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Anti Splat Nose Wheel Bearing Mod - Results or Regrets

larrynew

Well Known Member
I'm considering doing the Anti Splat Nose Wheel Bearing Mod during my second Condition Inspection. Boy, how time flies :D. Any results or regrets with the modification you'd like to share?
 
No regrets

Larry,
Do the MOD, you won't be disappointed.
1) Your plane will require less power to taxi, which shows you the drag the original setup has.
2) Having 1 less set of bearings to grease is always a bonus.
3) The biggest advantage that comes to mind is a tire change in the field, meaning you do not have to worry about dirt getting in the grease. (Ask me how I know!)

Allen is top notch to deal with. I have NO regrets at all.

Dan
 
I had mine done about ten hours ago after my nose wheel shimmied so bad it shook the wheel pant off. I also had them mount a new tube and tire. I had them perform the tire "trueing" but when the tire was mounted it still had a notable amount of radial runout.

The difference between before and after was dramatic. It does steer and handle better on the ground, but the big difference is on landing, no more vibration or shuddering when I let the nose down.

It was well worth the minimal cost, and Alan made the whole process easy.My .02
 
before and after was so dramatic! Well worth the money!

Really thinking hard about doing the mains at annual.
 
My input mirrors what other have said. I was so happy that I had the main wheels done as well.

The nose wheel mod is very noticeable

Paul
 
I had mine done about ten hours ago after my nose wheel shimmied so bad it shook the wheel pant off.

The common cause of that is lateral (steering) shimmy.
The Mod that Alan does will do nothing to prevent that.
Only correctly adjusting the steering breakout force will......
 
My input mirrors what other have said. I was so happy that I had the main wheels done as well.

The nose wheel mod is very noticeable

Paul

I'm very happy with the nose wheel mod, I didn't realize it was an option for the mains as well.
 
I really like the mod. The aircraft rolls so easy that you will use more brake when you land on a paved runway.
 
I just ordered the Matco tapered nose wheel axle upgrade WHLAXLE24. Can that axle be used in conjunction with the Anti Splat Nose Wheel Bearing Mod?
 
I just ordered the Matco tapered nose wheel axle upgrade WHLAXLE24. Can that axle be used in conjunction with the Anti Splat Nose Wheel Bearing Mod?

You will not need that upgrade. The ASA mod essentially does the same thing.
 
Results or Regrets

No regrets. I did the nose wheel first then came back and did the mains. Much easier to pull/push aircraft into/out of hangar. Next best thing is no more mess packing the bearings and no more greasy brake lining dust around the brake pads. Dan from Reno
 
I just ordered the Matco tapered nose wheel axle upgrade WHLAXLE24. Can that axle be used in conjunction with the Anti Splat Nose Wheel Bearing Mod?
I have had this solid axle for the last 500 hours or so and love it. It is very inexpensive, very adjustable and makes the torqueing of the axle blot a no brainer with no force on the bearings.
 
a few questions for those with anti-splat wheel mods...

I'm curious if those who have had the anti-splat nose wheel mod could attest to a few things...
1) Did you get the mod due to fore-aft shaking of the nose gear leg, and has the mod completely cured that? Just to be clear, I'm not talking about side-to-side 'shimmy' that's caused by improper nose fork breakout force. The shaking in question is backwards/forwards motion, which seems to happen at certain speeds.
2) Has anyone who's had the mod done noticed any vibration in flight? One of my buddies had a -8A that had in-flight vibration - he eventually figured out the nose wheel was rotating in flight. Since the anti-splat modded wheel assembly will have less rolling friction, I'd think this could be more likely to happen post-mod. I suppose if the wheel was perfectly balanced though, you might not notice it spinning in flight.
3) Has anyone had issues when trying to park the airplane, especially those who've had the anti-splat mod done for both mains and the nose? Some rolling friction is a good thing - I expect an airplane that's had the mod done will more easily roll around in the wind compared to an airplane with stock wheels.
4) For those who have had the mod done to the mains - do you notice any difference in the speed at which you pick up/set down the nose? I'm guessing if there is less rolling friction, the nose can be picked up/set down at slower airspeeds, though this effect could be minimal.
 
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