Tail Tie Down Anchor

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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Was taxiing today and my rudder pedal went to the floor / no resistance.
Seems the connection between my rudder pedal and the nosewheel failed as the bolds sheered.
This is apparently a known thing w/ Comanches and there is fix with stronger bolts which I am going to implement.

That said, I can't fly the plane if I cant steer it so I need the fix to be done in my hangar.

I am in an open T-Hangar with a dirt floor and I would like to install an anchor under the tail so we can push it down and anchor it so we can work on the nosewheel.
Are there anchors I can screw into the ground that will support the load? I don't know the quality of the dirt, but I am trying to find something that is a surefire
way to make sure when we remove the nose wheel, it won't come out and settle on the prop.

I am told it needs to hold 400lbs but I am not sure if that is a real number.
I see anchors on Home Depots site that say they hold 4500 lbs.

What would you recommend to rig something that is overkill for holding the tail down?
 
I'm sure the tail weight needed for a Comanche is different from an RV, but I've put bags of stuff - sandbags, shot bags, etc. on the inboard portion of the HS and subsequently hung weights from the tail tie-down to raise the nosewheel. You could do a hundred pounds of sand on the HS, a hundred plus pounds as far aft as possible in the baggage area, and use a ratchet hooked to a tie-down or two for the remaining couple of hundred pounds. Or you could put a little more sand on the HS and you wouldn't need a lot of force on the tie-downs...

A "Claw" would probably work well as an anchor point for the tail, but EAA has plans for a set of tie-downs made from long (10") nails, a U bolt, and a small piece of steel that work much like the Claw...
 
This and a ratchet strap. I know my 172 had SBs about pushing down on the HS to raise the nose, but evenly distributed weight, ie. sand tube, cases of oil, etc., may be fine.
 
www.pilotsofamerica.com

DIY Tail Tie Down Weight For Servicing Nose Wheel / Strut

TLDR: A set of weights on a jack. Used tent weights vs workout weights to save a crap ton of $$$. See pictures below if interested. Our new AP managed to service our 182 strut better than the last mechanic and I thought it would hold out all winter but the nearly -30F evenings the past week or...
www.pilotsofamerica.com www.pilotsofamerica.com
 
texasclouds said:
I have seen mechanics use a metal tub filled with concrete and an eyelet. Also used a toolbox full of tools as the anchor point.
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That's what the shop here uses. It's half a 55gal drum filled with concrete with an eye set in it. You don't need anything that extreme though, point is you don't have to screw into the ground. You could even build a frame out of wood (still have Big Yellow X?) and weight that.

I've seen guys just stack weight on the tail. Don't think I'd feel comfortable doing enough to lift the nose though.

One used this style: https://www.homedepot.com/p/YARDGARD-4-in-x-40-in-Earth-Anchor-901114A/308773828 to hold down temporary outdoor structures through some pretty strong summer storms. They sell all different sizes. I'm sure that would work. I'd tie down to it and bounce it a few times to make sure it'll hold before I took then wheel off. The only trouble might be if you have loose dry soil, which you might under a roof in Texas.
 
I use a heavy duty steel dolly with 400# of sandbags piled on. A cable with a heavy caribener loops under and clips to the tail skid. Rolls out of the way and lives in a corner when not in use. A buddy uses a tub of cement with an anchor embedded in it, also on wheels.

If you have soft floors, I'd be more concerned with putting a hard surface under the jacks.
 
I wouldn't trust a doggy screw.
You could dig a hole, put a long shaft with some sort of stay securely attached to the bottom and an eye on the top, pour in a few hundred pounds of Quikrete. When set, fill in the hole.

In the mean time, some sort of combination of sand bags on the HS and a weight on the tie-down. Cover your HS with a packing quilt before laying out the sandbags. Also keep the bags as close to the center line as possible.

I've done something similar for my Warrior in an enclosed hangar with a cement floor. I installed a tie-down in the floor (rotary drill and a big molly), but I don't wholeheartedly trust it. I cover the HS with a packing quilt, stack about four sandbags on the HS, herf the tail down, and stuff some 6x6 lengths directly under the firewall. Then I release some of the tie-down tension and let the plane settle with a bit of weight on the 6x6s.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What would you recommend to rig something that is overkill for holding the tail down?
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Check the maintenance manual under "handling" or where it explains how to jack the aircraft. It should give you what direction and weight requirement to follow.
 
Instead of trying to pull down on the tail, maybe consider something similar to a motorcycle jack set just behind the nose gear. Add a 4x4 to span the full lenght of the fuse and may a heavy blanket at the contact point. You may need a few extra 4x4's under the jack to get the height you need.

This is what I do for my plane. Much simpler than a tail pull-down for a one-off project.

This is rated for 1100 lbs which should be enough since the mains still carry a lot of the weight. Note that this one has a safety pin/rod (some don't). I use my drill to raise and lower it.

Motor Cycle Jack
 
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Search for “earth anchor” Lowe’s probably carries some that go down 24” or so if the ground isnt’ to hard.

Brian
 
Engine hoist with sling under prop
 
Salty said:
Engine hoist with sling under prop
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That works the best.

kep5niner said:
I know my 172 had SBs about pushing down on the HS to raise the nose, but evenly distributed weight, ie. sand tube, cases of oil, etc., may be fine.
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If you put weight on that stab, it had better be over the aft spar. That's where the strength is. It's the forward spar that is cracking when folks push down on the stab to turn the airplane. The aft stab is closer to the center of pressure on the stab/elevator combo, and the loads on the ground in lifting the nose are much higher than that forward spar experiences in flight. Remember that on the ground the main wheels are far aft of the center of gravity, while in flight the center of lift is just aft of the CG.
 
kep5niner said:
This and a ratchet strap. I know my 172 had SBs about pushing down on the HS to raise the nose, but evenly distributed weight, ie. sand tube, cases of oil, etc., may be fine.
Click to expand...
Years ago now, but my former mechanic used canvas bags of lead shot for that purpose - and it worked fine with no damage.

Dave
 
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