control wheels

wa4jr · Post by **wa4jr** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 11:22 pm

I still have not taken the bolts out of my yokes to see where the wear is...too cold and no hangar here. Glad other folks are using JB weld...my shop would grind to a halt without that stuff...I buy the BIG tubes. Now using in on the yoke to control tube joint....hummm....I am tempted. I can see no reason for anyone to ever take the yokes off of the tubes. I have the original yokes in good condition. Perhaps I can indeed clean up the holes, use new AN bolts along with JB weld and be done with play in the joint forever? I have detected, however, some play in the U-joints behind the panel. How much play in this U-joint is OK...and where is a good source for replacement joints?

N1478D · Post by **N1478D** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 1:29 am

I just spent a few hours taking yokes off of the shafts. It was a press fit, and very hard and time consuming to get the yokes off. As tight as they were, the rivits could fall out and the yokes would never move. Very surprised that you could have play there.

Bill Venohr · Post by **Bill Venohr** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 4:59 am

Joe--how are you going to reassemble? Rivits again? I understand they are very expensive--curious what you are planning to do.

russfarris · Post by **russfarris** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 5:42 am

I'm curious about that too, Joe. I plan on removing my control wheel shafts for re-chroming soon.

I did get the proper rivets a while back, much cheaper than the usual outrageous price from some outfit in Arizona, but I've forgotten who!
I think they were in Tucson. I'll look around and try to find out...Russ Farris

Dave Clark · Post by **Dave Clark** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 12:22 pm

Russ
It was probably Premier Aviation in Tucson. 520-889-6327 They have the online @ iwantcessnaparts.com . I went there at Christmas when we were down in Tucson at the kids for the holidays. Nice people. If they don't have it it will be there the next day from Cessna stock. You can check out the parts prices online with them but it's impossible to tell online if it's their stock or Cessnas.

N1478D · Post by **N1478D** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 2:20 pm

The two shafts/yokes that I traded for have very interesting parts in place of rivits. They appear to be aluminum and look like rivits when assembled. But, they are threaded with rivit looking ends and fit very tightly into the 4 holes. One of the heads broke, so I only have 3 now, and have not checked out what is used in the shafts/yokes in the plane yet. Here in Dallas there is an outfit:

Aircraft Supply Company
7204 Parwelk
Dallas, TX 75235
214-637-3598

They specialize in AN-MS-NAS hardware and I will show them these parts and see if they have a source. A friend from Cleburne who rebuilt his 170 found a supplier who had an old stock of the rivits that you are talking about, but do not believe they have any more. He said that even Aircraft Supply did not have them, they usually have everything. I am hoping, and not expecting, that when I remove the yokes in the airplane, I will luckily find the same thing as the two that I traded for.

Bill Venohr · Post by **Bill Venohr** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 3:25 pm

I also have two "original" 170 control wheels and shafts that I want to refurbish (and get the "Mooney" looking control wheels out). I haven't gone ahead to get the shafts rechromed or refurbish the wheels until I've figured out how to reassemble them correctly (or acceptably). I welcome any input and advice from those who have done this project. Also if anyone has come up with an innovative way to do push-to-talk buttons. I know my mechanic looked my control wheels over pretty hard the last two annuals in light of the Cessna problems with their control wheels. By the way, how hard is it to remove/reinstall?

N1478D · Post by **N1478D** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 4:00 pm

It's very easy to remove the shaft/yoke assembly from the airplane. But, it is a very tight fit shaft to yoke. If you don't align the holes perfectly on reassembly you would have a hard time twisting the shaft to align.

