Goodyear Crosswind Landing Gear

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

We or I should say my partner relies on his 30 years of experience maintaining them. The achilles heel if the system, besides lack of parts now, is the piston and brake puck design.

The puck is kidney shaped and rides in a similar cut slot. Drag of the puck on the disk forces it to one side of the slot and the action of it being pushed in and out, wears the slot in that direction. Wouldn't be problem accept that the back part of the brake puck and the edges of the slot are at the diameter of the brake cylinder and the back part of the puck rubs the cylinder itself creating a slot. When the slot gets to bad the cylinder will not hold pressure and the cylinder is shot. We have a few of these we are looking at sleeving back to standard but there is no approved repair process.

Second problem in the piston is to thin. It can cock inside the cylinder. Uneven pressure or uneven wear of the puck cocks the piston until it will no longer seal and the brakes fail. This is the number one ongoing problem. The fix is to closely monitor the brake puck thickness and make sure it is wearing evenly. We grind these pucks flat at expense of puck material on pucks you can not buy in order to keep them flat enough that the piston doesn't cock and fail.

So look at the cylinders and see if the front edge of the slot is worn into the brake cylinder and if they are they are junk.

Oh and BTW the bearings in these wheels are not the same size as what we are use to they are several (6"?)inches in diameter. I can only imagine what they might cost.

Also are these from a 170? The cross wind gear for the 140 is different though the pucks are the same but that is it. I don't know if the 190 cross wind are the same as the 170.

[spduffee]

Thanks Bruce. Someone pointed me to the Cessna 195 Club website today. There they have a copy of the manual and there are a few postings regarding the gear. There is also a guy in NC who has parts and who is a X-wind guru.
Once I have a chance to get into this new project I'll recall what you wrote here. It sounds, and looks, like it will be a difficult chore; but I look forward to it. Maybe we can bring about a Crosswind Renaissance....
I don't know off which aircraft they came. I'm completely ignorant on this matter, so I have to ask...what is the difference in the 140, 170 and 195 versions? Could it be the ones I have won't even fit /aren't appropriate for my 170A?

[GAHorn]

,,, Maybe we can bring about a Crosswind Renaissance....
I don't know off which aircraft they came. I'm completely ignorant on this matter, so I have to ask...what is the difference in the 140, 170 and 195 versions? Could it be the ones I have won't even fit /aren't appropriate for my 170A?

There are reasons most owners disabled (which made for an unnecessarily-heavy gear for the aircraft) or ridded themselves of the crosswind gear.
Some pilots found the device disturbing when it un-locked and the directional control of the aircraft required pilot-corrections to prevent unwanted excursions.
The brakes were weak and troublesome as Bruce explained. And the parts are hard-to-find and expensive when you do.
The wheels were extraordinarily subject to cracking. (Goodyear wheels have "webs" intended to absorb the anticipated side-loads, but the webs themselves are subject to cracks. Goodyear wheels commonly have bearing-seats which are thinner (than comparable McCauley or Cleveland wheels) which cannot accept the occasional forces used to seat bearing races...which leads to wheel condemnation, or operational failure if the bearing-seat damage goes unnoticed.)

I recall (different model aircraft) needing to overhaul the brakes and being told by the shop that it was cheaper to purchase the entire Cleveland wheel/brake STC and pay the installation labor than to purchase merely the common service-parts for the Goodyears.

I'm not writing all this to demean the crosswind gear for those who find it enjoyable (wierd as those people may be).. ...
I'm only offering caution to investigate this thoroughly before spending any money having your Goodyear crosswind gear serviced for installation.
You will most likely, later consider the money wasted.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

George's advice to investigate before investing is a wise one.

I do enjoy showing of something a little different to folks and I'm happy I've had the experience of the cross wind gear. One of these days when parts have been exhausted AND my 170 partner Leroy is no longer a partner, the gear may come off. You see about the only thing I had to agree upon establishing the partnership was the cross wind gear would not come off.

But if I didn't have them, having my experience, they wouldn't be on my list of things I needed to spend money to have or even experience.

Next time it's handy I can take pictures of the brake cylinders which are different for the 140 and you could use it to identify if you have the correct assemblies to start with.

[MoonlightVFR]

I had crosswind gear on. N2890C. Factory installed.

Liked the gear but removed because the goodyear seals would suddenly leak. So unhappy to arrive at airport and discover an empty brake reservoir. No braked no flyee !


I was told by old airlline pilots that this special gear was originally developed for the. DC 3, They had stories but no movies.


Regards

[blueldr]

MoonlightVFR,
Have you ever even looked at the landing gear of a Dizzy three? Aint no way a wheel could turn between them struts. All them airline pilits are full of it.

[MoonlightVFR]

Bluelder,

You are partially right to question time in observing DC 3. Gear. Very little.

Government funded research to dev the x wind gear. Politicians signed off because the promise was to dev airports with just one runway savings millions of dollars.

Douglas. :DC 3 was the test bed . Goodyear supplied just one set of gear it was designated DC 3 VHS CAR in 1950, proved successful but for some reason gear removed from DC 3 after one year. Based on the success w the DC 3. Someone sold the concept to GA.

I was a green horn student w a just purchased C170B and sev of my instructors were ole meanies. I absolutely refused to do a WHEEL landing w the airplane in a strong crab to activate the castering action. I would wait till tail came down and then a little show would begin.


Whoops. I think I bent something on that landing



Regards

[johneeb]

DC-3 with Crosswind gear.jpg

DC-3 with Crosswind Gear

Dc-3 with Normal Gear

DC-3 with normal gear.jpg