sonny2

I have made only 3 flights with my EMS TROY BUILT 82 INCH HAWKER HURRICANE and each flight the retracts caused several problems, the worst being the plane can't be flown with the retracts such as they are designed, this is a heavy airplane for these retracts, the wheels wobble left and right and rub against the struts. there is not enough endnut threads so that you can space the wheels further away from the struts. In other words the axels are too short to begin with and the strut allows too, too much play left and right not only with the wheels but also with the spring loaded strut within it's own enclosure being retained by a very small hex head bearing screw. What really hurts is the airplane is just setting on it's cradle stand waiting for some good retracts. I have improved the retracting and exstending functioning of the gear without fault now, but I had to up grade to a better air valve and "T" fittings. But again the real problem now is the wheels lock up on landing and cause the airplane to nose over on it's spinner because the wheels have slop and wobble left and right enough to cause them torub against the struts and acting like brakes on landing......Just can't fly this airplane this way. If Troy Built does not come up with a remedy or replace them with something better. I will re-drill the inside of the lowerstrutaxel thread and re-tap it to fit a standard american threadedRobart or Dubro wheel axel that is slightly longer allowing for a 3/16 inch spacer keeping the wheels further away from the strut and then still enough room for a lock nut keeping the wheel on and also still enough room in the wheel well for a full retract fit. Also in doing this, I will have to modity the spring loaded strut so that it does not move at all, this I will do by drilling all the way thru the lower strut bearing bolt hole so that the screw becomes part of both the lower and uper struts making it onekeeping them staut without any hydraulic or spring action. Ipaid $139.00 for these retracts and expected them to work on such a notible companies airplaned.
Sonny2