Landing gear Puck saver

[Schllc]

I saw this on the Mooneyflyer and though pt it was pretty interesting. 
Not an unfair price for what you get.  
if my plane sat for weeks, I would absolutely consider this. 

[Fly Boomer]

37 minutes ago, Schllc said:

Not an unfair price for what you get.  

I've been eyeballing these for years -- slightly better price but they won't ship from Australia

https://kotzur.com/products/mooney-shock-disc-savers

 

[hubcap]

Saw these on display at MooneyMax a few weeks ago. I think they are a great idea to save your biscuits. 

[201Steve]

4 hours ago, Schllc said:

I saw this on the Mooneyflyer and though pt it was pretty interesting. 
Not an unfair price for what you get.  
if my plane sat for weeks, I would absolutely consider this. 

For $700 just buy actual jacks that can be used for more reasons than this isolated case. They last plenty long to fool with all of this

[hammdo]

Wonder how long this would delay replacement of pucks?

assuming $2k for new pucks installed, will it be worth $800 (normal price) plus tax/shipment? How often does one replace pucks?

Just a question…

-Don

[hubcap]

22 minutes ago, hammdo said:

Wonder how long this would delay replacement of pucks?

assuming $2k for new pucks installed, will it be worth $800 (normal price) plus tax/shipment? How often does one replace pucks?

Just a question…

-Don

I had them replaced during my last annual. According to the logbook they were in service for 12 years. Don Maxwell told me he had seen some 40 years old.

[Schllc]

21 minutes ago, hubcap said:

I had them replaced during my last annual. According to the logbook they were in service for 12 years. Don Maxwell told me he had seen some 40 years old.

You can get away with using them 40 years. 
it’s probably just a little rougher on everything in the suspension chain.  
our little planes are very robust. 

[Shadrach]

37 minutes ago, hubcap said:

I had them replaced during my last annual. According to the logbook they were in service for 12 years. Don Maxwell told me he had seen some 40 years old.

I replaced mine at about that age. They were minimally compressed. They were also still quite flexible. Where they showed their age was in cold temperatures. I jacked the plane up in February and they took nearly a half hour to fully expand.

I haven’t jacked up the plane in cold temperatures with the new ones for fear of being disappointed that the difference in performance is minimal.

The reason mine were not replaced earlier is because they continued to pass inspection per the maintenance manual. I finally replaced them on general principal because it was embarrassing to have shock discs in service that dated to the Johnson administration. If I’m honest, there’s zero difference in feel from the cockpit.

45yrs old vs never installed/new:

[Schllc]

I suppose they are “more” prone to cracking at a certain point, but apparently that happens a lot less than they even predicted. I agree, just changed mine and they were 20 years old. About the same compression as yours actually. 
if I wasn’t about to paint, I doubt I would have changed them. 

[Schllc]

I am willing to bet new ones one will not last as long!  

[Pinecone]

FYI, the price of the PucSavers does NOT include the 3 bottle jacks.  They do not include them as they said (at MooneyMAX) that it would cost more to ship than to run to the nearest Harbor Freight and just buy them

[graham28105]

I was told by a VERY reputable MSC that old, compressed discs are more likely to contribute to fuel tank leaks due to landing loads not being absorbed as well as new discs.  So considering the cost of a tank reseal, these jacks seem like a good idea.

[PeterRus]

48 minutes ago, graham28105 said:

I was told by a VERY reputable MSC that old, compressed discs are more likely to contribute to fuel tank leaks due to landing loads not being absorbed as well as new discs.  So considering the cost of a tank reseal, these jacks seem like a good idea.

Or replace the shock discs more often (like every 20 years, not every 45 years). 

[DCarlton]

1 hour ago, graham28105 said:

I was told by a VERY reputable MSC that old, compressed discs are more likely to contribute to fuel tank leaks due to landing loads not being absorbed as well as new discs.  So considering the cost of a tank reseal, these jacks seem like a good idea.

I've always thought pilot technique might have more to do with tank leaks than gear disks.  

[DCarlton]

13 hours ago, Shadrach said:

The reason mine were not replaced earlier is because they continued to pass inspection per the maintenance manual. I finally replaced them on general principal because it was embarrassing to have shock discs in service that dated to the Johnson administration. If I’m honest, there’s zero difference in feel from the cockpit.

I'll have to check the criteria in the manual now.  I haven't looked in years.  I've never seen a reason to replace mine nor have the three mechanics that have worked on my plane the last 20 years.  It doesn't seem stiff when I taxi or land.  I might do it if we were painting the landing gear or had to disassemble it for some reason.  

[Bartman]

So for $700 you get 3 jack frames but not the bottle jacks.  I see some benefit in these, but I would spend my money on a good set of aircraft jacks first. 

[Fly Boomer]

6 minutes ago, Bartman said:

So for $700 you get 3 jack frames but not the bottle jacks.  I see some benefit in these, but I would spend my money on a good set of aircraft jacks first. 

How did you determine it was 3 for $700?

[skykrawler]

8 hours ago, graham28105 said:

I was told by a VERY reputable MSC that old, compressed discs are more likely to contribute to fuel tank leaks due to landing loads not being absorbed as well as new discs.  So considering the cost of a tank reseal, these jacks seem like a good idea.

Just land softly and you won't have a problem     The pucks are there for those few times one doesn't get it quite right.

[Bartman]

50 minutes ago, Fly Boomer said:

How did you determine it was 3 for $700?

Look at the advertisement in the first post

[Fly Boomer]

31 minutes ago, Bartman said:

Look at the advertisement in the first post

I guess the 3 is implied because there is a picture of 3.

[tankman]

Have you have ever noticed how hard it is to get your plane rolling when pulling your plane out of your hanger. Usually you have to rock it back and forth several times to get it to roll. You are over coming the flat spot that has formed on the tires from sitting.

The lifts do not completely raise the tire off of the ground. They only lift the gear enough to allow the biscuits to fully extend the travel of the biscuit assemblies.

The real benefit of the PucSavers is to utilize them is after replacing the biscuits. It will allow the biscuits to retain their original size, shape and elasticity for a longer period of time.

The set consists of three lifts. The units will work with all models of Mooneys.

Short, mid and long bodies. They take the weight load of the plane off of the mains and the nose gear.

We have a short video on YouTube to demonstrate the operation of the lifts.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UY_9IYvVkn4

PucSavers@HTSLLC.Net

[Fly Boomer]

2 hours ago, tankman said:

The set consists of three lifts.

How much for a set of three?  How much do you add to that price for shipping?

[tankman]

Thanks for the inquiry.  As stated in the flyer, the price for the set of 3 lifts is $699.  Shipping/handling/boxing  is $25.  Fedex ground with insurance is TBD depending on your location.  There is also a link at the bottom of the flyer for a short video showing the operation. 

 

 

 

 

 

[redbaron1982]

Maybe a stupid question, but how this helps the pucs? The airplane weight is still on the pucs. If any, the only thing you are helping is the tire itself.

[tankman]

Good question.

When the landing gear is jacked up, your lifting at knee joint, this allows the gear to swing down.  This removes the compression load on the pucs and allows them to expand as much as  possible.  This is the evaluation that is performed during the airframe annual inspection when the plane is raised on wing jacks.  You can see the wheel swing down in the video.

Thanks,

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UY_9IYvVkn4