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One-piece Grove Gear

DanH

Legacy Member
Mentor
Grove aluminum gear legs are a popular option with RV-8 builders. Compared to OEM steel legs, the standard aluminum legs save 17 lbs and the airfoiled legs save 11 lbs. Both types are drilled for an internal brake fluid passage.

http://groveaircraft.com/cat1415.html

One subject at OSH this year was the idea of adapting one-piece gear to the RV8. Many (or most) RV8 ground loop incidents result in damage to the gear tower structures and forward fuselage skins. It is an expensive and time-consuming repair. One piece gear would greatly lessen many of the peak fuselage structure loads. The penalty would be the additional weight of the connecting section, but total weight is still likely to be less than a stock steel gear.

Grove is quite willing to build one-piece airfoil gear for the -8. They would like 6-10 orders, as they do for batch production of the two-piece airfoil gear.

Like you, I'm aware of sensitivity in certain quarters regarding design modification, and a one piece gear would require some modification of the belly. I'm not aware of any published work in this area, and I've done no personal review. I do recall mention of one-piece gears on past -8's.

If I had realized the possibility of a one-piece gear a few years ago, my airplane would have it....so I volunteered to open the subject.

Comments?
 
Dan, I would of definantly went one piece if I had known they were willing to build them. I had a one piece grove gear setup on my avid flyer and it was very nice. Not trying to jack the thread but does anyone know the reason 8's don't use engine mounted gear?
 
I also inquired about the 1-piece gear for the -8 at Grove's booth and he said that while it is not currently available as a regular production item, they are more than happy to custom-make you a one-piece main gear for an -8 either standard profile, or airfoil profile, and either with or without gun-drilled integral brake lines. All it takes is a special order and some extra moolah and they'll gladly make whatever you want :D

It would be beneficial if several builders were interested at the same time to get together so they could manufacture them in a batch instead of one at a time... might even offer a substantial discount.

I may be mistaken, but I think Doug Ripley may have built an RV-8 using a custom Grove 1-piece gear some years ago. It might have even been that very first RV-8 I ever got to ride in. I knew nada about RVs back then.
 
I see on Grove's site that they offer one piece gear for Skybolts and Stardusters in the same gross weight (or a few pounds more).
Are any of these adaptable? They seem very afforable. When I get home, I'll measure my plane and think about it.
Perhaps an RV-8a would be a good starting point, and the gear towers wouldn't need to be so big?
Still, the center piece of the gear would be under your legs...
 
Back when I was building my -8, the one-piece was a rumor on the horizon - if it had existed, I probably would have really studied it and would have picked it unless I saw some clear reason it was a problem. Seems like an elegant solution to me!
 
Just curious, has anyone asked Van's why the plane was designed the way it is? Surely some serious modification to the fuselage structure where the new gear would attach would be required?
 
I'm probably quite a long way from that stage, but Grove gear is already one of my planned modifications to stock standard kit. Yes, I'd definitely be interested, particularly that there is currently a good $USD - $AUD exchange rate.
 
I spoke with Grove at Oshkosh regarding the 1-piece gear and they are very willing to make a batch once he receives enough orders. My deposit has already been paid.:D
 
Surely some serious modification to the fuselage structure where the new gear would attach would be required?

No.

Quick look, no detailed analysis: It would require reviewing the contribution of the two F-802M intercostal ribs (DWG 61) and designing a substitute if simple deletion is inappropriate. The forward section of the F850-1 belly skin would be removed and re-tasked as a center cover plate, or ditch the two F-861PP outboard cover plates and fabricate a new one-piece cover. Either way, 802K and L get a few more nutplates.

Again, first glance: Nothing about the outboard leg clamps would change. I'd retain the U806 inboard wear plate and its AN4 attach hardware, drop the U804 clamp bracket, but retain the AN7 bolt, with a hardened washer under the head.
 
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Aside from possible protection against ground loop damage, what is the benefit of the single piece? It's more weight, plus you are still stuck with the towers intruding into the cockpit.
 
