Cessna 180 Gear

M

Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
Every now and then when I touch down hard or bounce I hear a small clunk from the floorboards. My last flight, the wind dropped out from me over the runway and I didn't get power in in time so I had a HARD landing and something make a LOUD clunk from the floorboards. I flew home and did some poking around and saw this image of the RH gear. It looks like the gear is moving around. Any thoughts or advice on what should be tightened?

@Bell206 @mondtster @Dan Thomas

PXL_20220529_161516197.jpg
 
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Missing torque seal. Maybe it's not properly torqued?
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Any thoughts or advice on what should be tightened?
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It sounds like you're missing a spring wedge or shims. But since you have the STC spring mounts installed I don't know what it might be. Definitely check the hardware torque and maybe call PPonk for possibilities. I don't know if they use shims or wedges with their kit.
 
I’m not familiar enough with the Cessna 180 landing gear to make recommendations but if the landing gear is moving around (pivoting around the bolt in the center of your picture?) I would think landings might be a handful. Does it require any more herding than others?

If you’re near a shop that does a lot of float switch overs they might be a good resource to tap.
 
Take off the sheet metal cover around the gear leg on the outside of the fuselage. Behind it are a couple of bolts that pull wedges into the bracket to keep the leg snug. The airplane needs to be jacked to take the weight off tlhe gear to check those bolts. There are various wedge thicknesses used to get things just right, and you might need stuff you don't have.

Best to consult the service manual. It has the details on this.
 
You take that picture and come here for advice?

you have a serious problem that if not taken care of is likely to be the demise of your airplane. the pponk bracket is to stiffen the gear box, that’s it.

You should find another shop to do your annuals. That is an area of a 180 than needs to be inspected properly.

at this point, I’d pull the gear leg(s) and thoroughly inspect the gear box area, like REALLY inspect. Remove the pponk beef up kit and reinstall. Reinstall the gear leg, with appropriate shims, while unloaded with gear leg in far back position. There are two 1/4” bolts above the rear leg that suck the shins in.
the plane needs to be lifted by something other than the gear. Like seaplane rings.
All that movement could be loosening up other pieces parts.
I quick preflight check is to forcibly rock the airplane listening for clunks.
 
I would have called the shop that does the annuals. Or someone who knows wagons.
 
RyanB said:
Why didn’t you call your avionics shop when you had trouble with your 430 and G5?(https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/g5-or-430-issue.137328/)

Sounds as though you’re being a bit hypocritical to me.
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1. I talked to lots of people, avionics shop is less than responsive. I talked to Garmin, they aren’t very helpful.
2. A g5 or gps not functioning 100%, is not a safety issue. A gear leg flopping around beating up a gear box is potentially deadly if it lets loose on a landing.
3. Avionics shop didn’t install the g5 or the 430
 
A loose gear leg may not be a big deal, or it might be a really big deal.
It probably didn’t loosen up on one hard landing, and it shouldn’t. My guess is that the shims were loose for a while and off airport or hard landings allowed some play to develop.
If it were mine and I didn’t know which boot to tighten, I wouldn’t fly it until it was fixed. Id also check the other gear box. It only takes 5 minutes to check it once the weight is off the gear leg. but, I would inspect the whole area to make sure it didn’t cause other damage like sheared rivets.
 
It may cost you a few brews but you should / can check BEFORE next flight.
Enlist 4 or 5 buds. The taller or stronger will push one wing UP. It is essential you push up on the spar near the wing strut attach. Other folks can assist by adding some weight on the opposite spar . Don’t overdo here. A rope on tie down may help. Coordinating efforts is key.

With wheel barely off floor attempt to shake gear. There should be zero movement. Repeat other side.

I’ve had to replace 3 of the longitudinal fittings on one skydiving aircraft operated off of rough fields.

IMHO-MANY fixed gear aircraft rarely have the gear checked with no weight.

Worst ones I’ve seen were Aeronca 7 ACs.
 
Magman said:
IMHO-MANY fixed gear aircraft rarely have the gear checked with no weight.
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Yup. I once checked the gear on a 172M (round-rod gear, 172L and on) and found it swivelling a bit in its mounts. The big NAS bolt that goes through it was badly worn. I checked the SDR database and found mentions of this there, and found a picture of a 172 in which that bolt had failed and let the gear swing up.

upload_2022-5-29_19-25-44.png
 
We often learn from other folks misfortunes .

Encountered a Cessna Cardinal that had the bolt Dan mentioned fail. The tube gear
swung back and up and damaged the wing.

While inspecting another C-177 I noticed looseness in one of the Landing Gears.
After finding no apparent defect we contacted Cessna Tech Support. They required us to provide dimensions rather than give us specs. We did so and they said we were good to go.

I’ve wondered if it’s been rechecked in the last 30 years?
 
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