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Cool New Cub Jack

stewartb

MEMBER
A friend told me about a new jack a local guy came up with that can safely lift a Cub on pretty much any surface we're likely to visit. I looked, I bought. This is a very clever tool. Very portable, very user friendly. My TK-1 gear is a little problematic but with about 10 minutes on Facetime I think we've crafted a good and simple solution. I'll take pictures of my own plane on the jack tomorrow but I thought I'd share a link tonight. He's got a Cessna gear fitting that uses the same jack. It's by far the best portable Cessna jack I've seen. Great ideas, very well crafted. I'm totally impressed.

https://www.shortfinalfab.com/services-what-do-we-want-to-call-th
 
Cole's gear jack is absolutely the best out there. His ski dollies are top notch too. Great guy to deal with and an experienced pilot so he knows what works and what doesn't.

Thanks for posting this Stewart
 
I have a video of Cole changing an 850 to a 35 on his own Cub. I can't upload it but if somebody smarter than me wants to upload it or just see it? PM me an email address. It illustrates how quick and simple this jack is to use.
 
neat stuff.

I wonder: how does it handle the Cessna spring gear “splay” as it lifts.

Also, wonder: is there a simpler way to interface/clamp the Cub gear without need fer tools?

I use other solutions that are simpler and possibly more secure for both applications, but seeing other solutions is interesting
 
Dave, he has a video of the Cessna jack but it appears the camber is already unloaded. He says it's no problem. It isn't like we've never had a trailer creep a little. I expect I'll get a Cessna fitting, too.
 
Update: The simple mod was a success. The jack works on TK-1 gear with a couple of tiny adjustments. My 35s on 6" ext gear lift several inches off the floor with ease.
 

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Anyone with TK gear who wonders? TK uses 1-1/2" tubes front and back, unlike typical HD gear's 1-3/8" aft tube. That's an easy bushing swap. With a bolt-on mid step the angle needs a very slight notch to clear the jack fitting. Most guys don't use the added angle and without it there's no interference. I like the angle step and the notch took about 5 minutes using hand tools. Easy peasy.
 

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Pretty easy to pack in the plane.
 

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That cub jack is pretty slick, but it's worth noting that it'll only work on uncovered gear.
 
That cub jack is pretty slick, but it's worth noting that it'll only work on uncovered gear.

Covering cub gear is like a woman with great legs wearing an ankle length dress, just not as nice to look at.

Note: words chosen to try to be politically correct
 
Covering cub gear is like a woman with great legs wearing an ankle length dress, just not as nice to look at.

Note: words chosen to try to be politically correct

I guess you haven't flown the same plane with uncovered gear, and then covered and faired it to see the difference! Doing so in a plane you have at least a thousand hours of TT in, so you pick up better on any changes, is helpful. First thing I thought of "won't work for me!" Oddly enough I just hauled my engine puller home as I am replacing all my gear's fasteners and doing a real thorough inspection of everything after some rough service over the last few years, and a big hit a few days ago. I'll reach in one side at a time and pick the S-7S up after rigging to the structure under the seat, which is where all the landing loads go so very strong. Otherwise for other work, I just shove a 1" bar in my 1 1/2" hollow axles and use a floor jack.
 
Covering cub gear is like a woman with great legs wearing an ankle length dress, just not as nice to look at.

Note: words chosen to try to be politically correct

haha I second that! When I bought mine first thing I did was take a razor blade to them to remove the fabric and put on the long step
 
I get into my tandem taildragger S-7S different then most I guess. I back up, step onto the tire, put my butt on the door opening bottom, then reach into the cockpit and grab the overhead cross bar and hoist up into the seat, still sideways, then it's easy to swing my legs around and in. Point being, if I had a step (and it was an option on my SC style gear, I declined) I wouldn't know how to use it/don't need it. Thus the gear covering AND FAIRING (why cover the A frames if you don't fair that aft leg????) of the aft leg is no inconvenience at all and it's for sure less drag. My weldments top and bottom are still visible, am I'm not too worried about the straight lengths of tubing I can't see. Looks don't enter into it, less drag does.
 
Cover that gear up like God and William T Piper intended. You don't want people thinking your plane is just another promiscuous bush plane going out and landing on any old dirty strip.

Oh and put a lightning bolt on the side. It adds 10hp and 10mph. Its science.
 
