Cobra,
I use the Dubro 5" cheapies and they are fine. I also have one wheel that seems to retract further than the other as yours does. I shimmed mine some and the cover plate does bulge some but the gear leg does lock in the up position. It has been my experience to retract the wheels on the stand with fuselage up-right, not inverted, this will guard against damage as you mentioned. Hope this helps.