[BDPetersen]

It was a bit over 60 years ago I swung my first Mooney gear and often referred to the process as “flick-flick” to emphasize to my buddies how easy it was. Now my arthritically challenged right hand makes the unlatching process a bit daunting. When I first got my current “C” it was significantly out of rig and the down lock was badly worn. Fixing those made the actual swinging a non issue, airspeed not withstanding. Just wish I had a workaround for unlatching.