Air pressure for retracts
 

After a couple rough landings on mhy TF Corsair 60 I had to remove the Robarts and do some work to make them function. They seem to work with 60 plus pounds of air but I think they should still work freely down to about 40. Am I safe the way they are ? Plleas give me some comments.

RE: Air pressure for retracts
 

One of the quirky things about retracts is the housing they're in.

Before I go on, I have a question: Do they still require 60# of pressure if they are not installed?

If they work down to 40# when not installed, but need 60# when they ARE installed, then it sounds to me like the housing is getting "tweeked" as it gets tightened down.

IF that is your problem, a simple fix is to smear some wood filler on the mounting rails, then put strips of waxed paper on each of the mounting tabs on the retracts and gently, but firmly press the retracts against the mounts (Don't screw them down). This will let the wood filler conform to the shape of the tabs on the retracts.

Now remove the retracts and the waxed paper and let the wood filler dry - then, reinstall the retracts.

RE: Air pressure for retracts
 

I too have a TF Corsair 60 with robart retracts. Mine definitely will not work reliably on 40psi!!

I usually pump up to over 80 and they will work OK down to 60.

As Minn says, one of the critical things with these is getting the rails exactly parallel, the slightest twist will impede the operation.

Regards

Terry

RE: Air pressure for retracts
 

I've got Robarts in my Cessna 310 and they work fine on 40#

RE: Air pressure for retracts
 

Nice!!!

I have the Robart oleo legs which adds a bit of weight and inertia. I also have some fairly basic front gear "doors" which are pulled up by the retracts. Makes them work a bit harder I guess.

Terry

RE: Air pressure for retracts
 

I usually pump my system up to 100-110 pounds. This seems to be a very common practice among the jet pilots. With this kind of pressure, if you were to forget to air up the retracts for the next flight, you just might have enough pressure left over to cycle the gear again and prevent damage to the airframe. 40 pounds works in most instances and 60 pounds works even better. I just don't like the idea of only having a minimum required amount of air pressure onboard.