Landing gear toe-in

My old '58 cub is getting pigeon-toed. I have standard length, heavy duty 1.25 gear. I run Dodge 2500 skiis in the winter, and over the years, I've noticed the skiis are getting more pigeon toed. I measured between the skiis at tips and heels and found a 7 or 8 inch difference. Also seems a bit squirrel on wheels when landing on pavement. My mechanic said Atlee might be able to straighten the gear, so I got down to Anchor town this week and looked up Atlee Dodge. He said he doesn't straighten gear and that 7 or 8 inch toe in was too much. I asked what was acceptable, and he said "not very da#% much". He explained that two thirds of the length of the skii is ahead of the axle which puts tremendous forces on it in a turn.
So I guess I am in the market for new or used gear. My questions are if standard length gear gets bent on skiis, wouldn't extended gear be worse?
If I found some used gear, how could I check it to know if it was already toed-in? Is Airframes or Dodge gear better than the other?
My observation of cubs and other aircraft around the ski strip here in Fairbanks is there are a lot of aircraft with toe-in on skiis, to varying degrees. I'm going on floats soon, so I have to solve this problem before freeze-up. Anybody got standard heavy gear that has never been on skiis to sell?

delete

I agree with the big pipe idea, but I would consider welding some tabs on an old truck bumper and do the bending on the truck instead of the airframe. It would be a pisser to have straight landing gear, but have a landing gear tab break off the fuselage. It would be a good idea to sandblast and inspect the gear while it was off also.

You guys do that cold? Problem is not always in the gear; we have brand new gear on a cub, and it still has 3/4" difference front-to-back on 8:50s. One buddy did it "hot", using a rosebud and re-welding gussets afterward. Sounds a lot easier to tweak them cold, if it is possible.

PA-12

Got the same pronlem on my PA-12 with standard gear. Anybody done it cold, and if so any problems later.


Also, what bungees really belong I alos thought 3 ea. 1080's (HD?)
thanks

I've done a dozen or so airplanes (Cubs, SCs and Pacers) by bending the legs cold, but I don't "slide a piece of pipe" on the axle and I take the gearlegs off those "fragile" little fittings welded onto the longerons and bolt then onto a very heavy I-beam arrangement that keeps the attach fittings firmly in line so that only the gearleg tubes bend. I use a reinforced eight foot long 2" Sch 80 pipe with "cups" welded on (one on the end and another about six inches up from the end. They are welded on "facing opposite each other" to fit neatly onto the front and back leg tubes and spread the load so they don't collapse the tubes. Old Harley guys will recognize the design- H-D Shops used to have a similar arrangement for straightening Springer front ends that had gotten "tweaked" against a bridge abutment or two (you Rice Rocket boys have no idea) and that's where I "Stole" the design. Yeah, cold. For sure.

Pardon my ignorance (it seems to be something I demonstrate almost every day!).

Is it possible to use the Cessna bolt-on axles (using the Cessna shims as necessary to achieve correct alignment) on the SC standard or extended heavy duty gear legs? IF it is possible, what might the pro's and con's be of doing so?

Thnx,

Musket

The axle is welded into the gear structure. Would take extensive modification.

Musket said:

Pardon my ignorance (it seems to be something I demonstrate almost every day!).

Is it possible to use the Cessna bolt-on axles (using the Cessna shims as necessary to achieve correct alignment) on the SC standard or extended heavy duty gear legs? IF it is possible, what might the pro's and con's be of doing so?

Thnx,

Musket

Click to expand...

My Cuby is setup this way, but it's experimental...