Metal Gear Leg Stiffeners

[Cloudboy]

Thank you Paul, that is ringing endorsement enough for me. I'll do it. I'm glad you brought this mod to the 3 forum.

[Cloudboy]

I'm installing the aluminum bar stiffeners and have a couple questions for those of you smarter than I am with an engineering background (David Paule):
1. Does it matter if the Adel clamps are steel or aluminum?
2. Do the cushions have to be removed?
3. If so, why Gorilla tape rather than electrical tape or something else?

[jrs14855]

I used steel clamps
removed the cushion
Used gorilla tape in place of the cushions
I would have preferred the more common method of wood stiffners with two spiral wraps of glass tape with epoxy resin. However these would not fit under the upper cuff intersection fairing on my Wittman Tailwind.

[Sam Buchanan]

I just finished installation of aluminum bar stiffeners on my 1999 RV-6. I used stainless 'Adel' clamps with the cushions, we'll see how they hold up. I have the Rocket gear fairings so there is ample room for the stiffeners.

[David Paule]

1. No. Or rather, I don't think so.

2. Depends only on fit, since the leg fairings go over the clamps.

3. Probably a bit more durable, not critical.

Dave

[Cloudboy]

Thank you Dave.

[wirejock]

Originally Posted by Cloudboy

I'm installing the aluminum bar stiffeners and have a couple questions for those of you smarter than I am with an engineering background (David Paule):
1. Does it matter if the Adel clamps are steel or aluminum?
2. Do the cushions have to be removed?
3. If so, why Gorilla tape rather than electrical tape or something else?

I just finished this project.
1. I bought two packages of padded clamps off Amazon. Cheap and stainless. Easy to cut to custom length and reshape. Seems like I posted something somewhere. Slept since then.
2. No way my gear leg fairings would fit over them with pads.
3. Gorilla is very tenacious stuff. No worries about slippage.
I also had to go with #10 screws and metal lock nuts. No room for standard bolts and lock nuts.

[Cloudboy]

Larry,
I have been following your post re the adapting the stainless clamps from Amazon. I've made several and I'm interspersing them with regular Adel's and they seem to work fine. Mine seem to fit with the cushions on but they mount a lot stiffer without the pads. I guess it is stiffness and not dampening we are after. I may do some each way just to get the spacing the way I want it.
Thanks for posting the dimensions.
Steve

[jrs14855]

For those using wood I think the secret is a good epoxy primer on the gear leg. Use glass tape and saturate the tape with epoxy on the bench. Spiral wrap the wet tape and wrap with dacron fabric, paper towels, thin foam and duct tape in that order. In other words "redneck" vacuum bagging.

[WillG]

New build RV-3B
I Used oak half rounds fore & aft of gear legs, tapered to follow gear
taper, and fit gear fairing.
as much wood cross section as I could get away with.
Pro-sealed, cured then wrapped with wet fiberglass, sealed ends
painted - looks good.
With 25 psi no shimmy, thought 25 psi was low went to 30 psi -
got first shimmy.
My experience so far.

MG