Hi

Have had my 8.50s go flat overnight a couple of times in the last few years usually at the most inconvenient locations but funnily enough once inflated again were OK...

However, figure it's time to carry a jack pad around and wondered what some of you guys use...it's a C180.

Thanks

Ian

After my 172 slipped off the jack during an annual (cost a new brake torque plate ) i bought an adjustable one from Aircraft Spruce. At 69.95 it was about half of what the replacement torque plate cost, not to mention the heart stopping, OH-S*** feeling of watching the unplanned contact of your plane with mother earth. Have used the new pad several times without any slippage.

Here's the info:
Flat Pivot Point Adjustable
Jack Pad ADJ-FPP
P/N 12-00837
$69.95

They also have several jack extensions that are resonably priced, i found the 8" extension to be perfect with the 8.5's on my 172
Much safer than stacking wood blocks under a bottle jack.


Jack Extension 1.5"
P/N 12-00156
$19.30


Jack Extension 3"
P/N 12-00157
$19.25


Jack Extension 8"
P/N 12-00158
$21.90

Chris

Thanks Chris...

Appreciate that; especially the extension bit!

Kiwi,

Why do you need to jack the airplane up, if you just have a flat tire?

There are lots of little battery operated pumps you can plug into a cigarette lighter adapter (or some other electrical power source). These will easily pump up a flat tire in a short time. They'll take a tiny bit of power from your battery, but not bad.

Or, you could carry a good bicycle type pump and pump up the tires. They are not that large.

I presume that these are tube type tires, so this should be easy. I sure wouldn't jack an airplane up and remove the wheels to get them aired up if I could avoid it. There is always risk in jacking an airplane.

Finally, if you have SLOW leaks, try filling the tires with nitrogen.

But, if your tires are going flat overnight for no apparent reason, I'd bet that you've got a pinched tube or a bad valve stem, and if that's the case, you want to REPLACE that tube. Point is, if it turns loose on you while landing or taking off, it could create some serious havoc.

In other words, find out what's wrong and get it fixed, especially if its a recurring problem. Most tubes will lose some pressure over a period of time, and we need to monitor them. But if your tires are going flat overnight, get em fixed.

MTV

Hi MTV

Thanks. Good ideas , especially the nitrogen!

I take your point...I have a foot pump which I carry...several times over the last few years each tire has gone down completely flat over night. Always at some out of the way place with no one else around.

I've found it difficult to actually start inflating the tire with all the weight on it so have taken the weight off by wedging my back under and lifting the strut at the same time pumping like crazy. I'm 6'7" and have the leverage to do this but the contortions aren't right for a 60 year old...

Just thought a a jack might help if it happens again...don't know why the tires do it...as I mentioned once pumped up again they have given no further problems for months..

Ian

fix a flat in a pinch. just one can to carry and it both inflates and fixes most leaks. Long term tire will be out of balance.

Something I made up because everything else is Shit!
Doesn't help much if your out in the field, but......

Feel free to duplicate it.

http://gallery.me.com/mfraser/100086

Again, if your tire is going flat overnight, there's something wrong. Either someone is letting the air out.....or a faulty valve stem OR more likely a pinched tube. Have you been anywhere there would likely have been some nails, or cactus spines, or???

If this has happened more than once, and it sounds like it has, I'd pull the wheels and tires, disassemble, and find out what's going on. You should use some talcum powder for use on the tubes when installing tires to keep from pinching the tube.

Other than the slow leaks associated with air migrating through the inner tube, OR damage to a tire (nails, cactus spines, etc) there shouldn't be any reason for flat tires.

MTV

I've been pleased with this one http://www.bogert-av.com/jack-pads.php It is more convenient than my home-made variety. Only thing is that the bottle-jack adapter is sized for a rather small bottle jack. I had a friend with a metal shop mill me a larger adapter that fits the 12,000 lb bottle jacks I happen to keep around. I use it on a C-170B, that is on 180 gear legs, but the design makes it pretty broadly universal.

denalipilot wrote:I've been pleased with this one http://www.bogert-av.com/jack-pads.php It is more convenient than my home-made variety. Only thing is that the bottle-jack adapter is sized for a rather small bottle jack. I had a friend with a metal shop mill me a larger adapter that fits the 12,000 lb bottle jacks I happen to keep around. I use it on a C-170B, that is on 180 gear legs, but the design makes it pretty broadly universal.

I purchased my jack pad off of ebay
[url][http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CESSNA-170-180-185-NEW-SPRING-STEEL-JACK-PAD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ26439QQihZ002QQitemZ120468838071QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW/url]
It works very well and is considerably less expensive than those sold by the a/c supply houses.

I made a set of jackpads years ago to fit the (180) gear legs on my 170. They don't really fit the gear legs on my 150TD, so I made up another consisting of two pieces of 1"x1"x1/8" steel angle, which bolt together with 1/4" bolts to sandwich the gear leg at the appropriate height off the ground. You then put the bottlejack (or better yet a floor jack) at the lowest corner and jack her up. Works great, small & light and easy to fit into the tool bag.
Years ago, a friend of mine installed a set of birddog towbar fitting on his 180, which bolt to the inside of the gear leg at the axle. Always in place, they worked great as jack points-- at least for a floor jack, they might be too low for a bottlejack.

Eric

Thanks for all your replies...I'm constantly amazed at the innovation and skill out there on this forum.