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Looking for nose gear jack/lift idea

vinzer

Well Known Member
Hi all !

I finally reached the point when my wings are on and my big fan is spinning.
My hangar is a bit non-standard with the second floor-crash pad area on top of the half of the space. With the same time the ceiling height under the second floor is under 8', which was enough to feet thee tail of DA-20, DA-40 and even PA28-235 with little effort.
Now its time to fit there my RV10 and I am short of about a 25" which is ALOT.
Thee only way of fitting my airplane in to this tight vertical space is by lifting the nose wheel. When I lift it by ~6"-7" my tail goes in with the safe margin.

I need your brains to help me to find thee correct solution for nose wheel lifting. This solution should be:

1. Simple to attach outside of a hangar
2. Should have own wheels (like a dolly)
3. Should be relatively inexpensive and simple.

I was thinking about something like this:
Vevor Dolly

however because our nose wheel on 10 model is small this probably won't work. I even tried one similar jack-dolly and it does not fit.

Now I am thinking about some sort of a metal platee-platform which has a S shape profile. Bottom plate goes under the wheel while top is attached to a hydraulic jack. This jack is also on the small platform with 4 wheels.

After taxing to hangar while outside I lift the nose wheel with jack, lock the platform with steel pin (for safety) and then push airplane inside with tail down-nose up.

Do you have any idea or possibly someone has similar solution already implemented ?

Thank you for your suggestions. This is the only holding me now from attaching my vertical stab and rudder. :D
 

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Have you considered a ramp for the nosewheel?. The good thing about a fixed ramp is that it'll never suffer a hydraulic leak down or anything like that.

The bad thing is you'll probably need a little mechanical help to get the nose up the ramp.
 
What about a bucket or low profile container of cement (or a stack of weights from a workout machine or some such), with a ring buried in it, on a dolly, that you roll over to the tail and ratchet down (or just lift and hook on the tie down depending on how much weight you need). Then, the bucket kind of scoots along on the dolly as you roll the plane in. Not sure about the long term stress of pulling the tail down instead of lifting the nose up though...

There is a nose wheel jack that someone loaned me once that doesn't have any moving parts, the "Y"'s on each side went on the lugs, and and you pushed down on the arm, and it pried the plane up and broke over center, if that makes sense. You could perhaps modify one to be on casters.

Looking online, something like this at aircraft-tugs.com would work I would think, if you could keep the tug attached and close the door. Otherwise, perhaps you could get some square tubing and fabricate the lifting parts, with a hydraulic ram like they use that pumps by hand, and then just dolly it in like you said.

The real solution was to build an RV-10 instead of an RV-10A...:p I kid, I kid...
 
Have you considered a ramp for the nosewheel?. The good thing about a fixed ramp is that it'll never suffer a hydraulic leak down or anything like that.

The bad thing is you'll probably need a little mechanical help to get the nose up the ramp.

I would think unless the ramp is going to be in the way of the door closing, it would have to be pretty steep. I have seen people mount a harbor freight electric winch in the back of their uphill hangar, attach the cable to the tie down, and winch it in, so that might work.
 
Have you considered a ramp for the nosewheel?. The good thing about a fixed ramp is that it'll never suffer a hydraulic leak down or anything like that.

The bad thing is you'll probably need a little mechanical help to get the nose up the ramp.

Are you talking about fixed ramp with wheels like a dolly ? Interesting idea! Curious if there is such ready to use solution. To put it on the ramp I can use a meatal cord from the tail tie down through the steel tiedown ring in my hangar.
 
Are you talking about fixed ramp with wheels like a dolly ? Interesting idea! Curious if there is such ready to use solution. To put it on the ramp I can use a meatal cord from the tail tie down through the steel tiedown ring in my hangar.

I was thinking a fixed ramp like a car ramp, but with less slope.
 
I was thinking a fixed ramp like a car ramp, but with less slope.

