180 gear on a ragwing

[russ murri]

well today was the day for me to become a test pilot...... To be honest I really didn't have to be much of a (test) pilot , it flew great I could not believe the differance. In the taxi mod you can drive it like a car,sharp turns, wings stay level ,,, Im in love all over again. Really did not notice much differance in my flair or my wheel landings, out the window,but when it hit the ground it stayed down and wanted to go straight , just a little sweetheart. If anyone is thinking about doing a change over ,don't hesitate, find a pair of 180 legs ,you wont be sorry. I will send my 337 into headquaters, it has all the proper wordage the FFA wants.Ihave a friend that has a early B model, he helped me and he can't wait for a pair for his so we can fix the factor defect in his plane. He claims that now I have my nose up in the air, you know I have an attitude now. If anyone needs help ,please get ahold of me and I will be happy to advise you, as I installed these myself under the supervision of my IA.. LOVE IS SO SWEET Russ

[william halford]

Russ , i am a new member and just accuried a 170A model with this mod. I have known this a/c for numerous year's but was out of anannual when purchased it. The owner flew it over on a ferry permit. How does this gear handle in a cross wind I owned a
pacer and it was a chock to chock airplane. This gear looks some what like that gary

[russ murri]

I do not have any time in it with any kind of cross winds yet. To me it feels much better, my stock legs were bowed in very bad, (sway backed nag) look. A friend of mine helped me do the switch he owns a B model and has just bought a set of 180 legs for his after being in mine withnew legs. There is talk on another site here about how the c/g would be wrong with these legs I just dont agree. My plane was so unstable on the ground in taxi that my wife refused to fly with me anymore. one flight after the change and she is happy.
based on that one fact the other guys dont know what they are talking about... I have double pucks and can brake very agressivly in a wheel or three point with very very little nose over tendicies. but i must say that i havent flown it in any strong winds yet. It feels much safer to me... and in the new weight and balance we found that it did move the wheels
3 3/4'' forward I love it so far Russ

[GAHorn]

Hey, Russ! If you like to drive it like a car, ...Have you tried the tri-cycle gear (172) version yet?
Just as a different input....
I've witnessed two airplanes that had horrible handling on the ground ...until we aligned the wheels properly with shims at the axles. Seems that a change-over to solid axles on both airplanes left the original shims out. Sometimes a groundlooped airplane will put a new "set" to the leafsprings and also give squirrely handling.
In other words, ...the original 170 gearlegs work just fine on 170's , in my experiece. The only 180 gearlegged airplane I've flown did OK, but definitely handled differently. I found it much stiffer, and didn't care for the high deck-angle. I can see where it would be useful in the bush and on rough strips, but I don't care for the way it handles in normal use, and I don't like the look at all. Just personal opinion,...something I rarely give out.

[zero.one.victor]

..... There is talk on another site here about how the c/g would be wrong with these legs I just dont agree. My plane was so unstable on the ground in taxi that my wife refused to fly with me anymore. one flight after the change and she is happy.
based on that one fact the other guys dont know what they are talking about... I have double pucks and can brake very agressivly in a wheel or three point with very very little nose over tendicies. but i must say that i havent flown it in any strong winds yet. It feels much safer to me... and in the new weight and balance we found that it did move the wheels
3 3/4'' forward I love it so far Russ

You're probably right about other guys (like me) not knowing what I'm talking about. But I think what you misunderstood my point. As long as the CG of the airplane is still in the factory approved range,everything's just fine. What I said about the CG was that the main gear is now farther ahead of the CG,so that there would be an increased tendency to ground-loop.
When you did the new W&B,did you re-weigh the airplane or just calculate it out on paper? As you note,the wheels are now farther forward,so the W&B change will not only be the heavier weight of the 180 legs,but the decreased arm (farther forward location) of them as well.Remember though,just because the wheels are 3-3/4" farther forward it doesn't necesarily follow that the arm of the new gear legs is 3-3/4" farther forward too.

Eric

[David Laseter]

Eric,

How does one go about weighing a 170 and refiguring the weight-n-balance once it's reweighed? Were would I find a scale?

[zero.one.victor]

I think to be "official" a set of calibrated scales must be used. Probably an A&P has to do the paperwork? Call the local maintenance shops in your area,chances are one of them is set up to do W&B's. A local shop around here does it,I heard he charges like a hundred bucks.
Our local EAA chapter bought a set of scales to use for doing W&B on their homebuilts. They are basically 3 bathroom scales,with little ramp-type attachments which are adjustable for different weight ranges--they are set to either half or quarter the weight put on the scale. In other words,if they're adjusted for half,you take what the scale reads & double it. They're kinda cheesy,but they were very affordable and seem to be fairly accurate.
I believe the owner's manual should have "how-to" instructions for doing a W&B. You level the airplane by the upper door sill,with a scale under each wheel,and record all 3 weights. then take some measurements:
front axle centerline to firewall,firewall to tailwheel centerline,and maybe another dimension also. Then look at the W&B procedures for how to calculate everything using your dimensions & weights. Don't forget W&B is supposed to be empty of usable fuel!

Eric

[blueldr]

If any of you guys are thinking about installing a 180 gear, do your homework. There are three different types of 180 gear legs and they ARE different and not only by part numbers.

[David Laseter]

Thanks for the overview Eric! Interesting. I'll be on the look out for someone that's set up to weigh it.
Dave