Gear safety cables

[pilot]

Anybody done this? Unofficially? Unofficial pics would be welcome.

What size cable would you use, and exactly how would you attach and route them? Surely someone has thought of this.......

[TomD]

Have a look here:

http://maulepilots.org/forums/viewtopic ... &start=135

[chetharris]

This whole safety cable thing is long overdue. Bushwheels was working on it, but nothing came of it. There used to be a Maule at Merrill that had something, but it moved. I always got hung up on the upper attachment being attached at the upper oleo --not a lot of room. Kurt seems to have solved this. You do not have to attach the upper to the upper oleo.

Wonder what Kurt's solution looks like when he oleo actually fails. Go Yellowmaule. Go Peril.

[pilot]

So, how long are they Kurt? Did you put an oleo in without the spring to get travel and then add from there? Man, that is awesome - but could you stc it or get in on a 337?

[freedom]

What are they for?

[Henry L. Heaberlin]

If the oleo strut attach bolts on either end fail (break) or if the metal on the lower end of the oleo strut tube pulls out due to freakish wear and or material failure, the aircraft landing gear will fail and collapse the gear on that side. The safety cables are a last ditch attempt to keep the gear from spreading out and damaging the aircraft in a landing.... This happens on occasion and usually at an in opportune time or place. This is why that Jeremy is so adamant about wanting the oleo gear bolts upgraded to NAS Hi Strength bolts and inspected without fail at every 100 hour and annual. The oleo strut bolts are in shear as installed and can fail with multiple hard landings... I found mine bent once upon a time and replaced them with the NAS bolts... Lots of reference to this issue in the forum... Henry

[YELLOWMAULE]

Good evening all, sorry for the slow response.
The cables I have built are actually a plagerism of sorts from Steve Bryant's certified Producer which uses oleos much like our beasts.
It's actually quite simple.
Using a longer NAS bolt, attach a ski tab (A metal tab of 4130 to fit the bolt with an eye on the other end large enough to accomodate a thimble and at least a 3/16" thimble and cable. The cable then extends under the belly to the opposite axle and another ski tab is mounted on the NAS bolt that attaches the oleo to the axle. The cables are zip-tied to the oleo and the slack is carried under the belly on the cross over to allow the normal travel of the gear. Geometrically, this is the area of the least movement and therefore does not require much slack. In theory (I have only static tested the ravel with the AC suspended and the oleo detached as if broken) allows approximately 4" of side/upward travel.
It is imperfect, unproven on a Maule and I am NOT endorsing it as proven methodology but it is a safe guard against a prop strike.
I will say this though. By my calculations, a 4" swing of the gear with an 80" prop and 31" Bushwheels, it should keep my prop approximately 6-8" above Terrafirma.
Over the course of a number of years and more than a few conversations with Jeremy and a couple of others, the oleo is usually the culprit in failure quickly followed by the rear gear leg tube. I have also looked over a number of wrecks in the process.
I will complete this post with some additional pictures once I have the wings mounted and I determine the final "At weight" stance of the Peril. Then the final measurement will be determined for the cable length. Preliminary measurements are 53" of cable length. We have changed the weight appreciably and I don't know what the final stance at both empty weight and gross and the corresponding gear travel will be as yet.
I have wanted for years to come up with a method of safety cable and when I saw the Producer, it's simplicity, function and ease of facilitating clicked. This particular improvement was born of intuition and a deep seated desire to try to prevent whacking a $30k engine let alone beating up a newly refinished AC.
All disclaimers apply unless you bring a good bottle of Scotch to the argument.