Horizontal stabs are stuck, can't budge them for removal

[Alex Clark]

I have new tail feathers for the J3/PA11.....
My lovely bride and I removed the elevators last night, but the horizontal stabilizers are stuck...
The front end seems like it might move, but the rear thru tube is really stuck ... on both sides...
End hammer whacks to the hinge mount don't move a thing...
To make matters worse she is up on a trailer and on floats...So we were on ladders...
It is like I need some sort of jacking device to force them apart. There most be corrosion causing a hang up..

Any ideas???

 

[mike mcs repair]

Hacksaw off flush, then cut slot in inner tube long way with hacksaw blade since Plane is covered

Normal way is heat but you have fabric on

 

[docstory]

Hacksaw off flush, then cut slot in inner tube long way with hacksaw blade since Plane is covered

Normal way is heat but you have fabric on

If you cut one side of the rear tube, then remove that stab, you can use the other to twist the tube free. With a liberal amount of aero-croil added for good measure.

 

[mike mcs repair]

Hacksaw off flush, then cut slot in inner tube long way with hacksaw blade since Plane is covered

Normal way is heat but you have fabric on

oh, I guess you can use sawzall instead of hacksaw, if careful..... I gave the stone age method above!

saw on that on tv show them using the battery sawzall butchering a moose in field, and thought gee thats slick idea .....

 

[bob turner]

Common problem, but usually they can be worked free. But easiest would be a jeweler's saw so you do not destroy either the stab or the fuselage tube. Only cut the inner tube on one side, like Mike says. Once you get it rotating with the other stab it will come out. On re-assembly with a new tube (or two, if you bought new stabs) clean them out and put some grease in there. Then keep it lubricated for next time.

 

[mike mcs repair]

i probably should clairify.... cut off rear tube flush only...

 

[Longwinglover]

Alex,

As an additional note of caution...if you cut off one side and decide to twist the other to "free it up" be careful - you have enough leverage to twist the rear fitting right out of the fuselage. This is a slow process, do not rush it. Go ahead and order new liner tubes from Univair now. By the time they arrive you should just be getting the old ones out.

John Scott

 

[RAC cubs]

Replace the outer tube up front also,yes you could clean it up,but the rust will come back faster.this a problem with the rear on super cubs but the super cub front not the same as yours .you sould take the tail off every year or two to regrease those tube that front tube has very little room for grease,I wonder if you can use a supper cub front outer tube,it has a name? Rick at univar just told me we just ordered one for a clipper. your trim must have been very,very tight. if you donot remove it every year,you can disconect front tube and spin on tube while applying lube. clean inside of rear fus fitting with shotgun barrow brush, spay alot of afc 50 anti corrosion alot rinse stab then fill more yes it will leak out but it will leak into tube and lub.

 

[TrentF]

If you have time.

Mouse Milk several times a day.

 

[N86250]

Be sure to check all the welds carefully after it is apart and cleaned up. When the rear tube is stuck, the movement of the stab by the trim can put some heavy twisting forces on the rear tube and its attachments. You wouldn't be the first guy to find a crack or two. jrh

 

[skywagon8a]

It is always a good idea to weld a short piece of tubing to the fuselage cross tube. Thread it and install a grease fitting. That little oil hole just doesn't cut the mustard.

 

[Steve Pierce]

I weld a 1/4-28 nut over the oil hole and install a grease zerk. Won't help this time but should next.

 

[Alex Clark]

I have new Stabs, and elevators, plus new inner tubes.
New trim jack is a supercub trim system via Atlee Dodge STC, The front end is nice and greasy since I was jacking grease in there every chance I got, The rear only had the little oil hole and I sprayed corrsosion X HD in there before every flight. The trim moved up and down with now problem... But it sure will not let the rear tube slide out...
Towards the end of summer I managed to get a hole in the stabilizer tubing on one side that let in a bunch of water. Rusting the heck out of the stab under the fabric during this winter. (sea air)

I am heading back down to the field with mouse milk, Kroil-oil and PB-Blaster...But the gap is super tight between to fuselage tube and the outer stab tube. I can't even slide a razor blade between the two...much less a hack-saw blade.

 

[RAC cubs]

Maybe try paint burn gun ,just donot start on fire water and fire extingiser handy.

 

[mike mcs repair]

Maybe try paint burn gun ,just donot start on fire water and fire extingiser handy.

fire fire....... yikes!!!!

 

[bob turner]

Doug's solution will be tough to do if both stabs are still frozen on.

