As part of getting set up to deal with a flat in the back country I need a jack pad for the Grove spring gear leg (internal brake line). Quite a variety of solutions - some below - some one offs requiring welding and 1 commercial adjustable one for $100+. The simplest solution referred to is clamping 2 2x4s on either side of the leg with C clamps or through bolts. Before I make one up has anyone experience using that solution?

thanks

I've used home-made arrangements like in photos 1/2 & 5/6, also a Bogert. Last time I hoisted things up I used a 2x4 c-clamped to the gear leg, with a 1x on the off side to keep the clamp from scarfing up the finish on the gear leg. Worked as well as anything. I placed the 2x4 horizontally, but next time I plan to clamp it on vertically, along the gear leg. I have a (short) bottle jack, also a (small) floor jack-- in both cases, getting the jack pad device low enough on the gear leg so the jack won't max out before the tire comes off the ground, and at the same time so the tire doesn't interfere with the jack, is a bit of a problem.

I've jacked quite a few airplanes before and my preference for the flat spring gear is a 4x4 with a notch cut in at the correct degree in order to keep the bottom flat parallel to the floor. The notch is cut to the same taper as the gear leg and at the same angle it is in relation to the floor and on the bottom flat there is a shallow round indentation that a bottle jack fits into. The wood block method does the least amount of damage to the paint on the gear and requires no clamps or other attaching hardware. I've used the other types in the above pictures too but they are either more hassle or can damage the paint. Simple, cheap but effective.

cbfraser wrote:

I have one like this for my 170. I use a piece of thin rubber inside of it to protect the gear leg. I also use a C-clamp to hold it securely to the leg. I've had it start to tip once before without it, and I know of one other plane that has fallen off the jack because of this same problem. I like the 4x4 solution, definitely cheaper and probably not too hard to make.

Don't waste you're money on the Bogart. Used one one time and had the plane drop off during jacking, cost me a new backing plate and a near heart attack With the jacking point off center as you can see in the picture, the jack mount has a tendency to rotate around the gear leg and come off.

cbfraser wrote:

I use one of these, rock solid secure and have never had a scratch

Mine is similar to the U-weldment above. It takes about 20 minutes to bend 3/8" rod into the U with a torch and TIG on a 2" stub for the lever. I used an old coolant hose to cover it up. It works fine with any jack, and lets you rest things on a stand if you are careful.

You can keep the lever in-plane with the U so you can use it on either side if you take some care with the gap dimension in the U. Mine sticks out horizontally when installed on either side, and I had to adjust the gap a little bit to make that happen.

Without a jack, you can hang a couple of gorillas off the opposite leading edge and let the fixture down onto a stump. I don't know how you guys do it in the field, but this was the main reason I made one. Fortunately, I've only had the need to use it on someone else's plane.

In a pinch 2 C clamps and wood around landing gear with jack .

cbfraser wrote:

The devise I made up was just like this, only minus the rod extending down. That would sure make it easier to clamp the thing on high enough so that the jack was still tall enough, but far enough away from the tire to avoid any interference.

This is what our A&P uses for our 185. Small hole is for a bolt to keep it from sliding/flipping off. With the rubber pad in it, we didn't lose any paint using this setup.

You can get UHMW sticky tape from McMaster Carr to line the contact surfaces of any of these jack pads. They'll pop off easily with no paint damage. Do use a backup clamp or a retaining bolt, in case it turns out a little slipperier than you figured on.
-DP

made one up out of scrap aluminum - simple to make, light and works well - at least in hangar....

cbfraser wrote:made one up out of scrap aluminum - simple to make, light and works well - at least in hangar....

Nice! You might consider drilling a couple of holes in the parts that stick up above the top level of the gear legs for a bolt or pin to go through - it would keep the pad from flipping or falling off if something moved a little during the jacking process.