Maule listing to right

[Kenneth1]

Hi,

I own an Mx7-180, serial 11019c that lists about 12 inches right wing down with the fuel balanced. At the last annual we replaced the oleo springs. Not any better. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to do next?

Also the fuel burns twice as much from the left tank as the right. I have checked the vents and the caps and they are clear. Ideas?

Thanks for your input.

KA

[Mog]

Any chance you have some nesting going on in your right wing? Sounds like the plane is not balanced left to right.

[Cash]

Wow. 12” is a lot! Not unusual for right fuel to draw slower than left due to longer run to valve on left side. Is wing still down with very low level fuel? If you have access to aircraft scales weigh each side at tie down ring with very low level fuel. That should tell you if it’s a heavy right wing or gear problem. Les

[Kenneth1]

Thanks. I’ll try weighing it.

[andy]

My 1986 MX-7-180 s/n 11021C left wingtip is slightly lower than the right wingtip by about 3". I believe it's due to uneven compression of the oleos. I've measured the oleo lengths and ABI HD main gear legs and they are the same on left and right sides. The rigging was re-done by Maule Flight in 2010 during the rebuild and I don't think there's a problem with it. I had the oleo attachment bolts and main gear attachment bolts inspected and lubricated last month during the annual and no problems were detected. My MX-7-180 burns more fuel from the left tank than the right but not twice as much. 12" sounds like a lot more than can be explained by oleo struts though. I would check the rigging.

[TimB]

did you modify the oleo for the new springs?

[Andy Young]

did you modify the oleo for the new springs?

That’s a good thought; if one of the springs is hung up on one of the bushings and not seating completely, it could cause this. In any case, something is very wrong, and some careful inspecting and measuring should reveal the cause. In the case Tim points to, you would see a mis-match in exposed rod length at the top of the oloes.

[Kirk]

did you modify the oleo for the new springs?

That’s a good thought; if one of the springs is hung up on one of the bushings and not seating completely, it could cause this. In any case, something is very wrong, and some careful inspecting and measuring should reveal the cause. In the case Tim points to, you would see a mis-match in exposed rod length at the top of the oloes.

To check that would you need to level the wings first, then measure? How thick are the bushings?

Kirk

[Hogy59]

Ok….here’s my two cents worth….simply because I had the same problem when I bought my MX-7. Plane listed to one side, and the tires didn’t wear evenly. Finally decided to put on the HD landing gear. That fixed the problem. After removing the old landing gear, I found that one of the axels was bent slightly upwards……was not noticeable without removing the gear and laying them side by side…..hope this helps……

[Kenneth1]

Thanks, was the HD landing gear from Maule or Alaska. I would like to explore that idea as well.

Ken A

[Hogy59]

I put on the Alaska gear….have been very happy with it… might slow u down a knot or so, since there are no fairings. The struts are out in the open. It came with stainless steel brake lines….went on easy….

[andy]

I hadn't thought about the axle possibly being bent but that makes a lot of sense. Just a small amount of bend could significantly affect the level of the wings. It might be difficult to detect a bent axle without removing the two gear legs and comparing them. Maybe you could use an angle measuring tool on each gear leg and axle and compare them.

[1:1 Scale]

I think the first thing to do is check to make sure your tire pressures are even, then see if the fuselage is level across the top of the windscreen. If it's not, investigate the landing gear and weight on the wheels. If it is, investigate the wing rigging.