How about sawing the front tube, even though it is still good. Then you can rotate the stabs in opposite directions, maybe breaking loose one or more slip joints? You will want a new front tube anyway, unless you are lucky enough to have new stabs with the bolt holes identical to the old ones (very unllikely!).

 

[Alex Clark]

Well, I finally got them off..

It took a saws-all, Kroil Oil, power wire wheel, PB-Blaster, G-96 gun oil, a chuck of 2x8, a big flipping hammer, a ladder and a bunch of cuss words.

First I sprayed a bunch of kroil and PB blaster in any crack and ran the trim up and down about 100 times.
Then went home and drank two beers..

Next day, I had to ruin one of the old stabs because there was no room to get a blade in there.
So I cut out a portion of the rear of the stab and the front end slide right off.

Then I put a rod through the screw holes in the front inner tube and pulled it straight out. It was nice and slick...

This let me rotate the other side stab and eventually I was able to rotate it enough that bit by bit I worked the rear end of the other stab off the rear tube.

The rear tube was VERY rusty and pitted....

Then I spend a bunch of time getting the other short piece of outer tube (stab tube) off the other side.

The rear inner tube did not want to come through the bushing hole because of all the pitting...So I stood on the ladder with a wire wheel and took it down to metal. Then I used a bunch of gun oil and by taping it two millimeters one way and then the other eventually managed to beat the darn thing out of the plane.

 

[NimpoCub]

I weld a 1/4-28 nut over the oil hole and install a grease zerk. Won't help this time but should next.

Now the dirty part is done, make sure there's greasers on both stab tubes!

 

[Alex Clark]

The front has a grease zerk, the back only had that goofy oil hole. Even then the part of the inner tube near the oil hole was OK, it was the area of the inner tube that went into the stab tubing that was stuck and pitted. ...
I wonder why they did not originally design a zerk into the original design.???

 

[mike mcs repair]

...
I wonder why they did not originally design a zerk into the original design.???

plane was covered in cotton back then... and got disassembled and fabric ripped off and recovered every 5 or so years...

lots of bad things have happened with this (new) fabric that don't come off often.....

 

[sharp]

I would weld a nut and grease zert onto a steel clamp. Weld-up the part on the bench and no worries with the fabric. Then install the clamp over the oil hole and secure tight. Then you would have a grease zert without impacting the fabric with heat.

Sharp

 

[SuperCub MD]

Best way I have found to break them loose is to remove the elevators and attach bolts from the stab. From behind, give the end of the stab a good hard whack with a big rubber mallet. The force of the blow needs to be straight forward. Basically, you are using the front attach tube as a pivot/leverage point, like pulling a nail with a claw hammer.

 

[dougsappllc]

Kroil, mouse milk, penetrating oil, and all the rest of the over the counter "free it up stuff" comes in a very distant second place to a 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone. Give it a try you will be amazed how well it works.

 

[RAC cubs]

I would weld a nut and grease zert onto a steel clamp. Weld-up the part on the bench and no worries with the fabric. Then install the clamp over the oil hole and secure tight. Then you would have a grease zert without impacting the fabric with heat.

Sharp

What kind of clamp hose? good idea someone should make one ,maybe like clamp to copper waterline

 

[aktango58]

Time....

put on the penetrating oil and let it sit for a few hours, dose again. Do it every day for a week or so, and things will fall apart!

 

[Snert]

I think it was the two beers that helped break it free.

 

[Alex Clark]

PB Blaster is pretty severe stuff... I was trying to remove the pin from a 1903A3 rifles front sight and that stuff ate the parkerizing right off....

The beer was at home while I waited a night..Also had a big plate of home made moose tacos and watched "The Hunters" 1958 with Bob Mitchum and Robert Wagner plus some neat F-86 Saber Jets...

 

[mike mcs repair]

.....
The beer was at home while I waited a night..Also had a big plate of home made moose tacos and watched "The Hunters" 1958 with Bob Mitchum and Robert Wagner plus some neat F-86 Saber Jets...

ya.... cause there is some FAA rule somewhere about drinking and working on planes... you can't even supervise someone that's sober if you have been..or visversa... anyone got the link?

 

[Alex Clark]

Crud, now I need the rear inner tube for the Stabilizers. I have a new front tube but the old back one is shot...
I looked all over o the univair site and could not find it listed...

 

[sharp]

I don't have a part number handy, but a single or double bolt steel clamp for the correct diameter tube. Drill a small hole and tig weld a nut, install a grease fitting. Then install the clamp around the tube aligning with the oil hole. Would be a easy job.

Sharp