This was the answer I received in 2007 from Gail at Grove aircraft about a one piece gear. They do require removing the intercostals and the airfoil shape wasn't available then (2007). And I'm sure the price has changed since then.




Hi Bill,
Thanks for your interest in Grove Aircraft landing gear. Yes, we can build
you a one piece RV8 gear. Typically, one piece landing gear are used to
replace a landing gear in an aircraft that has been ground-looped. This
damages the gear towers and the fuselage floor between the towers. We have
had a few people install them as original equipment. The weight is 31 lbs
for the one piece gear. The original steel two-piece gear weighs 44 lbs.
Your cost would be $1,800.00.

The pros are: it saves you 13 lbs in weight and the one piece design does
not put bending loads into the fuselage structure.
The cons are: you have to remove a section of the intercostal bulkhead to
allow the gear to pass across the fuselage. It's not available in an
airfoiled shape. You will need to use the F1 rocket gear leg fairings.

Our lead time is 6-7 weeks after you place your order.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Sincerely,
Gail B. Austin
Grove Aircraft
 
Aside from possible protection against ground loop damage, what is the benefit of the single piece? It's more weight, plus you are still stuck with the towers intruding into the cockpit.

A one-piece main gear eliminates having to having to deal with the toe-in/toe-out alignment issues of dual gear legs on the -8. We painstakingly measured, re-measured, and measured again repeated times before drilling, and still were off a bit on the wheel alignment, and had to use various taper shims on the axle mounts to get the wheel alignment straight. It was a pain.

Also it *does* save weight over the stock Vans steel gear legs, since the Grove gear is aluminum.

The towers are still necessary to spread the landing loads around as a taildragger. If you've ever bounced an -8 as badly as I have when learning to land the thing, you're grateful for the towers being part of the airframe :eek:
 
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]I'm a long way from that stage, but Grove gear is already one of my planned modifications to stock standard kit. Yes, I'd definitely be interested, if the modifications were not too extensive and the people at Van's had no valid objections.
 
clearance under cross piece?

One thing you have to remember with one-piece gear is that the center part has to be able to flex up and down a fair bit. I'm not sure if the 1/4" wear plates are thick enough to create enough of a gap between the gear and the inner belly skin? Maybe. I'd ask Grove how much clearance will be needed.
If thicker wear plates are needed, then there is a chance that the gear would extend below the outer belly skin, requiring a bulge in the belly.

Another approach to get some, perhaps enough of the same benefit as the one-piece gear is to make thicker 802-L and 802K Zchannels that span across, connecting the bottoms of the towers.

I brought this subject up a couple of years ago and caused a bit of a stir with a long thread discussion.
I think the thread is called "a tale of two airplanes" and it recounts two real experiences. The RV-8 story is Randy Lervold's, and he was actually lucky that the gear loads in his situation were applied differently and the gear attach bolts failed before the gear tower tore out. So it was relatively easy repair to the longeron area and some new bolts and I think a new skin. Many others are not so lucky.

When I analyzed the gear tower bottom attachment to the fuselage, I found that the bolt pattern through the weldments and into the floor structure will tear through the inner floor and all of the stiffening angles and Zchannels before any other thing fails, so this is the weakest link. IF the Z-channels were made out of 1/8" aluminum, and generously bolted through to the steel weldments, then the Z-channels would pick up the load and carry it across to the other side (similar to what a one-piece gear does, but not as strong obviously). I would also make the fore and aft stiffeners (ribs) at the inboard base of the gear tower thicker, or reinforced with angles so they too could distribute the load better without just tearing out.

I forget the number now, but I calculated the weight addition from these simple reinforcements and it was something like one pound.

This is certainly not as strong as the one-piece gear, but it is a whole lot stronger than the stock structure, and would probably be enough to protect from all but the most violent ground incidents.
 
Yikes! Matt's 'crow hop' looks like the fuel tank rib got pulled open at the top.
He didn't mention spilled fuel, but I do wonder about it.

