Old Solution “How to Jack the Airplane”

[GAHorn]

I rec’d a query lately which asked “Where to buy a Jack Pad ? “

Here’s my suggestions for review:

https://www.univair.com/atlee-dodge/ces ... twQAvD_BwE

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https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... y=12226543

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And:

A "poor mans" jack point can be made from two square pieces of plywood (4" by 4") and a 6 or 8" C-clamp.
Simply take two pieces of plywood, one on top, one on bottom of the leg, clamp it with a large C-clamp...and using an ordinary hydraulic jack against the bottom of the "C", jack up the airplane. No damage to paint will occur if you clamp it tightly.

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[gfeher]

I have found that the jacking fixtures like the ones in the first two photos in George’s post will damage the paint on the gear strut unless you put a thin pad between the fixture and the strut. This is because the fixture slides up the strut a bit as you jack up the plane. I use a 10” x 10” (approx) piece of rubber from an old inner tube for a pad, but you can also use a thin piece of leather. The pad needs to be significantly larger than the mating surfaces of the jacking fixture and cushion all areas of the fixture that contact the strut. I initially tried bonding a pad to the mating surfaces of the fixture but it didn’t last long. Keeping the pad separate from the fixture works much better as it allows the fixture to move and adjust independent of the pad and strut. There needs to be a significant portion of the pad above the fixture as the pad tends to stay with the strut while the fixture moves up the strut as you jack the plane.

George’s “poor man’s jack” in his bottom photo is a great idea. Probably better than the steel jacking fixture. To make it even better, i would glue a rubber pad on one side of each of the plywood pieces. It’s probably not necessary though.

Just some thoughts.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I have used all three "jack pads George showed on 170s as well as many different aircraft. Our shop had the first two for the occasion when a Cessna type (not a Cirrus) came into the shop.

My go to and preferred method is the C-clamp and suitable wood. The C-clamp should be robust and better quality works better than cheap. Wood can be thick plywood or 2x4 but I like a 2x6 myself. You must really tighten the C-clamp.

[DaveF]

I use an engine hoist and strap. Here I’ve jacked, removed the wheel, then let the axle down onto the cribbing.

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