Hello,

Sorry this may have already been covered however I am unable to find it in the forum history. I have a 182 J with an IO-550. Its a good backcountry plane and has proved itself in the ID backcountry. I did learn that I need bigger tires.

I have seen the option for the airglass nose fork however I don't want to jump on that right now as ADS-B time is approaching and I need to put money toward that. The question is has anyone ever see 800's on a 182 with the standard nose wheel?

The thinking is that I can put the 800's or even 850's on and leave the stock nose wheel, which will hold me over until I am able to purchase the nose fork. Looking for input.

Kyle.

Hey, sorry to be overreaching but I improved your subject title because "182" by itself is too broad for future searchers.

thanks for the help

Your plane, a 182J usually came with a 500x5 front tire and 600x6 on the mains An option for your plane was a 600x6 front tire with a fork like 310, 206 etc with 800x6 on the mains.

So you can take a 206 / 310 fork and install it on your plane with tires as stated above and you do not need an STC. It is a log book entry. This is not true for all 182's but I am quite sure that it is with the 182J.

I have a 1956 182 with a 310 fork, 600x6 nose tire and 700x6 mains. This was done with a field approval as my plane was not available with the larger tires.

The weakest link in the 182 landing gear is the nose gear attachment to the fire wall. I would not put on big mains and keep the tiny wheel up front. the 310 forks are a little tough to find but they do come up now and then. I know where there is one along with wheel and tire and a set of main wheels with the 800's on them. Not sure what he wants for them or if they are even for sale.

Check the parts book for your plane to see if I am correct, find a 310 fork and that is the cheapest rout for you. That configuration is all you need. My friend from Costa Rica has that set up on his 182 and he does gravel bars all the time. I do not have the link to his videos but somebody here will probably put up the link.

PM me your number if you want to talk about it

Tim

I agree with Tim. You dont want to put bigger mains on with the 5.00x5.

Actually, at least for 8.50s on your mains, you’ll need some kind of approval for those tires. The Airglas fork comes with the STC that approves both the fork, it’s larger tire AND 8.50s on the mains

MTV

A 15x6.00-5 tyre will fit on the nose wheel with standard fork and give you a much larger footprint. It's a very cost effective option, but you'll need to check the certification side

onefitty wrote:A 15x6.00-5 tyre will fit on the nose wheel with standard fork and give you a much larger footprint. It's a very cost effective option, but you'll need to check the certification side

It gives a larger footprint, but it's no taller. I had a 150 setup that way, but on a 182 I would want more prop clearance...

mtv wrote:Actually, at least for 8.50s on your mains, you’ll need some kind of approval for those tires. The Airglas fork comes with the STC that approves both the fork, it’s larger tire AND 8.50s on the mains

MTV

No special approval or STC required for the standard HD option on the 182J. Plenty big

The 310 fork works well. There are plenty of people with 337s around. You may have to re-size the barrel for your nose strut (longer or shorter). I had to.

The 6 incher up front makes a significant improvement on sand and soft dirt. The larger 7" mains are less useful on anything except bone jarring surfaces and are draggy. I put them on when I have an agenda, and go through the trouble of going back to 6's when I'm done.

7's also noticably reduce braking effectiveness with stock cylinders (Goodrich), and the slightly larger Parker bores seem to recover a lot of that if it matters much (and it probably doesn't matter at all). Parkers are easier to maintain as well.

The tunnel behind the firewall seems to be the weak link in the 182. The larger tire makes an easy to notice difference in soft or gophery strips. You can also add tunnel reinforcements like some have done successfully (although there are no 337's or other papered ways to do this, if that is a concern). They help keep the puny tunnel behind the firewall from buckling.

A1Skinner wrote:

onefitty wrote:A 15x6.00-5 tyre will fit on the nose wheel with standard fork and give you a much larger footprint. It's a very cost effective option, but you'll need to check the certification side

It gives a larger footprint, but it's no taller. I had a 150 setup that way, but on a 182 I would want more prop clearance...

The 15x6.00-5 tire is significantly larger diameter. For those who want a quick and very cheap solution, they're a great option. But it won't turn your 182 in to a firebreathing, go anywhere back country monster or win the biggest tire pissing contest that's for sure! Best thing to do is fly appropriately for the conditions and be careful regardless of your tyre size

lesuther wrote:The 310 fork works well. There are plenty of people with 337s around.

Check page 119 of this parts manual. https://www.redskyventures.org/doc/cess ... Manual.pdf

You do not need a stinking 337 if it was offered on your plane.

Tim

I also have a 182J and went the route of the 310 fork, 6:00 on the nose and 8:00 on the mains. As Qmdv mentioned, since it was an option from the factory, a 337 was not needed. Just a simple log book entry. I have loved this setup on mine, I'm not landing in boulder fields or really rough stuff, but the difference between the 5:00 and 6:00 on the nose is pretty significant.

