Kit Aircraft Modifications

I’ve been working diligently in getting the axle spacer program up and running. Thanks to all of you who have come to read about them and who have gone to Cleaveland Tools and put your name on their waiting list. I will have product to them around the 15th of January.

I installed the prototypes on my nose gear today and took pictures to put together an informative instruction sheet. We got lots of good pictures and Mike Lauritsen is going to add them to his order page in the next couple of days.

I am hoping to get he word out to the RV-6/7/8/9 crowd that I have a fix for their problem design as well. It would be very helpful if any of you readers would mention it to your friends and possibly print out the article on my blog to post in your EAA, RAA, COPA and AOPA publications. Maybe even as an article in your newsletter.

The more people hear about this fix the more safe we are going to be. I have heard some real scarry stories about people coming back to land with excessive shimmy and spinning bearings.

Dave

I have been able to take the design for the RV-10 axle spacers and modify them to fit the RV-6, 7, 8 and 9A front wheel. They use the same bearing as the RV-10 and have been having the same problem with the spacers supplied by Van’s pre-loading on the bearing seal.

In this application, I reproduced the same configuration as the RV-10 including the through axle. I am going to be offering these two kits for sale through Cleaveland Aircraft Tools.

Retail price for the RV-10 will be around US$180.00 and the RV-6/7/8/9 will be around US$190.00 as the new axle is included. Cleaveland has not confirmed the final price but this is close. They will be available in January 2009.

The axle will be made of aluminum and will use the same through bolt that is supplied in the kit. The actual spacers will be made of stainless steel with stainless steel hardware. The locking screws that you tighten after adjusting the pre-load will have drilled heads so they can be safety wired.  As well, there is a notch milled into the outer portion of the spacers that fit into the heads of two socket head cap screws. These screws are installed in the yoke and keep the spacers from rotating.

Here are some photos. Contact me at HERE  or submit a comment if you are interested in purchasing these.

Thanks for  reading my Blog!

Dave