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Toe in

DeltaVee47

Active Member
Hi all
Just finished installing main gear. Very challenging for one guy but got it done.
However after installing the U00009 main gear axles I did the string test per the plans and I?ve got a ?y? measurement of 15 mm or 8 degrees of toe in on both sides. This seems huge since the plans say no more than .25 degrees is acceptable. I don?t see how shims of .75degrees are going to fix this.
Guess I?ll call Vans tomorrow but feeling very discouraged right now.
Any ideas very much appreciated.
Thanks for listening
Greg Beckner
140-366
 
14a
Cannot see what I did wrong as everything lines up on the inside and both gears are toed in exactly the same amount. 8.2 degrees from horizontal.
Greg
 
14a
Cannot see what I did wrong as everything lines up on the inside and both gears are toed in exactly the same amount. 8.2 degrees from horizontal.
Greg

Horizontal?

Now you've confused me. The axles are almost certain to be angled down substantially with no load. That would be considered camber. If they are angled forward, that would be toe-in. A picture would clear up the confusion.
 
Duh

Kyle
You have cleared my confusion. A million thanks. I was looking from the front and confusing toe down with toe in. What a dumb mistake. So the gear is supposed to hang slightly toe down? Good, that?s what I?ve got. From above its perfectly aligned, no toe in. As usual, it?s right there in the manual and I just missed it. Sorry to waste anyone?s time.
Y?all are the best.
Greg Beckner
 
14a
Cannot see what I did wrong as everything lines up on the inside and both gears are toed in exactly the same amount. 8.2 degrees from horizontal.
Greg

From your description, it sounds like you are talking about "camber" and not "toe-in". That would also explain the amount. 8? would seem normal for camber. Toe-in is the deviation of track from straight ahead.
 
Yup. Terminology matters. There is no "toe down". Toe in or toe out is strictly the view looking down or up at the axle from a level plane. So toe in is a condition where the front of the wheels are closer to the centerline of the aircraft than the back of the wheels. Toe out is just the opposite. It's like looking down at your feet while standing. If your big toes angle in toward each other that is toe in (analogous to pigeon toed individual). If your big toes angle away from each other that is toe out. If your feet are perfectly parallel that is zero toe angle.

Camber (which is what I think you are calling "toe down"?) refers to the bowleggedness of your main landing gear when looking from in front of or behind the aircraft. Like the stereotypical horse riding cowboy, positive camber angle results in the outboard tread of the tires contacting the ground first. Then as weight is added and the gear flexes the camber angle reduces and the geometry allows the balance of the tread to contact the ground. This is why most aircraft show more wear on the outboard edges of the main gear tires and why people sometimes dismount, flip and remount their tires to even the wear and extend the life of the tires.

Here is a link to a good reference...
http://en.intraxracing.nl/techniek/camber,-caster,-toe-intoe-out/
 
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