Echo Posted December 9 Author Report Posted December 9 2 minutes ago, 201Steve said: @TaildraggerPilot you can always rely on that guy to show up. I’ll take dealing with a motor needing service every 50 years well before I fly around like a hobo yanking on a stick. Lol. I agree Steve. Don't feed the trolls... 1
TaildraggerPilot Posted December 9 Report Posted December 9 Yeah, the landing gear motor / gears need attention every 50 years. Well, guess what, 50 +/- has now arrived, or will soon enough, for a lot of Mooneys and the parts aren’t there or they are at LASAR prices. I’ll keep flying around like a hobo with my well maintained and balanced J-Bar, and you all can…… sit on the ramp. Enjoy! 1
Echo Posted December 9 Author Report Posted December 9 imagine coming to a thread and sniping and then presenting outrage when ridiculed. Now that's funny.
Echo Posted December 9 Author Report Posted December 9 (edited) for those having a hard time, keeping up, there are plenty of motor repair facilities that can service a Dukes motor. The weak point in the actuator has also been addressed with the pending batch of gears to be manufactured and sold to service the fleet, keeping your eyes on eBay can result in a good bargain regarding actuator components. Contrary to popular belief, the J bar system is not infallible. Wear to the bar, handle, and lock points in the up and down block as well as physical demands to raise gear are an issue in the real world. Gear ups occur with improper seating of the bar into the down lock, and as a result of down lock failure due to wear resulting in the J bar not properly latching down and releasing with a fold up of the gear. Gear failures, whether Johnson bar or electric are likely to total an aircraft if not adequately insured. Edited December 9 by Echo 3
PT20J Posted December 9 Report Posted December 9 The biggest failure mechanism isn't the actuator -- it's the pilot. Just look at all the gear ups. And, it's not that people are stupid or careless -- a lot of very experienced pilots have gotten distracted and missed the gear. I used to be in a club in San Jose that had a manual gear M20C that managed to get bellied in twice. 5 1
EricJ Posted December 9 Report Posted December 9 I think I've heard of more gear collapses due to lock block or other J-bar failures than I have electric actuator failures that led to damage. I think Skip is on the nose that the most likely failure mechanism is the pilot. 6
201Steve Posted December 10 Report Posted December 10 8 hours ago, TaildraggerPilot said: I’ll keep flying around like a hobo with my well maintained and balanced J-Bar, and you all can…… sit on the ramp. Enjoy! Contribute nothing useful then wish ill on the group. I have a full backup set of everything in the gear train. No concern here. Just like participating in helpful dialogue I always find solace when I go through vintage at Airventure. Lots of rare retractables. They figure it out.
Echo Posted December 10 Author Report Posted December 10 14 hours ago, 201Steve said: Contribute nothing useful then wish ill on the group. I have a full backup set of everything in the gear train. No concern here. Just like participating in helpful dialogue I always find solace when I go through vintage at Airventure. Lots of rare retractables. They figure it out. Ditto. I had a J Bar E Model. Now having electric gear (that is functional) I prefer it. No getting "stuff" caught during retraction. No inadvertent unbuckling of my or co-pilot seat belts, Just flip a switch. Nice. BUT, I also recognized that the actuator is a potential grounding component and having a back-up unit at the ready is critical. Box checked. I love all Mooney's. Increasingly I love the derelict as they are my potential parts supplier to keep flying Mooneys flying. 2 1
podair Posted Friday at 02:02 PM Report Posted Friday at 02:02 PM On 12/9/2025 at 6:58 PM, Echo said: there are plenty of motor repair facilities that can service a Dukes motor great! Can you share some contact details? I have been trying to find one for a couple years
1980Mooney Posted Friday at 02:46 PM Report Posted Friday at 02:46 PM 39 minutes ago, podair said: great! Can you share some contact details? I have been trying to find one for a couple years The Facebook Mooney Owners Group asked the same question in February - No-one knows of a shop that will. Call Don Maxwell’s shop and ask them where they send the motors. His site highlights that they are expert on the entire actuator. https://www.donmaxwell.com/dukes-and-itt-gear-actuators
Echo Posted Friday at 03:31 PM Author Report Posted Friday at 03:31 PM 1 hour ago, podair said: great! Can you share some contact details? I have been trying to find one for a couple years I would prefer not to. This is a small shop that primarily does automotive repair work, but has motor specialty. I approached them and they took it on. Surely there are such specialty shops in the EU as well?
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