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 6:31 pm

Bill,the original 170 yokes that were in my airplane had a minature PTT button mounted in the center of the yoke,in line with the hollow shaft (tube). The wires went down the inside of the shaft and came out thru a hole in the shaft behind the panel.Very tidy installation,but difficult to hit the PTT switch without taking your hand off the yoke,unless you hand onto the top of the yoke like a motorcycle's handlebars.
I don't care for the standard 170 yokes,to me they're very uncomfortable and awkward,so I installed some early "bow-tie" style yokes from an early 172. I hated to do it,but I used a standard PTT which velcro's onto the yoke,mine's mounted where I can hit it with my thumb. I drilled a hole in the shaft just forward of the yoke and ran the wire inside the shaft,it emerges behind the panel thru a similar hole. I used a ty-wrap to secure the PTT in place (along with the velcro) and another to secure the wire to the socket area of the yoke just aft of where it goes into the shaft. Very tidy.
If yoyu're uncomfortable drilling the shaft,you can just ty-wrap the wire to the shaft adjacent to the yoke,and to the panel adjacent to the teflon ball,then run the wire thru a hole in the panel or just under the panel to where it hooks up. The PTT wire should be curly,like a telephone cord,leave some slack (but not too much!) to allow fore/aft movement of the yoke.
Like I said before,the PTT switch is something that a lot of people just slap in without putting any thought into it,and it shows.

Eric

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 7:51 pm

N1478D wrote:The two shafts/yokes that I traded for have very interesting parts in place of rivits. They appear to be aluminum and look like rivits when assembled. But, they are threaded with rivit looking ends and fit very tightly into the 4 holes................

Joe,they sound like something I saw at the local hardware store,I think they were labelled "post screws". I've seen them used on something,just can't remember exactly what---maybe leather,like where a belt hooks to a (detachable) buckle? Oh,just remembered,it was a rifle sling.
Seems like they'd work fine for the yoke,tidier than bolts and nuts,should be plenty strong enough. Just might not be real approved,know what I mean? If ya use them,don't tell George......

Eric

N1478D · Post by **N1478D** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 8:13 pm

zero.one.victor wrote:
N1478D wrote:The two shafts/yokes that I traded for have very interesting parts in place of rivits. They appear to be aluminum and look like rivits when assembled. But, they are threaded with rivit looking ends and fit very tightly into the 4 holes................
Joe,they sound like something I saw at the local hardware store,I think they were labelled "post screws". I've seen them used on something,just can't remember exactly what---maybe leather,like where a belt hooks to a (detachable) buckle? Oh,just remembered,it was a rifle sling.
Seems like they'd work fine for the yoke,tidier than bolts and nuts,should be plenty strong enough. Just might not be real approved,know what I mean? If ya use them,don't tell George......

Eric

Exactly Eric,

With his slow speed, there is always time to put the signs "DON'T LOOK HERE" at the various locations on the airplane before he arrives.

Do you think he can see past his paradigm?

Post by **GAHorn** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 4:01 am

My yokes are attached with a para digms. They look like MS screws (structural, the head is stamped with an "x") with a "C" in the part no., and also used AN365C-832 nuts ("nylok" nuts). They were installed in accordance with a field approval.

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 6:05 am

Joe,I did a little window shopping at my local True Value Airmotive store today. The hardware I mentioned was labelled "binding posts with screws",but was only available inj nylon or aluminum,no steel or stainless. I'm not too sure aluminum would be up to the job.

Eric

N1478D · Post by **N1478D** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 4:02 pm

Eric, did they offer the aluminum ones in a long enough length to work? For mine, aluminum would be fine. The strength is in the tight fit, the hardware would be to prevent any chance of twisting, but that would be highly unlikely.

zero.one.victor · Post by **zero.one.victor** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 4:11 pm

Joe,there was an assortment of different lengths. They were all threaded for 10-24 or 10-32 or maybe it was 8-32,I can't recall. The post itself is bigger,and threaded internally for the screw. There was an assortment of different length posts,as well as extensions -- a straight piece with male thread on one end and female on the other. I'm sure you could come up with the right length if that's the way you decide to go. I might pursue the rivet idea if it were me,I think the nut & bolt arrangement described by George would be kinda funky looking. Of course,as fast as the A models are compared to the B's,you wouldn't have to look at it for as long as George does!

Eric