About that Grove Gear Drop Test: The downward deflection of the center section is considerable.
has anyone made a drawing set for this proposed installation on an RV-8 (even as simple as 'pencilled in' on Van's plans?)
Could a flexible bottom cover be attached to allow downward movement at the back when the gear flex pushes on it? Is the monocoque construction of the fuselage going to prevent this?
 
The gear in the drop test video is for a side-by side fuselage; long center span, large deflection. A gear for a narrow fuselage would have less deflection. The RV8 application wouldn't have any significant center span deflection.

The typical spring gear is mounted to the longerons only....there's no internal box structures to support the gear, thus only two mount points. We have the boxes and we should use them, meaning four mount points. Given a drop load the gear itself acts the same as with the original two-piece scheme, but side loads are shared across the fuselage.

1zo9hkn.jpg
 
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Many (or most) RV8 ground loop incidents result in damage to the gear tower structures and forward fuselage skins.

I'm curious, does anyone know how many such accidents there have been that ended in fuselage damage? I'm not finding many on the NTSB database when searching RV-8 and either "landing gear" or "ground loop". Matt's and maybe one or two others. Matt's description sounds a bit more energetic than your run-of-the-mill ground loop.
 
I'm curious, does anyone know how many such accidents there have been that ended in fuselage damage? I'm not finding many on the NTSB database when searching RV-8 and either "landing gear" or "ground loop". Matt's and maybe one or two others. Matt's description sounds a bit more energetic than your run-of-the-mill ground loop.

It's not that it is common at all, but there have been a number of them - I can think of Randy Lervold's incident, and Senator Inhofe's. If you let the little wheel try to get out ahead of the big wheels while going fast, you might just start a slide - at least that is how I read it.

Good news isn't news - you only hear of the bad landings!

Paul
 
I'm curious, does anyone know how many such accidents there have been that ended in fuselage damage? I'm not finding many on the NTSB database when searching RV-8 and either "landing gear" or "ground loop". Matt's and maybe one or two others. Matt's description sounds a bit more energetic than your run-of-the-mill ground loop.

A lot of aircraft accidents, particularly experimental accidents, don't get reported. For instance, about 10 years ago the EAA's Young Eagle RV-6a was sitting in one of the hangars at Pioneer field with the nose gear bent like a pretzel, curled prop tips, a damaged cowling, etc..

I looked for a report on that accident and never found any record of it.

The bottom line is I bet 50% of the groundloop and noseover accidents in the RV world are never reported to the NTSB.
 
Dan H;
Thanks for the drawing Re: loads.
So Grove one piece gear has been installed in some RV-8s? Any pics? Any drawings?
I presume that the gear center is within the fuselage? That means a retro-fit must be installed by feeding it in thru one side and out the other. How big of a hole is needed to put it in? Would the wings have to come off to do it?
Scott
 
I presume that the gear center is within the fuselage? That means a retro-fit must be installed by feeding it in thru one side and out the other. How big of a hole is needed to put it in? Would the wings have to come off to do it?

See post #9 and your Vans drawings.
 
2637i9v.jpg

2lktt6q.jpg

2dir4oj.jpg


Dan and I discussed this at OSH and I had planned to comment on this sooner, but when I got back I had a crashed hard drive that's had me on the side lines for a bit.

I have the standard 1 piece Grove gear. Before I ordered, I asked about a 1 piece airfoil gear but they told me they didn't offer one. Talking to Grove at OSH I found that they would make one. At this point, I'm not sure I would change though.

Here are a couple of pics of my installation. You can see there is not much left of the intercostal ribs after making room for the gear. I had planned to install my gear as in the second image that Dan posted, but his comments about using four mounting points makes sense. Disregard the blue plugs you see on the bottom of the gear. This is suppose to be for the brake line fittings. However, they should not have drilled them on the bottom, so I moved them to the top.

I would like to make a removable cover plate across the entire gear but haven't quite figured out how to do that yet.