BlindPilot wrote:I also have a 182J and went the route of the 310 fork, 6:00 on the nose and 8:00 on the mains. As Qmdv mentioned, since it was an option from the factory, a 337 was not needed. Just a simple log book entry. I have loved this setup on mine, I'm not landing in boulder fields or really rough stuff, but the difference between the 5:00 and 6:00 on the nose is pretty significant.

I have the 310 fork/block/strut piston assembly... trying to figure out how to match it up to my 182E. The block is drilled for a AN6 bolt to torque link but my torque link is a AN4 bolt.

Also how did you press the block onto the 182 piston? I would also have to remove it from the 310 piston.

My A&P is also weary of a logbook entry because of different part numbers on 310 vs 182 heavy duty.

Any info would be helpful - thanks

Rayden37 wrote:

My A&P is also weary of a logbook entry because of different part numbers on 310 vs 182 heavy duty.

Any info would be helpful - thanks

Where in nor cal are you. You know some mechanics are really scared. The difference between a 310 and 182 fork is that the 310 has little nubs to mount the fender. I also live in nor cal probably farther nor than you. I think I know several mechanics that will do it with a log book entry.

Tim

Rayden37 wrote:I have the 310 fork/block/strut piston assembly... trying to figure out how to match it up to my 182E. The block is drilled for a AN6 bolt to torque link but my torque link is a AN4 bolt. ...... My A&P is also weary of a logbook entry because of different part numbers on 310 vs 182 heavy duty. Any info would be helpful - thanks

I have the 310 fork on a 182E. I used some bearings for the bolt mismatch: something like a Mcmaster 2938T41. I'd actually prefer the AN-6 links, but AN-4 is adequate. I used the 337 for the part numbering reason you mention.

My setup came with the piston already attached, but I have rebuilt my stock piston as well (remove and re-fit after I re-chromed it). If you are getting the piston from the 310, you may have to cut the barrel down with a wet abrasive saw to match the E model as I had to. A band saw will die in about 4 or 5 revolutions from the chromium, and the water on the abrasive saw preserves the chromium right up to the cut line.

If you instead are moving your old piston to your 310 fork and it is being stubborn, don't bang on it to set it on. There is a way to make it pretty easy. Get a small cheap styrofoam cooler and a cheap toaster oven. Turn the oven up to about 250F, set the block inside. Then drive to a welding supply and get about 1" of liquid nitrogen in the bottom of the cooler (maybe $10-$15...just make sure it is a small cooler. Cups work ok but you need a steady hand with gloves to make it back to the hangar, and your supplier might object due to an abundance of common sense). Come back to hangar, dip the piston end into the LN2 for a couple of minutes, and assemble the block. Impossibly tight fits go together easily this way, and you even have enough time to line up the cross drilled block hole if present.

I just had a 310 fork installed on my ‘58 182 in August with 6.00x6 nose wheel and 8.00x6 mains. I think it’s a perfect set-up for my needs. I felt like the Airglas fork would look stupid with a 6.00x6 tire in it. I saw one the other day and I was right. Also, the $2700 Airglas price seems crazy to me. I found a 310 fork for $1000 when I bought the plane in June (yea, it has the little “nubs” on the trailing edges to mount some kind of fender and I thought it looked stupid. Now I don’t even notice it). My mechanic talked me into just buying a new 6” wheel for the nose. $750’ish. Sheesh. Used 40-76A’s are not easy to find and it might only be a $2-300 savings. My plane needed all new tires and tubes anyway so going bigger was a no-brainer for me. My mechanic did have to do some work on the old strut system to get the 310 fork to match up nicely but it seems to have all come out fine. The copper busing at the top of the 310 tube had a hairline crack in it. He used the one off my old fork. My total bill for the fork install, tire/tube purchase and install, wheels balanced and misc parts came to around $3800. It took 2 guys a good part of a day. If you have any questions call Doug or Jake at Dew Aviation in McCall. They got me a field approval in less than 4 weeks, Zane has a copy of it.

What is the largest tyre you can fit on an early 182A or B with the standard nose fork?

What is the largest tyre you can fit on the same type on the main wheels without modifying brakes/axles?

The post 1962 182 type allows for a nose strut channel strengthening kit, do the earlier 182 types have a similar kit or are they less prone to firewall damage from the nose strut?

If you use soft field technique both for take off and landing why the need for a much larger nose tyre?

L18C-95 wrote:What is the largest tyre you can fit on an early 182A or B with the standard nose fork?

What is the largest tyre you can fit on the same type on the main wheels without modifying brakes/axles?

The post 1962 182 type allows for a nose strut channel strengthening kit, do the earlier 182 types have a similar kit or are they less prone to firewall damage from the nose strut?

If you use soft field technique both for take off and landing why the need for a much larger nose tyre?

5.00x5 is the largest that will fit in the standard fork. 7.00x6 will fit in the HD cessna axle, and 8.50x6 will fit in the airglas fork.
Reasons for the bigger tire are better flotation, more prop clearance, and smoother taxiing.

A1Skinner thank you - is the Cessna HD axle available for the early 182?