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Favorite Cessna 180/185 Jack Pad

Steve Pierce

Steve Pierce

BENEFACTOR
Graham, TX
Curious what everyones favorite 180/185 jack pad is. I have some home made ones I have built over the years but a friend wants one for his 185 and trying to figure out which one is best. Was going to use a floor jack instead of a bottle jack. Wanting to swap between 8.50 whels and tire and 29" Bushwheels. I see Atlee has two.

http://www.fadodge.com/cessna-leaf-gear-jack-pad-2/

http://www.fadodge.com/cessna-jack-pad/


and Bogert.

http://bogertaviation.com/collectio...products/flat-pivot-point-adjustable-jack-pad
 
I can't find the old thread where I had pics of my tripod stand and hydraulic jack to lift my 180 under the gear boxes. Dave Calkins had a similar tripod that folded closed. Very cool. WAY better than a gear leg fixture.
 
Photos of 24" bottle jack with folding legs coming shortly.

Jackpads scare me on taildragger Cessnas since the gear flexes and moves over as you lift a side
 
my main one i used was a 2x8 with a piece of plywood on it, then a metal part to keep jack in place and spread load screwed to it, used under gearbox

the clamp on leg one's I've made i like to add a pin across top...

and i also wrap chain around tail wheel so it doesn't decide to roll away or swivel

I've also seen one that sets right against fuselage under gear leg
 
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I have several, an adjustable gear leg pad (better than nothing), a welded custom gear leg pad that works pretty well for single side jacking and a whole belly Woden cradle that goes under the gear leg reinforcement boxes that is amayzing with a couple of jacks plus a tail cradle that goes under the stinger bulkhead that is really handy.
 
I use amsteel synthetic winch cable made into a continuous loop. Form a double prussic(sp?) knot around the gear leg and use a engine hoist or overhead winch to lift the gear leg. It looks and sounds crazy, but 3/16" amsteel has a 4900 pound breaking strength. Fast, easy and nothing in your way when changing tires. You can search for "cessna gear leg whoopi sling" and find a pic on BCP of how it looks.
 
BTV said:
I use amsteel synthetic winch cable made into a continuous loop. Form a double prussic(sp?) knot around the gear leg and use a engine hoist or overhead winch to lift the gear leg. It looks and sounds crazy, but 3/16" amsteel has a 4900 pound breaking strength. Fast, easy and nothing in your way when changing tires. You can search for "cessna gear leg whoopi sling" and find a pic on BCP of how it looks.
Click to expand...

Sorry,can't find it.
 
Jacking from a gear leg gets scary when you switch the first 800 or 850 to a 29" Bushwheel. Changing the second one is really scary. Jacking under a gear box is much more stable. Big tires, skis, outdoors in the breeze, on ice or gravel... no problem. Another good option is a vee block that wedges between gear box and gear leg but I have hydraulic lines there so I jack from the flat underside of the gear box. My top pad allows some roll to compensate for the angle change as the plane lifts so no side loading on the jack. It works great. If I built another one I'd make the tripod legs fold in for stowing like Dave C's does. Maybe he'll post a picture.
 

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Steve Pierce said:
Sorry,can't find it.
Click to expand...

Steve, Samson Rope sells this (or similar) under the trade name of Amsteel. There are lots of variations on Aramid cordage. Here's a link:

http://www.samsonrope.com/Pages/Product.aspx?ProductID=872

This is working its way into several applications which traditionally used steel cable. It's not a universal substitute however. Another interesting application is for winch launching sailplanes, and it's pretty much taken over in Europe, and at the (few) U.S. glider operations who winch.

Thanks. cubscout
 
I have wrapped the gear leg with a 1 inch by 24 inch nylon lifting strap and hooked that to my engine hoist. Once the slack goes out it stays put on a tapered gear leg. It is also handy to put through the lifting handle on a taildragger and run it back through the eye of one end. Absolutely no strain to my back when the hoist picks up the tail. jrh
 
BTV said:
I use amsteel synthetic winch cable made into a continuous loop. Form a double prussic(sp?) knot around the gear leg and use a engine hoist or overhead winch to lift the gear leg. It looks and sounds crazy, but 3/16" amsteel has a 4900 pound breaking strength. Fast, easy and nothing in your way when changing tires. You can search for "cessna gear leg whoopi sling" and find a pic on BCP of how it looks.
Click to expand...

Brandt sent me the link.
https://www.backcountrypilot.org/co...-lines-and-hammer-s-photo-dump-17878?start=60

Jacking 180.jpg

Jacking 180 2.jpg

Jacking 180 3.jpg
 

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N86250 said:
I have wrapped the gear leg with a 1 inch by 24 inch nylon lifting strap and hooked that to my engine hoist. Once the slack goes out it stays put on a tapered gear leg. It is also handy to put through the lifting handle on a taildragger and run it back through the eye of one end. Absolutely no strain to my back when the hoist picks up the tail. jrh
Click to expand...

I try to not put too much weight on tail handles of a Cub. I am not saying you are overdoing it
 
24" bottle jack. Welded aluminum folding base. Block of wood has a piece of conveyor belt "padding" that the airplane belly rivets kindof grip. Also. A short stub of 4130 tube is set into the block to "key" into the hole in the belly so it will never slip. I jack it nearly all the way up sometimes and attach the ski bungees with no need to stretch them. Super stable!!
 

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You are so right jrh. Sorry. I said the first thing that came to mind. Then retyped it. Shoulda erased it!
 
+1 for the engine hoist and strap method. We just use a 1.5" wide strap wrapped around the gear leg.
31823412512_6d30a45724_o.png

31131324124_454523da97_o.jpg
 
The av-jack looks good. Anyone know if it has enough travel to switch from 8.50's to 29's without setting the axle down on a block and adjusting the jack?
 
As I recall, Vern's first version of the Av-Jack wouldn't. He then did a little redesign work so it will do 31s as well as small tires.
If you want to talk to Vern directly, PM me and I'll send his cell number.
 
Carey Gray said:
As I recall, Vern's first version of the Av-Jack wouldn't. He then did a little redesign work so it will do 31s as well as small tires.
If you want to talk to Vern directly, PM me and I'll send his cell number.
Click to expand...
I'd like to know as well, see if you can get him to post here...
 
Probably not a big deal, but I try not to have a lot of fuel in the tanks. I have terrain just outside the hangar that I can put the fuel selector on both and run fuel to the opposite side I want lift and it might help lighten the lift a little.
 
Couldn't get in touch with anyone for the av jack so I built some. Will lift a 600-6 off a 180 and put a 31 on. Works great on 206's too. I've got four made. Powder coated too.
b505e4bef19b7e7c81ff15500b118043.jpg

78d189e1210d0b4479fe3f907e0cfd76.jpg



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