A couple of things that have to be considered when using this gear is the routing of the fuel vent lines and the brake lines. There is not enough room to get the vent lines down past the horizontal portion of the gear using the intended routing so I am going to use the method the Rocket guys use. I am also going to bring the brake line fitting straight up into the gear tower from the top of the gear.
 
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After watching the video of the drop test I wonder if those inner mounting points on the 8 should be used.

I am by no means a structural engineer, but it seems like those inner two mounting points would hinder the "natural" flex of the gear, if that makes sense. It looks like the gear is designed to flex like that to spread the landing load out. By using those two inner mounting points it looks like it would add a point of stress (inner mounting points) where greater forces would be focused.

with the two piece gear I can see having that second set of inner mounting points because you don't have that inner "flexy" piece.

Someone correct me if I am looking at the bending forces wrong, or stiffening the "bounciness" of the gear would be desirable.
 
Using 4 attach points

Dan's idea to use all four attach points is a good one. It will, however, change the natural spring stiffness of the gear.

If you imagine that the center part of the gear was not there, then obviously the 2 attach points on each side resist all of the bending moment and all of the loads go into the fuselage structure. If you imagine a one-piece gear with just the outer attach points, then all of the bending moment is resisted by the bending of the center portion of the gear. By using all four attach points and the one-piece gear, the bending moment is shared by both the gear center portion, and the fuselage attachments.

This will tend to make the gear stiffer than the one-piece, but probably not noticeably stiffer than the stock arrangement. The grove gear must already be more flexible than the steel gear (the modulus of aluminum is 1/3 the modulus of steel, and the cross section is not enough deeper to compensate)
so the added stiffening will certainly be fine. What I mean is, it won't be TOO stiff.
 
Ok, next point. Anyone have an issue with removing part of the F-802M intercostal rib per the photo (one each side)?

eg2vc3.jpg
 
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I think you guys might get some insight from looking at how the gear in a VariEze is mounted.

As I recall, there are two mounts, one each side of the fuse, and they are actually pivots, with the center part of the gear arched upward a bit. The spring action is shared between the leg, and center part of the gear.

http://www.davemorris.com/Dave/gearvari.jpg

Although the Eze gear is fiberglass, the same setup has been done with alum gear also, I seem to remember it being on a Skybolt or other small homebuilt biplane. The gear was narrowed in the middle of the center section to provide better flex.
 
Dan H. and all;
My drawings must be old, they stop at #50.
However, I took a look at the airframe, between the gear towers, and you could replace some of the strength of the intercostal rib by making a rib above the floor. You could build this rib directly behind the aft support bracket of the adjustable rudder pedal center tube, or if you had the bolted semi adjustable rudder pedals, you could make this rib longer to the front.
It could be angle, Tee, Zee, or square tube etc.
Although it would stick up out of the floor, it wouldn't be too bad in the center between your feet.
 
....you could replace some of the strength of the intercostal rib by making a rib above the floor.

Probably unnecessary. No serious analysis, but it appears that the primary structural purpose of the ramp, intercostal and floor ribs is skin support, which in turn supports the F802K crossmembers. Together it all forms a box spar across the fuselage stiff in compression and bending. A one-piece gear is a huge addition in that regard and exactly why you would do it. It appears that whatever loss comes from the modification of the intercostals is more than compensated by the addition of the gear center section.

Steve, can you comment here?
 
Hi, I,m kind of new here although I have often refered to the Forum when I needed to see how others did something which has helped during my RV-8 build. (kudos to you Dan aswell as many others). This thread spurred me into registering and I hope it keeps going a bit.

I have just gone through the initial mounting/aligning/drilling of my stock gear legs (not a satisfying experience). My stock gear could not possibly be aligned as described, and have had to accept some comprimise. Many have described difficulty in this area. My problem seems to stem from the bend in the leg near the outboard bracket, it seems as though one leg angles slightly aft and the other fwd when viewed from the side. Also the R/H leg is about 40 thou thicker than the left (poor QC ?). I wonder if Vans should consider using Grove as the supplier of Gear for the -8.

