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                           Glasair-List Digest Archive
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                     Total Messages Posted Fri 04/02/04: 1
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Today's Message Index:
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     1. 05:48 AM - Re: Glasair-List Digest: 6 Msgs - 04/01/04  (MPPalmer@aol.com)
 
 
 
________________________________  Message 1  _____________________________________


Time: 05:48:16 AM PST US
From: MPPalmer@aol.com
Subject: Glasair-List: Re: Glasair-List Digest: 6 Msgs - 04/01/04

--> Glasair-List message posted by: MPPalmer@aol.com

Welcome to the club.  Friction pad can become oil soaked from runoff from the 
engine down the strut.  I wrote in the old GlasairNews about a little 
aluminum piece I epoxied on the strut to make the drips fall aft of the friction
pad. 
 No wait, I think S/H published it in a SB release with my idea.

In the old Newses, the factory mentioned that geometry played a big role with 
shimmy.  When the nose gear shock absorbers begin to sag, the geometry on the 
front pivot changes to resemble a grocery cart gone bad.  Have to shim up the 
shocks, or better yet, change over to the new shocks that aren't as 
susceptible to oil soak and collapse.  Hard to describe n words, but you want the

bottom of the pivot to be more aft than the top of the pivot.

After 1000 hours, I replaced the long bolt in the nose gear trunnion along 
with the bushings.  The bolt had begun to neck down.  Really, there's not enough

contact area with those dinky bushings in the nose gear upper pivot.  The 
better solution would be a long sleeve bushing that runs the length of the tube

to distribute the forces.  The slightest play up there is magnified 
tremendously as side to side play down at the nose wheel.

I suspect wheel balance too.  I replaced our tire with new from Spruce, did 
the red dot thing and had occasionally shimmy.  My easy soln was to just 
tighten the friction pad more, but the better soln would probably have been to
move 
the dot around to find a better balance. 

We had shimmy once so bad that I had to fix some fiberglass on the fairing.  
Those front bolts on the fairing also bend easily during shimmy, so check and 
replace as necessary. 

Hope this helps,

Mike Palmer <><
Excellence in Ergonomics

> I am checking the gear and mountings for integrity, and I will remove
>  the front wheel pant and check the main bolt etc. I am also toying
>  with ideas to add dampening.
>  
>  Has anyone experienced this?  Solutions?