Nose Gear Bushing Source

[Joe Hood]

My M20B has been stuck in annual for a couple of months for nosewheel bushings. LASAR is out of stock and has been for awhile (there is also another post from April saying LASAR no longer has the STC). 

The bushings my IA needs are these, is there another source other than used?
914020-17 bushing
914020-18 bushing
914007-005 bushing
914007-004 bushing

 

Thanks,

Joe

[Fly Boomer]

48 minutes ago, Joe Hood said:

LASAR is out of stock and has been for awhile

If you did not call them, you should.  Their web site is famous for saying "out of stock".

[Joe Hood]

IA has been calling with the response being: "coming soon."

[47U]

1 hour ago, Joe Hood said:

The bushings my IA needs are these, is there another source other than used?
914020-17 bushing
914020-18 bushing
914007-005 bushing
914007-004 bushing

 

Here’s a listing for the -18…

https://www.controller.com/parts/details/550051452102

-004

https://www.controller.com/parts/details/550129825557

-005

https://www.controller.com/parts/details/550031448473

I’m sure I have a -17 left over from my nose gear rebuild last year, if you can’t find new stock.

Edit… a -17 at Texas Air Salvage, so they say…

https://www.texasairsalvage.com/main_view.php?editid1=278857

Edited June 26 by 47U
clarity

[Joe Hood]

No one has stock. Lasar is in the process of renewing their PMA (since they moved to Oregon).

 

Have to wonder what everyone else doing when they need bushings, manufacturing their own?

[Brian2034]

1 hour ago, Joe Hood said:

No one has stock. Lasar is in the process of renewing their PMA (since they moved to Oregon).

 

Have to wonder what everyone else doing when they need bushings, manufacturing their own?

Yes!!

[Joe Hood]

On 6/26/2025 at 5:20 PM, Joe Hood said:

My M20B has been stuck in annual for a couple of months for nosewheel bushings. LASAR is out of stock and has been for awhile (there is also another post from April saying LASAR no longer has the STC). 

 

Not the STC, but the PMA. By moving from California to Oregon, Lasar needed to restart their PMA approval process and cannot begin manufacturing parts until they receive it.

By being the aircraft owner, I can produce the part (FAR 21.9 (a)(5)). If only I knew the proper specs.

[Bolter]

1 hour ago, Joe Hood said:

Not the STC, but the PMA. By moving from California to Oregon, Lasar needed to restart their PMA approval process and cannot begin manufacturing parts until they receive it.

By being the aircraft owner, I can produce the part (FAR 21.9 (a)(5)). If only I knew the proper specs.

Is a bushing failure catastrophic or a progressive wear issue?  If the owner furnished part is used, is the risk high, especially if used only to keep flying until the PMA part is available?  

[Joe Hood]

Progressive wear issue but current I/A felt there to be too much play. 

[EricJ]

12 hours ago, Bolter said:

Is a bushing failure catastrophic or a progressive wear issue?  If the owner furnished part is used, is the risk high, especially if used only to keep flying until the PMA part is available?  

Bushings are one of the easiest parts to make under Owner Produced Parts.   A properly made bushing wouldn't need to be replaced until worn.  

[SKI]

Being a machinist and owning a CNC Shop it's a no brainer to me to just make them and move on with your life. It's a little more complicated if you don't have any knowledge in this department. All you really need to worry about is the outside diameter. The length can be easily measured with dial calipers. +/- .003" here would be plenty close I'd think. The inside diameter is just clearance for whatever size bolt goes inside. Again a few thousandths total clearance would probably be good I think.  Not too much slop but you want some room for grease to get around the bolt. The outside diameter is critical as it needs to be pressed into the gear legs. If you can knock them out take them to a local machine shop and ask them to reproduce them. Take them the new bolts as well. Some kind of bronze will do. Google is your friend here then cross check McMaster-Carr and see what's readily available. Don't pick some oddball bronze for the space shuttle that your local shop can't get. They're going to charge you for a low run of custom parts but it may still be cheaper than Lasar. It's really not a hard job. Finding a small local machine shop might be the hardest part. Yes I know certified airplanes blah blah but the reality is we're trying to keep antiques flying. If you're not willing to get creative and solve problems when PMA parts aren't available you're going to be grounded eventually for a simple part like this.   

[Joe StR]

I have 1 new and 1 used 914007-004 bushing if need them. $95.00 new, 47.50 used. 

[N201MKTurbo]

On 7/11/2025 at 9:51 AM, SKI said:

Being a machinist and owning a CNC Shop it's a no brainer to me to just make them and move on with your life. It's a little more complicated if you don't have any knowledge in this department. All you really need to worry about is the outside diameter. The length can be easily measured with dial calipers. +/- .003" here would be plenty close I'd think. The inside diameter is just clearance for whatever size bolt goes inside. Again a few thousandths total clearance would probably be good I think.  Not too much slop but you want some room for grease to get around the bolt. The outside diameter is critical as it needs to be pressed into the gear legs. If you can knock them out take them to a local machine shop and ask them to reproduce them. Take them the new bolts as well. Some kind of bronze will do. Google is your friend here then cross check McMaster-Carr and see what's readily available. Don't pick some oddball bronze for the space shuttle that your local shop can't get. They're going to charge you for a low run of custom parts but it may still be cheaper than Lasar. It's really not a hard job. Finding a small local machine shop might be the hardest part. Yes I know certified airplanes blah blah but the reality is we're trying to keep antiques flying. If you're not willing to get creative and solve problems when PMA parts aren't available you're going to be grounded eventually for a simple part like this.   

The bushing is supposed to spin on the outside and not on the bolt. the grease is injected to the outside of the bushings. They do spin on the bolts and that is where most of the wear is. In most cases the bushings don't wear and replacing the bolts will take out the slop.

[Matthew P]

Contact Don Maxwell, he has alternate part numbers, that he uses when fixing this issue.

[Joe Hood]

On 7/17/2025 at 9:44 AM, N201MKTurbo said:

The bushing is supposed to spin on the outside and not on the bolt. the grease is injected to the outside of the bushings. They do spin on the bolts and that is where most of the wear is. In most cases the bushings don't wear and replacing the bolts will take out the slop.

Yep, pulled all apart and the bolts show wear!