I think you pretty much nailed it in your #9 post Dan. To me the design in this area, particularly the layout of the 802K and L crossmembrs almost makes it look as though it was always the intention to have a One piece setup, with the F-802M intercostals added just to support that part of the f-850 skin.This gear certainly ticks a lot of boxes. They probably went Two piece to save some wieght with the steel gear. (Not a consideration with the ally considering the benefits) Just a few minor workarounds with cover plates and ventlines etc.

I have recently been in touch with Gail from Grove about shipping Airfoil Gear, Wheels and brakes to Aus' although at that time I had no idea a One piece Airfoil U/C was available. I/ll be sending another email to her shortly as it's not to late for me to change. Anyone need some high quality:rolleyes: stock gear legs.

Paul
 
intercostal floor ribs

Hi all, sorry I was away for a few days and missed Dan's question.

Reviewing the drawings, I don't see any issue at all with trimming the intercostal ribs down as pictured.

In monocoque structures, ribs are used to maintain cross sectional shape, transfer localized loads into the main structural elements (spars or longerons) and prevent skin buckling (which is kind of the same thing as maintaining cross section;)

In this case, they are mostly providing local skin support to prevent buckling and support the floor locally from loads. They are working in concert with the triangular floor ribs to form shear webs that make the floor stiff in bending from loads applied in the middle of the floor. Its pretty far forward so not really possible to stand on that part of the floor, so I'm not at all worried about loads.

The trimmed down rib, as pictured, is still providing a bit of skin stiffening which should be enough for all but some peak bending load like a hard landing. In that case, the longerons pick up the loads so its OK if the skin flexes a bit. It would be good to leave as much of a raised edge from the original rib as possible while still avoiding contact with the gear which may still flex some (much less than a 2-point supported gear, as discussed earlier)

I would also try to put some kind of doublers at the same places in the outer skin/cover plate that you will make to cover over the trench that the gear sits in. These could be internal if there is room, or external.

Nice work -- If I build another one, I might do this too.
 
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Grove Gear

I had the one piece gun drilled grove gear on my One Design and thought it was the cats a$$. I had the pleasure of watching him go though the process of making it. For gun drilling the brake line passages they use a cool looking old machine tool made by the Browning company to drill machine gun barrels.

Fritz
 
latest from Grove

Hey Guys,

Just got this reply from Gail regarding the one piece.

Andrew,

If we get 10 people to order will can make them, they would be air foiled.
As of right now we have ZERO people that have ordered.
I don't believe that we will be building any time soon.


Thank You,

Gail Austin
Grove Aircraft LGS Inc.
1800 Joe Crosson Drive
El Cajon CA 92020
619-562-1268
www.groveaircraft.com
[email protected]
 
I got much the same story from Gail.

They really want people to commit to buy first, but still no word on pricing.:(
They say they have no such commitments or deposits at the moment. (as Andrew mentioned)

Personally I think, If they build it, they will come. If they were to do a run of ten, I reckon they will go in no time.

They are (still) doing non Airfoil one piece. "one piece RV8 gear that is available un airfoiled".

I'm thinking about doing the before mentioned cover plate mod over the F-802K/L just in case they do become available soon (at a reasonable price).
My Grove wheels/Brakes are ordered.

Paul
 
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I suspect there are quite a few builders watching this thread as we explore the structure. Nail it all down and the orders will come. I might point out that Steve and I already have wheels under flying airplanes. Anybody in a hurry?
 
Dan, I'm already flying. I'd be interested in your thoughts if this is a good retrofit option and if so (or not), what conditions should be consider?

Thanks,
 
Over 4,600 views at this point.
Should we direct Grove to this thread?, they may even like to comment.
I am right at this point in my build. I,m in more of a hurry to finish the RV now. My 140 failed a crank insp.
Also getting quote for shipping to Oz for the SP FB/Cowl.
 
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Sorry about the delay. The time has been spent with some some private discussion of failure modes and structural details.

