chuck l

My Feedback: (17)

I'm in the process of assembling a Hangar 9 Cap 232g and some how the plane didn't come with the #8-32 bolts for attaching the landing gear. Would four nylon bolts be adequate for attaching the landing gear on a 15lb plane? I've been seeing too many landing gears ripping out the bottoms of planes lately.

broke_n_bummin

I guess if you have a rough landing field, the nylon screws will keep you from ripping the bottom of the plane out if the gear gets snagged on a root or something. Keep a handful in your pocket though. It don't take much to snap an 8-32. I would have thought maybe 1/4-20 for nylon, 8-32 for metal screws.

skull1971

Nylon work like a champ!! and you can buy them at Lowe's and maybe Home Depot real cheap.

gsoav8r

My Feedback: (6)

I wouldnt use nylon to secure landing gear on a plane that size. Seems like an accident waiting to happen when the nylon fatigues and breaks just when you dont need em to.
Cheers.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't ever like to use nylon bolts on landing gear, but definitely not on a plane that size.

fly4food18

My Feedback: (15)

I have seen many Giant scale racers that have nylon bolts on the gear. (GR7, Kelly, Cosmic wind). If I remember correctly they where 1/4-20. I have also seen them break on a hard landing. I would use nylon bolts. I think it simply saves the landing gear assembly. some thing to think about is where does the gear, tires, wheel pants go when they break off? I have seen holes on the botton of the wing.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

This is exactly why I never use nylon bolts for landing gear. I gave this analogy once before, but I'll repeat it:

Let's rate landings on a scale of 1 - 10

A "1" is a perfect landing - an "8" will break nylon bolts - and a "10" will rip your gear out if you have steel bolts.

Now let's rate 100 landings

90 of them rate a 1 - 7

9 of them rate an 8 or 9

and 1 rates a 10

Before I continue I want to point out the fact that when the gear leave the plane, the gear attachment point is only ONE of the areas that gets damaged

Let's consider what happens each time the gear come off (And I have seen this happen many times - Including to myself)

In the best case, the gear comes back and punches two holes in the bottom of your covering. This usually also includes damage to ribs, sheeting etc.

In the worst case, as the plane rolls over them they do significant damage to the rear of the fuse bottom and the stab (as well as what they did to the wing).

So in the scenario above, with steel bolts you have ONE repair to do

With nylon bolts, you have TEN repairs to do.

I'll stick to steel!