Slight height difference in mains

[rogerl]

who owns it

Edited March 15, 2021 by rogerl

[N601RX]

new tire or rubber pucks on one side? The gear rigging would not affect height.

[Hank]

I'm not sure my mains ever touch at the same instant, but it's rarely dead calm, either. Happens so infrequently that I have a hard time landing . . . .

[carusoam]

Can you measure distance from the ground to the jack points on both sides?

Since you have all things balanced already, i am thinking you should be able to measure a difference this way more easily than seeing the difference...

Best regards,

-a-

[MooneyMitch]

My 2 cents here, I too suggest shock disc issue. Spacer issue, top plate issue, or other associated with this. Let's hope nothing on the gear leg is bent.

[fantom]

Emply fuel tank on right side, perhaps?

[Andy95W]

I'm answering this a little late, but I'd say that if Maxwell did the shock biscuits, that is not the problem. My current M20C is just like you describe, the right wingtip is a bit lower to the ground than the left. I've worked on enough older Mooneys to say that while not common, it is not unique. Each airplane was built by hand, and I've always wondered if a combination of slight mis-alignments can all add up over the length of the gear mechanism. In fact, some airplanes appear to have main gear legs that are not the same angle to the ground, even though nothing is bent and everything is rigged perfectly by the book. I have not noticed this amount of difference in later (M20J and on) models. Perhaps fewer hours and wear and tear, or perhaps better factory jigs by that point. I'm impressed your wife could actually tell which wheel touched down first. Mine usually just chocks up all my landings to bad technique on my part.

[KSMooniac]

It will be hard to chase down, and it could be anything.  I'd question your "crude" measurements first... how did you do it?  Do you have the same tires on each side?  

 

At annual this year I plan to do some detailed measuring of my airframe to check how true it is.  Previously I discovered that one gear leg is 0.5" degree different than the other (measured in the vertical plane) despite good pre-load settings on both sides.  It has never been on it's belly, and I suspect it has been that way from the factory.  One wheel sits higher in the gear well than the other, too.  This year I want to measure the wing relative to the fuselage and plan to do so by jacking and leveling (laterally and longitudinally) and dropping a plumb bob from each wingtip to a fixture on the floor that is marked to level with a laser level to account for the uneven floor.  This is a PITA, but worth the effort to find out if my airframe is square before I start chasing rigging issues again...  Jacks, laser levels, digital level/protractors are wonderful tools!

[jetdriven]

Scott, you can use a water level on the wingtips to verify they are perfectly level. Then use a bubble level or a laser level on the floor to confirm it is level as well.   Ours was 3/4" low on the right side, turns out the tire pressure on that side was low. Airing it up brought it to within 1/8".

 

Then when it is truly dead level, check the calibration of your skid ball.

[KSMooniac]

I forgot about water levels! Very useful too. My tc balls are level from my previous checks, so I know that much already. Sent from my HTC Rezound using Tapatalk

[Andy95W]

Water levels? Laser levels? Wow... I wish I hadn't reopened this topic. How about just ensure everything is rigged properly, and safely, and go fly?

[KSMooniac]

I'm chasing perfection for my J in regards to rigging, but need to verify the rest of the airframe before spending the next round of dollars and hours. I believe I have some twisted flaps and at least one alerion. Sent from my HTC Rezound using Tapatalk

[jetdriven]

Our rigging is not perfect either. We are about to change the ailerons and elevators due to light hail, paint the airplane, and maybe fill to perfection the wing ahead of 50% MAC.  The rigging needs to be dead-ass on too. 193 MPH isnt quite enough

 

After seeing Mooneypilot's wings, they look like a 40K piano. Nothing can describe how smooth they are  He paid dearly for it, but it looks incredible and on a laminar flow wing, worth something.