It would appear the best bet remains a constant-section crossmember, much like the one in post 24. The U806 inboard wear plate and its AN4 attach hardware would be retained. The U804 clamp bracket would be deleted. The single inboard AN7 bolt would get a hardened washer under the head.

k9axvt.jpg


Use of the inboard bolt is a minor change from previous one-piece gear for the RV8. If Grove is to drill those holes they will need the hole-to-hole dimension across the belly.

Someone should look at the optimum placement of the brake fluid passage.

The forward section of the F850-1 belly skin would be removed and re-tasked as a center cover plate. The best method of attaching it remains to be determined. I'd suggest flush blind rivets.

No detailed structural model was developed or analyzed, and no one can offer any perfect assurance of less fuselage damage or better performance in a groundloop. Given a significant twirl you'll still get wingtip damage. There does not appear to be any way the one-piece gear would make things worse, which satisfies the first rule of modification. It would be heavier than a two-piece Grove, but remain lighter than the stock steel gear. If I was building another -8 it would have one-piece aluminum gear.

The Grove request for 10 orders is nothing new. Best I know the two-piece airfoil gear has always been made in batches. You place your order, others place theirs, and when they get enough in the pile they run off a batch. If you want it, order it.

Airfoil or plain? Plain is 6 lbs lighter and costs less. Think hard about it.
 
I'm a little late onto this thread as I have been on a bit of a vacation from working on my RV-8 for a couple of years and am finally getting back to it.

I have a Grove 1 piece gear on my RV-8 and although it is not yet flying, I thought I would pass on my thoughts on it. I'll preface this by stating that I am NOT an aeronautical engineer so take this in that light.

I had originally bought the Grove 2 piece airfoil gear but after spending a lot of time discussing the gear with Robby Grove I decided to return them and get the 1 piece gear. Robby and I spent a number of hours discussing the various issues and I really couldn't come up with any downsides to the 1 piece gear and there seems to be a lot of advantages.

My biggest concern is what happens when you side load the gear. As a low time pilot, I feel I am likely to do this and I wanted minimize any impact that might have.

In looking at the geometry of the standard gear, in a normal landing, the outside of the gear tower takes a compression load and the inside of the gear tower takes a tension load. The gear tower is designed to take these loads easily. If you side load the gear, however, the outside of the gear tower takes tension load, which it can handle well and the inside of the gear tower takes a compression load. Imagine and old style beer can opener levering the inside of the gear tower with the outer mount point as the fulcrum. There have been a couple of instances where this has caused the inside of the gear tower to crumple.

Now look at the 1 piece gear. In a normal landing the outside of the gear towers still take the compression load and the center of the gear flexes to absorb some of the impact. The inside of the gear towers are no longer involved. If you side load the gear, the outside gear tower of the loaded side gets tension load and the outside of the opposite gear tower gets compression load. Not a problem. I believe that the best way to mount the gear is with the outside clamp bracket only as this allows the gear to flex in the middle as it is designed to. This takes the gear tower out of the picture. In fact you could probably remove much of the gear tower assembly if desired. I didn't as I had already built them when I decided on the 1 piece gear. If I were to do it again, I might consider redesigning them to take up less room. Dan, I would be interested to know why you felt that using the inner mount point is better as this type of gear is used on other aircraft with only the outer clamp used. This did not come up in my discussions with Robby Grove so I do not know his opinion on this.

The only possible downside of the 1 piece gear which we could identify was that if you side load the gear to a great extent, especially if you were on 1 wheel at a high horizontal angle, that the upward force on the opposite side of the aircraft could cause th aircraft to roll since the upward force is applied on the far side of the fuselage rather than a few inches inboard as it would be with the standard gear. I doubt if this is likely though.

In addition to a number of discussions with Robby Grove, I also cornered Ken Krueger in the Van's booth at Oshkosh a few years ago. I asked his opinion of the 1 piece gear and we spent a few minutes drawing out the geometry and looking at the issues. Ken would not, of course, endorse the idea, but he also could not come up with any negative issues either which I took a a good sign.