Whatever floats y’all’s boat but I like legs 3” longer and a little greasy up top. Sure the dirt sticks too them but that just means they try harder. If your cub doesn’t have dirty legs, you aren’t treating it right;-)
 
Another Pirep. I picked up the Cessna gear leg fixture that fits the same jack. I think the Cub jack is the best jack I’ve tried but this Cessna fixture is way, way better than anything I’ve used to lift my 180. There’s an easy 2” under my 29” Bushwheel and it isn’t extended all the way. This thing is awesome!
 

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Hey!!! somebody copied my jack that I posted on here quite awhile ago!!IMG_0019.jpgIMG_0016.jpgIMG_0016.jpgIMG_0015.jpg
 

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I made these up several years ago because I keep my 12 in a hangar that only has about 10 inches of ceiling space..., I was afraid of finding a tire flat some morning with a damaged wing! They were real easy to make, and they work well for regular maintenance as well. They can be found here under "tools and jigs".
 
Hey!!! somebody copied my jack that I posted on here quite awhile ago!!

did you even look at the photo of what stewartb posted? You can’t use the term copied when comparing your design to Cole’s, they’re entirely different.

Cole’s system is clearly better designed and in general, a more polished product.

if you want to give more visibility to what you created, bump the thread you originally created instead of hijacking this one.
 
did you even look at the photo of what stewartb posted? You can’t use the term copied when comparing your design to Cole’s, they’re entirely different.

Cole’s system is clearly better designed and in general, a more polished product.

if you want to give more visibility to what you created, bump the thread you originally created instead of hijacking this one.
see PM
 
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The jack I posted about is particularly handy for swapping tires to skis and vice-versa since there's space between the jack and wheel or ski. There isn't enough room to remove Fluidynes on my 180 but I remove Fluidynes from the gear without jacking the plane, then jack it to swap to big tires. After all the years of fiddle-farting with different jacks, boom trucks, and ceiling hoists? I'm very pleased to have a simple lifting device that's as solid as this one.
 
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Used one the other day, 31s to 8.50s. Nice product, stable. It has multiple bushings for different gear leg diameters.
 

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Here’s a tip. When switching from 850s to 35s we need to lift one side partially and block up the tore, then lift the other side to install the tire. If you don’t, the angle on the jack is too great to lift the plane. Another way is to use a ratchet strap between gear and jack to keep it square to the gear attachment.

You also need to make sure what’s above and below your wingtips!
 

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The jack I posted about is particularly handy for swapping tires to skis and vice-versa since there's space between the jack and wheel or ski. There isn't enough room to remove Fluidynes on my 180 but I remove Fluidynes from the gear without jacking the plane, then jack it to swap to big tires. After all the years of fiddle-farting with different jacks, boom trucks, and ceiling hoists? I'm very pleased to have a simple lifting device that's as solid as this one.

Same reason I use the 1" solid steel rod through the 1.5" hollow axle and a floor jack method: it gives me a lot of room inboard of the tires when messing with the Datum skis. Which, looking out the window at my runway or what's left of it, are about ready to come off.

And...., when tilting the plane at a pretty steep side angle, with a big tire on one side and little one on the other, and letting one jack down too quickly, make sure you stupidly don't have almost full tanks, and a radiant electric heater positioned "just right" that will light the gas on fire when the fuel sloshes out of the vents. Flames will leap up from the heater, but not quite reach the wing. That was my scariest flying related event ever. Obvious as heck, now.
 
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Here’s a tip. When switching from 850s to 35s we need to lift one side partially and block up the tore, then lift the other side to install the tire. If you don’t, the angle on the jack is too great to lift the plane. Another way is to use a ratchet strap between gear and jack to keep it square to the gear attachment.

You also need to make sure what’s above and below your wingtips!
And invision the worst happening and make sure that if it did fall off the jack there isn't a seat on a table under the jacked up wing. :-(

Cole called last week and he is sending out my jack adapters and gave me a link on Amazon to get the trailer jack. Look forward to using it and appreciate the heads up on what looks to be a very hand tool.
 
Pretty much impossible for a plane to fall off this jack. However, if trying to lift the 850 side with a 35 on the other side the angle is so acute that the jack is trying to bend as you extend it. On a concrete floor the foot tries to move away from the wheel. It can’t fall off but the jack may bend. My TK gear has a perfect tube for using a ratchet strap to limit the jack from deflecting. It’d be more problematic with other gear. Going up in stages would be a better solution, I think.

The reason I’ve been excited about this jack, especially with the Cessna, is that I have had the 180 fall off a gear fitting jack. The axle buried into soft gravel. That wasn’t a fun day. This jack is fall-proof for Cubs and Skywagons.
 
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