The International Cessna 170 Association

Hi Ya'll, My main gear is making a clunking sound and I have been advised to jack up the plane and inspect/repair bolts and shims. Does anyone know where the jack points are? Any help appreciated. Thanks, Mark

There are instructions on making a jacking block in the service manual. I'll put a screenshot here.

Mark join the club, you might enjoy the experience of many here.

The problem with using the Cessna jacking cradle is that it calls for the wood to bear on the landing gear as seen in the “NOTE”: Methods of lifting the aircraft have been discussed several times in the past. Using the search function with terms such as jack +stand will yield threads such as this thread and this thread.

Thanks All - I think I need to jack the plane up WITHOUT putting any weight on the strut/gear in order to check for movement. Does this make sense?

Mark, here is one man's solution to jacking a 170 allowing gear leg removal.

johneeb wrote:

Thanks All

I’m very interested in seeing how you decide to raise the plane. There seems to be a few different ways to do it. I have a similar problem but haven’t attacked it yet…kinda worried about the jacking part.

You may have already found it, but there is a great explanation in the Forum about landing gear adjustment. Just in case you haven’t run across it…
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10620&p=140025&hil ... im#p140025

Thanks Dustin - I plan to do an initial investigation with an AP/IA in the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure how he plans to raise the plane but he says he can do it and inspect the plane to see what repairs are needed all in a day. I'll take some pictures and relate what he does. The next question is whether the problem is urgent or can wait until the annual in March.

The clunk (if indeed it stems from a gear leg) is likely due to the gear leg shims in the outer gear support casting migrating (possible shim retaining bolt issue) or the main gear retaining bolt’s nut failure. I would want to rule out both asap. Waiting may be an expensive way to go. Removing the gear leg fairing and looking at the install would quickly rule out a casting issue. Look for a gap at the casting bottom and gear leg for loose shims or shim retention bolt issue. Look for signs of relative movement between the leg and casting.
A loose main bolt is either necking of the bolt due to loose shims or usage of an incorrect nut on the bolt.
Both items, inspection of the gear castings and a torque check of the of the nut should be carried out on every annual inspection.
As for prodding you to join: sorry but I see questionable questions on a popular social site on a fairly large investment ( + our pride and joy), and as such, I would think the knowledge investment we have all made here would be more than attractive to a new owner. Then again maybe not but there’s also the social spin. I’ve had the good fortune to meet some fine individuals both here and in person because of this place.
As per Donnie Rumsfeld, there’s known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns ; which might aptly apply to aviation and why I think most 170 owners come back time and time again to this site.
Good luck and let us know what you find.

Here is a picture of the fuselage stand that I built. As you can see it just fits under the fuselage when it is all the way down and has 19 inches of travel up, with several pinning holes in the inner square tubing to adjust for desired height. As per Wingnut's advise I welded pivoting "D" rings on the bottom part of the stand to secure to the tie down rings on the wing for stability. Also, as per Bagarre's advice, I welded a piece of square tubing under the cradle for added strength so that you can use a bottle jack in the center to jack it up and then pin it in the desired holes. Laying in the foreground is a spreader bar that I built that is designed to lift from the upper engine mount/firewall attach points. The fuselage rests on a carpet covered piece of wood 4X4 that I dressed down to fit the fuselage contour. It pivots while being raised so as to maintain flat contact with the fuselage.

I’ve been a poor steward for the Association.

I’ve been flying with Mark in his airplane some and recommended the gear inspection, thinking it was either a shim or a retention bolt. I suggested replacing the retention bolts just because they’re cheap anyway.

The airplane is very mild mannered on the ground, so I don’t believe the toe in/out to be changing but there is a decided clunk when landing even with a smooth wheel landing, which can be felt in the floorboard. It is ponderous, I would have figured a loose gear leg would be accompanied by bad manners on takeoff and landing.

Most Cessna shops have “High-Jacks” for lifting C-210s, and other retract-high-wings. Airplanes are held in the air by their wings. In my opinion, a 170 can be safely lifted by high-jacks/stands if a carpeted board is placed directly beneath the front spar of the wing, outboard but close-to the wing-strut/tie-down ring.

(Do NOT use the tie-down ring itself as a lifting/jacking-point… although I’ve observed B-models jacked by the rings as lift-points….I was horrified to see the tie-down-rings of a ragwing bend under such weight. Fortunately it was capable of being straightened and no permanent damage but those rings are not for lifting.)

$90 each at HF:

Good morning All,

Just to clear up a misconception, I am a proud member who was graciously allowed to ask my question though I was late paying dues

Also - if y0u ever get a chance to fly with CFII Ryan Smith (posted above), it would be well worth your time.

Still awaiting appointment with AP. Will keep you posted.

Merry Christmas All, Mark

Hello all,

I’m a relatively new 170 owner and will be installing my new Aeroski 3000’s soon. My 170 has Cleveland wheels and brakes and is fitted with these plates that look like lifting rings/plates on the inside of each gear leg. Does anyone know if one side at a time can be lifted using these plate/brackets to remove my wheels and mount my skis? My plan would be to use a chain fall through the hole in the bracket to a pin below. See attached picture for reference to the bracket. Any info on what these were designed for would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rory