Once used ramps to fit two low wings (RV-7A and Grumman Tiger) in a standard t-hanger. Two ramps about 8’ long under each planes right main starting just inside the hangar door. Eight inch rise over 8’ was gentle enough that one person could manage.

Any chance the -10 could fit nose in? Maybe angled a little to the right which appears to have more room for the wing.
 
My solution to lifting the nose wheel is a little different than your thinking. I mounted an anchor hook in the cement floor. Attach a ratchet strap to the tail tie down and the anchor in the floor. Once up I double up the attachment with a fixed length cable in the event the ratchet would fail.
 
The bucket or ramp is great if you don't have to move it very far. Be a bit of trouble if it fell off the bucket. Kinda like kicking the bucket.
But the bags of concrete, sand, rocks, old firewood?
Setting/carefully placed on the elevators is a great idea. Won't fall off. You can still move the plane around on the mains.
Once in place add 5 pounds to keep it there.
I use this method to work on my A model front wheel.
Oh!!! or you could cut a notch in the upper floor Ha Ha Ha. Probably not a good idea.
My ideas at work for you. Art
 
#1

I would use a 15-20 foot I beam attached to the floor.

Make a device to pull down tail, hook to I-beam.

Put metal 4” x 4” x 2 x 2 feet with wheels. (Build)

Lower nose wheel and push in hangar.

Release pressure off of tail.

Long I-beam will be safety device

I would check with Vans on how much pressure can be put on the tail tie down?



#2

Cut slit in ceiling and make wall inside.

4’ x ???????


Conversation piece.
 
Wau! So many great ideas - Thank you guys!
;) Collective brainstorming is a good way to solve such puzzles.

So today I lifted nose wheel on a small piece of standard 6"x6" beam. The actual height is 5.5". It turned out to be perfectly enough for the tail to fit under the ceiling with safe margin about 5"-6".

I like all solutions proposed and I will likely do something more robust/solid with the time. For now, because I need move forward with my build, I think to stop on the following simple and quick solution:

1. Car wheel dolly - something like this

2. Change wheels on this dolly and install something like 4" or 5" diameter ones. I need that to move it over little tiny step between hangar floor and asphalt outside. Also this will rise this dolly to about 6" height in the middle

3. I will use 4 aluminum angles 2"x3" to make a sort of safety border/limiter around the dolly to ensure that my nose wheel won't jump off it. One angle should be removable to accommodate nose wheel entry.

4. Now I need something like a vehicle ramp with very gentle and long slope so I can move airplane with hands on to it. Height should be about the same as my dolly platform.

At this point I need little more brain storming about how to add a good brake for dolly platform and for ramp so both wont move for the time when I am loading nosewheel on to it.

I also have a steel ring in my hangar floor under the tail section so I can use sort of a hand winch or even electrical one to move airplane slowly in to hangar with nose wheel on the dolly.

This looks like a temporary solution for now so I can continue to work on my rudder.
 

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#1

I would use a 15-20 foot I beam attached to the floor.

Make a device to pull down tail, hook to I-beam.

Put metal 4” x 4” x 2 x 2 feet with wheels. (Build)

Lower nose wheel and push in hangar.

Release pressure off of tail.

Long I-beam will be safety device

I would check with Vans on how much pressure can be put on the tail tie down?



#2

Cut slit in ceiling and make wall inside.

4’ x ???????


Conversation piece.

Bruce, your solution #1 sounds interesting for the long term! I might do that later on. I was thinking about solution #2 but the way how beams are made for the second floor may require additional vertical beams to be added to accommodate required cut in the floor/ceiling.
 
A 2x12 ramp would work

I have a similar setup in my hangar with a 172. I can grab a picture next time I’m up there, likely tomorrow evening.
 
Looking good. Only thing you may have to consider is the profile and height of any chocks/stops. Nothing but the loweset profile chock will work on the wheels once the pants are installed.
When we travel we bring our own chocks as we've found most FBOs don't have ones low enough to fit under the wheel pants.
 