One of the best aspects of the 1 piece gear is that it is very easy to align. I shot a laser line down the center of the fuselage onto a wall about 20 feet away from the gear. I also mounted a laser on one of the axle mounting holes on each leg and aimed the at the wall as well. Then I only had to adjust the gear so that the distance from the center laser dot to each of the others was the same.

For my brake lines, I had Robby put the fitting on the top of the gear in such a location that it comes up through a hole in the floor in the middle of the gear tower. My flexible brake line runs into the tower and screws right down onto the AN fitting. Very clean with no bending of tubing.

Hopefully I will get back into finishing up the plane and can see how all this works out.
 
Paul,
Thanks for your report! I'd love to see pictures of it installed.
Can't wait to here how it works operationally.
Neat idea indeed!

Regards,
 
Your thoughts and comments on the one piece gear are appreciated, Paul, but my take on the issue is a bit more simplistic.

First off, I think the Vans gear system is well thought out, relatively inexpensive and most adequate for the job. But that being said, I have ordered the 2 piece Grove airfoil system.

It is not over structural concerns, it is because I hate the external brake lines and the fiber glass gear leg covers.
 
I'm interested to hear any further thoughts on installation that anyone may have. (Hoping to keep the discussion going)
In particular the 2, or 4, fixing points. I am leaning towards 4 points due to concerns over the amount of flex that may be encountered. It's a fairly confined space we have available.
Also thoughts on how this may affect landing/ground handling characteristics. Would more spring (2 points) equate to more bounce, or would it provide more forgiving handling on rough ground?
The Brake fittings on top, directly into the towers as Paul Trotter mentioned sounds like a simple solution. Thoughts?

Also, In an email I received march 6, Groves position was there is no Onepiece Airfoil Gear being made.
"We are not making any one piece gear that are airfoiled.
The Standard one piece RV8 gear with he brackets and hardware is $2145.00 Lead time is 6-8 weeks"

This seems to contradict another thread started on this subject.??

I have to make a decision soon and will likely go with Non Airfoil Onepiece.
Just not sure of the best way to configure it. (I have the required Rocket/Rod style leg fairings.)

Paul.
 
Hello,
I just finished las week to replace my standard gear by a new one piece Groove gear, due to mydecision to avoid any fuselage binding after a ground loop that I experienced last Autumn. Installation for a replacement gear is quite simple, just to remove the 2 bracket below the front floor, and make a new closure fairing underneath the fuselage, except for install new leg fairings from Harmon Rocket, and rework fuselage fairings it is not a big issue.
I flown it for the first time las week, and found this new gear a little bit more smooth and bouncy that original one, but seems to be much secure.
I post you this picture for the moment, next will be for brake lines I installed
dsc02690cm.jpg
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Regards from Paris
 
Her is how I managed with brakes lines, lower lines:
dsc02702m.jpg
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Goodridge and AN fittings, for upper lines, order 2 ea VA-118-1 from Van's they are perfect!
 
Calling all Grove gear enthusiasts...?

I came across this thread while looking into some Grove gear stuff... I thought I would try to revive it and see if there was any interest in a one piece gear for the RV-8, either airfoiled of regular? Come on, I just need another 9 RV-8'ers to "sign up" :D I am just beginning the fuse - so I have some time to gather up the orders, in case there are others out there with interest.
 
One piece

I am for sure going for the one piece gear. Does not have to be air foiled though.
I have already finished my fuse. and have the belly modified to receive the one piece gear. I'm building at a slow pace and am not in a hurry. I estimate one to two years. As soon I can pay for the engine the gear has to go on.
So yes. You can count me in in due time. If there is a group that wants to get together and order a few I may get in earlier than later.
Cheers
 
Any updates to the one piece gear? I just bought a project with these gear and it would be nice to get an update from anyone flying with them. Did you use 2 or 4 connect points?

Thanks
 
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