Silver solder small washers on the lower bends and far enough up each side so 12 lb or 20lb 12" musky leaders criss-crossed from upper to lower on each side are tight enough to pull the gear in.

The second advantage here is that a hard landing will snap the leader(s) without harming the plane. When you can land consistantly without harming the 12 lb leaders you're ready for scale gear or retracts. If you can't find the leaders, use heavy fishline or light wire. I used weed wacker line on my Big Stik (I use this when I put a heavy engine in a sport plane not designed for one so the larger prop doesn't smack the dirt/grass).

With the bent flat metal gear I drill 3/32" holes and put cotter pins through from the inside and clip the leaders to them.