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Parker Wheels, wheel nut Torque.

kjelle69

Active Member
I have the Cleveland Wheels and brakes assembly which I understand were standard on older RV4 kits.

My question is what the wheel nut torque should be and how the approach should be here?

Its a cotter pin through this nut so you can only tight the nut in 60º steps and the bearings are conical as you probably know.
 

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Nuts

I have Cleveland wheels, but not with drilled bolts. Mine have for past 30 years used nylon lock nuts only. No torque setting, just tight. Not noted as to type of bolt or nut here. Good luck.
 

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Not much

Tighten by hand with a short wrench until snug and back off to nearest cotter pin hole. You do not "torque" them per say, but remove all the play is a better term. If you have them too tight, they will overheat and or crack the wheel.
 
Oh, I mean this aluminium center nut that goes on the axle:
 

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Thanks, this is the way I always have tried to do it. One problem is that I have to torque the nut when the aircraft is resting on the wheel since my jack is lifting in the center of the axle, like in the image above.

Tighten by hand with a short wrench until snug and back off to nearest cotter pin hole. You do not "torque" them per say, but remove all the play is a better term. If you have them too tight, they will overheat and or crack the wheel.
 
The NUT that holds the wheel on to the aircraft axle does NOT have a torque spec. Before the hole is drilled in the axle, the wheel and tire are rotated so to have NO bearing drag. Once that is determined, the hole for the cotter pin is drilled. From that day forward, that is the correct location for the cotter pin and nut. Place a mark on the flat beside the hole in the nut that the cotter pin is inserted through. When you put it back together, use a reference clock position and start there working the nut back and forth till the cotter pin starts into the hole in the axle.

The three nuts that hold the wheel together should not be castle nuts, drilled bolts, and cotter pins. The factory used lock nuts torqued to 90-In-Lbs. I typically torque them to 30, 60, and then 90.
 
Per plans, the hole in the nut and axle for the cotter pin was supposed to be drilled in place. Therefore, you should be able to identify the location of that hole and simply reuse it.

Not so easy though, I drilled mine and after landings it needed a second hole.

If a wing lift (accompanied by a tail weight) can not be done, there is a plans modification where a hole is drilled in the center of the nut so the lift bar can be inserted. Then a strap around the nut is made for attachment of the wheel pant.

All of this is available in the digital plans available from Vans. I think you can simply purchase and download it now.

To the original question: The instructions say tighten until there is no end play then drill. Knowing tapered bearings, it is good to keep the wheel spinning while this is being done as they settle when rotating and back off to position. If you jack the wing only one time to ensure you know the correct cotter pin location then simply mark it and reinstall to that position in the future. Drill a new hole if necessary.

Happy Flying!

Flying is freedom in practice.
 
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Jacking

I jack mine up the same way you do, and in fact have the same identical blue jack. I use a 24" long bar, actually its my Snap-on 1/2" breaker bar, and I slide the wheel onto it, raise it all up, pull the wood blocks, slide the wheel on the axle as far as possible, ease the jack down. Remove bar, install nut snug, roll plane fore & aft a couple feet, snug check again, cotter pin. Works great, and no wing jack points needed. Rinse and repeat for opposite side.
 
Easiest way to "jack" the airplane is to lift with engine hoist by the engine mount.

Caution: Do NOT lift by the engine itself. Lift by the mount.
 
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