Wau! So many great ideas - Thank you guys!
;) Collective brainstorming is a good way to solve such puzzles.

So today I lifted nose wheel on a small piece of standard 6"x6" beam. The actual height is 5.5". It turned out to be perfectly enough for the tail to fit under the ceiling with safe margin about 5"-6".

I like all solutions proposed and I will likely do something more robust/solid with the time. For now, because I need move forward with my build, I think to stop on the following simple and quick solution:

1. Car wheel dolly - something like this

2. Change wheels on this dolly and install something like 4" or 5" diameter ones. I need that to move it over little tiny step between hangar floor and asphalt outside. Also this will rise this dolly to about 6" height in the middle

3. I will use 4 aluminum angles 2"x3" to make a sort of safety border/limiter around the dolly to ensure that my nose wheel won't jump off it. One angle should be removable to accommodate nose wheel entry.

4. Now I need something like a vehicle ramp with very gentle and long slope so I can move airplane with hands on to it. Height should be about the same as my dolly platform.

At this point I need little more brain storming about how to add a good brake for dolly platform and for ramp so both wont move for the time when I am loading nosewheel on to it.

I also have a steel ring in my hangar floor under the tail section so I can use sort of a hand winch or even electrical one to move airplane slowly in to hangar with nose wheel on the dolly.

This looks like a temporary solution for now so I can continue to work on my rudder.

Vlad,
I like the 6x6.

Now make 3 wide.
Put 3/4 inch plywood on top.
Put 1x2 piece for stop chock.

Have someone cut a ramp that goes to it out of wood 6x6
About the length to back of hangar door.

Hope you can get it on with wheel pants on.

Then use winch on tail.
Use bogart bar to steer

Boomer
 
It would be great if you could post a picture here please.
Thank you ;)

Let me take a stab at explaining myself here. Basically build the top of the ramp, or block if you will by stacking 2x12s (or 2x10s, mine looks like 2x10s, and I can’t remember what I bought). Cut the top one a few inches shorter so as to nest the ramp that will be built next. Place the ramp in place and match drill 1/8”, or some fairly small size, holes through the ramp and the block. Just keep the holes small so you can use the small holes as a pilot for a spade bit. Enlarge the holes in the ramp to 1/2” and the holes in the block to 3/4”. Glue a 1/2” dowel into the ramp leaving about 1” sticking through the ramp.


Screw blocking onto the bottom of the ramp to help support the ramp from flexing too much.

Pin the whole works to the floor with some lag screws/concrete anchors, or if you don’t have an SDS rotary hammer, I suppose some sort of construction adhesive might work.

The dowels in the ramp nest into the 3/4” holes on the ‘block’. Works well, I don’t really feel the need for a winch and it would be even better if I made some minor ramps to ease the transition between this hangar apron and the hangar floor, but I’ve been moving this airplane in and out several times a week for over 2 years, and I haven’t done that yet, so it’s minor enough to not motivate me to make it easier. I aim down the airplane pushing from the front, using the split in the rear window lined up with the VS, lined up with the red tape on the wall. Gets the tail right where I want it, but that’s probably less crucial for you since I’m trying to fit both my 172 and my RV-8 project in the hangar, I’m guessing your just trying to fit one airplane in your hangar…

I found that raising the nose wheel 4.5” gives me plenty of room. That rudder/VS didn’t fit under the ceiling before my ramp, but clearly from the tail picture, it has plenty of room.

See pictures for a little clarity.

Hope this helps.
 

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If you know someone with a sawmill, they can take a big 'ol chunk of wood (a tree, in fact) and make you a solid ramp to whatever height, width, and length you need. The guy who runs the local airplane paint shop uses his sawmill to make custom ramps to get oversized aircraft through his paint shop door and to tilt aircraft for floorspace utilization. Seems to work very well.
 
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