I just purchased a used hobbico hobbistar 60. If flew it the other day and the nose gear flexes from side to side. I can take it off and land but it noses over because the nose gear flexes to the left and right really bad. So i purchased a new one thing that the gear was bad and the new one did the same thing. How do you all keep the nose gear from flexing. Every time I land I have a prop strike because the nose gear flexes.

This is the new gear that I purchased.

[link]http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD842&P=7[/link]


The plane is 6.5 lbs

I have been flying for a few years now but only tail draggers.

try this style.


http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...XH130&P=ML

Can you provide us a picture of how it is mounted on your plane?? It sounds like it's not properly installed.

Ken

It is installed the way it says in the manual for hobbistar. If you look at the manual online at towerhobbies that is exactly how I have mine, including the spacers.

mudboger07
That will be my next choice. I was looking at that we last week.

If it is properly installed it will not bend when the plane is running on the ground.

Something is amiss, but without pictures we have no way of telling what it is.

Sorry I am at work so not pictures. I am not going to worry about it I just ordered another landing gear.


but here is a picture of the way mine looks, not a close up but this should do.

X2 on Ken's suggestion for the Fults gear. It is symmetrically loaded and much stiffer.

Sran

Here are my pictures. The wire is not bending, it seems as though the spring is making it flex. I have already ordered the nose gear that mudboger07 suggested. I says up to 15 lbs so it will be great(overkill)

I am still curious though...so suggestion will be taken!

sounds like it needs bracket to stiffen side to side movement http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXD846&P=7 i bet you that would cure it

MetallicaJunkie,

What the photo does not show is that the landing gear extends into the engine mount. It looks like it has plenty of spread between the bearings.

(photo from the manual)

Stan

The engine mount is metal and yes it is all then way into the engine mount. There is about 1/4'' up past the bottom of the engine mount almost touching the fuel line.. I have those brackets but they do not look as sturdy as the one that is on mine, but I do have those.

you might need to take the bracket off and fill it with epoxy or jb weld... and drill out a new hole bit a bit smaller..... it might fix it.... other than that, i cant think of a reason for it to be flexing that bad


is the nose wheel itself wobbly of the axle ?

yeah the nose wheel seems fine. It will taxi straight but as soon as I turn just a little it wants to flex. I tried turning it around but the did not help. It flexes right at the spring, so I think it just to much weight for the gear

There is nothing in your photos to indicate a mechanical problem but there is a clue as to what is really going on.

Your rudder pushrod is far to close in on the steering arm (about half way) This will in every case cause excessive nosewheel travel and the steering will be far to sensitive when on the ground.

You said this is your first tricycle geared airplane and you only do taildraggers, well all the different forms of landing gear geometrys require different piloting techniques as well as set ups and excessive wheel travel is definately a common mistake with trigeared airplanes.

Here is what happens with this excessive travel. Folks will suffer steering excursions in both directions and both during takeoff or just after touchdown. This will result in many tip ups and flop overs with the resultant prop strike.

The worst case senario after landing is after you past yourself into the wind and attempting to turn back down wind with still to much speed the excessive throw will result in a flop over.

I beleve there is nothing wrong with your landing gear other that the steering throw.

John

yeah the nose wheel seems fine. It will taxi straight but as soon as I turn just a little it wants to flex. I tried turning it around but the did not help. It flexes right at the spring, so I think it just to much weight for the gear.

Everyone thanks for the input.

I will try to put it in a different hole, I tried putting it in the last hole but I could not get the gear on.

Another vote for the Fults - if you can support the weight. Made a world of difference in rough dirt &grass fields with my Contender (which sports a relatively heavy four-stroke in her nose).

.

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I will try to put it in a different hole, I tried putting it in the last hole but I could not get the gear on.
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Thats because the hole in the firewall is in the wrong place. Yes I am aware that it may be where the factory placed it but regardless its in the wrong place. It needs to be directly lined up with the end of the arm and that is usually clear over to the side or close to it. The pushrod needs to all the way in the last hole out at the steering arm and at the servo always start with the pushrod at the closest hole in.

If your firewall outlet is aligned with the end of the steering arm and hole is drilled oversized with any rod housing if used floating free you will be rewarded with an almost friction free steering and that will make a big differance.

If a housing is used it can be glued at the the first cabin bulkhead to prevent it from sliding fore and aft, this when the housing floats free in the firewall.

The reason for this is the fire wall is always to close to the steering arm and as the pushrod moves it swings sideways and jams aginst the bulkhead actually trying to bend the pushrod.

The Fults is a wonderful gear for a heavy airplane but very much overkill here but worse it will not cure your problems which apparently are the flopovers and propstrikes. Fixing you linkage will cure the problem however.

Excessive nosewheel throws and or binding pushrods are a recipe for poor ground handing i.e. flopovers.

John

Looking at the pictures that were posted and I'll say that JohnBuckner is right on the money here!!!<div>
</div><div>Ken</div>

I agree with RCKen and JohnBuckner. The nose gear should only turn about 10 or 15 degrees at full throw. Any more than that and you are going to trip up your trike.

And also, moving the pushrod out to the end of the tiller will increase the mechanical advantage the servo has over the nose wheel.

I just moved it to the end of the arm. Still the same issue. Even turning it with only the slightest movement causes it to flex. Well I guess I will see how this new gear works out

Make a taildragger out of it and forget the nose gear.

Depending on how much stress you have been putting on the gear, and how long you have had it set up like this, you may have sprung the spring in the gear. It simply may not have the strength anymore that it should have in order to function properly. It's quite possible that they are simply damaged now.

When you get the new gear install it properly as indicated by John above and you shouldn't have the problems any longer.

Ken
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You just moved the pushrod out to the end this evening within the last couple of hours and you say it is still flexing. I don,t understand how you can possibly know that, its dark outside, are you flying in the dark?

Just grabing it and bending it will tell you nothing, only flight tests at normal takeoff and landing speeds can possibly offer any answers.

John

Another issue that could play here too. The speed you are at when you try to turn the plane. If the plane is moving too fast when you try to turn it can and will "flex" the spring out like you say. To be honest, that is what that spring is for, to absorb the forces that would otherwise transfer to the fuselage and damage it. If you are moving too fast it will pull that spring out like that. And like I said above, if you do it too much you will weaken that spring and it will become easier flex with less force<div>
</div><div>Ken</div>