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Nose gear fairing bracket breaking

Flying again!

Well Known Member
I bought my -10 about 2 years ago. Last spring I had the left side nose wheel fairing bracket break and the left was cracked. Luckily no damage to the wheel fairing. I replaced both and made sure the brackets were smoothed out to relieve any potential stress points.

After returning from New Orleans Saturday, I saw the bracket had broken again after 100 hrs from the last time.



The bracket on the right broke last year, the one on the left broke this weekend. Note how the break is virtually identical. The right bracket also had a crack.


Obviously if I use the factory bracket, it will break again. Has anyone come up with a beefed up bracket to fix this issue? I searched and only found improved brackets for the main gear.

TJ
 
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What do you have as a washer stack up on the axle??

There should be a small dia washer next to the fork, it will fit into the slot of the pant bracket. Then there is a large area washer that captures the bracket and then the nut-----bolt head on the other side.

The combination of the fork, small washer, and large area washer make a slot that the bracket slides into.

IMHO, the small washer needs to be slightly thinner than the bracket, so the large area washer will clamp down on the bracket when the nut is tightened.
 
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I've seen others with the same problem. Perhaps we could start letting Vans know so if there are enough of us they will begin to make the piece with a thicker stock.
 
What do you have as a washer stack up on the axle??

There should be a small dia washer next to the fork, it will fit into the slot of the pant bracket. Then there is a large area washer that captures the bracket and then the nut-----bolt head on the other side.

The combination of the fork, small washer, and large area washer make a slot that the bracket slides into.

IMHO the small washer needs to be slightly thinner than the bracket, so the large area washer will clamp down on the bracket when the nut is tightened.

I'll check and take some pictures to make sure the washer stack-up is ok on the axle. However, the crack is starting near the bolt that also serves as the tow bar attachement, not at the slot that captures the axle.

I may try and double the thickness of the area that is cracking or even try to use Stainless steel in an attempt to stop the cracking/breaking.
By the way, I land on paved strips and keep as much weight off the nose gear during t/o and landing as possible.
 
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However, the crack is starting near the bolt that also serves as the tow bar attachment, not at the slot that captures the axle.

That is why I am asking about the washers.

If you are using a washer that is too thick, the bracket will not be clamped in place by the axle bolt/nut.

If you do not have the washer in there at all, and the axle nut is not tightened enough, the bracket will still be clamped properly.

In either above case, the front bolt is the only thing keeping the pant and bracket aligned-------and the location of the crack is exactly where I would expect it to be if this was the case.

Just a FYI, I use this order to install the pant/bracket assembly. First slide the bracket over the small washer in the "slot" I described in my other post, then install and tighten the Allen head bolts at the front of the bracket. Then tighten the axle nut.
 
Take a look at drawing 2 on page 46-6.

It shows the washer stack up I was talking about.

On my plane I used a single thick washer instead of a standard and a thin. What really matters is that the total is just a bit less than the thickness of the bracket-----AND-----that the OD of the washers fit the inside of the slot in the bracket without a lot of play.
 
I agree with Mike. Since there is not a reported epidemic of these, and you're continually breaking yours, both sides and in the same place every time, suggests that the part is under a stress that it was not designed for; possibly due to incorrect assembly of washer stacks, or something else. Look at the plans carefully and make sure that when you tighten the nose bolt you are not putting the bracket under any unusual stress.
 
At 14 kts GS during taxi, my nose wheel pant will start to oscillate up and down. I do not taxi for an extended period of time in the 13-18 kt GS range. Some may think it is the main gear shimmy, but I watched mine do it while taxiing in the very early morning sun. It "felt" like the mains doing it. If you have felt a lot of shimmying going on, that could be your culprit too.
 
nose gear pant

I have found my attach brackets cracked several times, but not from the front but rather from the rear attach half hole that slides in the axel stack up.

I fly off grass mostly so lots more vibration going on. I have tried various methods of strengthening it and may finally solved it with a doubler over the whole rear area around the axel nut.

I agree that Vans should make this part from thicker material.

Gary
 
Mine also cracked right where the bracket sits on the axle bolt, not up front where yours cracked where your tow bar connects. After I seen the crack on mine at about 500 hrs, I riveted a piece of .125 angle across that area and all is still fine. Van's really should use .125 instead of .063 for this bracket. For those flying off of grass this is likely to happen much sooner.


Thanks

Ray
N519RV (40250)
Hobbs = 965 Hrs.
 
Broken also, trouble with mains spacers

After about 250 hours last summer my nosewheel fairing bracket also failed causing the fiberglass to get sucked under and shred on landing at KMMV. The bracket failed on one side just up from the bend where the attachment nut is. So had to fly over to Vans to pickup and prepare a whole new wheel fairing and get it painted...

Last week I noticed that my main wheelpants were looser than they should be. On inspection I found that the hex threaded spacer was hanging by the bolt from the outside and the other spacer was completely gone. In both cases the bolt that goes inside the axle cap nut into the spacer was sheared at the cotter pin hole - the drilled cotter pin hole is too large to retain integrity relative to the bolt size. I manufactured a new spacer and replaced the pinned bolts a longer standard bolt (no cotter pin hole) with loctite on the fine threads to avoid this failure in the future.
 
I made brackets out of 4130 steel... No more cracking/breaking.. These were on the early 'narrow' wheel pants I had on my 6A... (I modified the pant to accept this slide on/off feature bracket design.) However, I'm now fitting the 'fat' nose wheel pant with the Van's alum. brackets. I suspect I will end up making these out of 4130 again if the alum. brackets don't hold up..
 
It's cracking right at the edge of the towbar spacer block. You can see the rectangular imprint in one picture. Looks like a stress spot is cracking right at the edge of the block. Maybe chamfer the edges a little and make sure the block edge isn't acting as a fulcrum.
 
So I had same # at 100 hrs.I flatten the original aluminium bracket to make a SSteel copy. Fold the SSteel back to shape using the other side as a guide for the angles. Should as good as gold / SSteel.
 
I have seen a number of these crack over the years, but usually by the axle washer stack. I consider it one of those wear and tear items. I check all three wheel pants before every flight.
 
This is a common problem and I riveted a chunk of .125 angle across that area and have had no issues since.
 
Came here from another thread...

Anyone have pictures of said reinforcing .125" angle installation?
 
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