Which Park Brake Valve ?

I am looking at two types of parking brake valve. Grove or Matco ? The Grove is more expense ? Is it worth it ?? Both look to do the same thing ..

Appreciate any opinions on the subject ..

I have a Matco on mine - no complaints. I haven't used the Grove so I can't make a direct comparison.

I also installed the Matco valve. It was simple to install and has worked well - I'm not sure how it could work better, so I'm not sure why I'd consider paying any more for a Grove unit.

Same here as Brad and Brent. I don't think my matco parking brakenot hold braking power for a long time (multiple days) but it will hold for at least one day or so.

Which brake valve??? NONE! They are like sky lights. They all leak eventually.

Thanks for feedback on the valve issue - I agree with Scott that eventually it will leak out - but I see the park brake more as a short term aid if you are alone ... and from stepping out of the plane to putting wheel chucks in place etc..... Looking at the drawings for both the Grove and the Matco I am not sure what the justification is for paying more ... The Matco looks to be a 2 part design. But I see no advance in that for our application ... So unless anyone have something else to say I suppose it will be a Matco valve ...

Why bother?

I'm kinda like Scott, why? I have a parking brake on my Grumman Tiger that I fly while building the 7A, and have never used it in the ten years or so that I have owned it. I remember reading about at least one instance where a hydraulic parking valve was closed when the aircraft was parked after a high altitude flight early in the day. The afternoon heat expanded the fluid enough so that the overpressure damaged the lines or piston seals, don't remember which. If you use many airports where you park on an FBO's ramp, they frequently want to be able to reposition your plane while you're gone, and ask you to make sure you leave the brake off. I don't plan to bother with them, just to carry some lightweight chocks. Gotta have them for OSH anyway. Reminds me, gotta go get my tiedowns finished and loaded in the plane.

I've found my parking brake to be very useful. I went to a fly-in and was marshaled to a parking area that was on an incline. No problem; set the brake before jumping out and chocking it. Runup? Set the brake. Short field landing? Set the brake before touchdown.

Ok, that last one's not true nor advisable, but were I to build again, I'd definitely include a parking brake valve. To each their own and all that I suppose...

OLDSAM said:

I'm kinda like Scott, why? I have a parking brake on my Grumman Tiger that I fly while building the 7A, and have never used it in the ten years or so that I have owned it. .......

Click to expand...

I thought the same about the parking brake on my Tiger until I tried a solo self-service refuel at WJF (Mojave desert) in a 25 knot wind...

IMHO a parking brake is only needed short term. Chocks will do the job for longer term - over an hour or so - parking.

I don't know what model the other folks have, but I installed the newer Matco PVPV-D valve. My project is still in the shop so I can only comment on the installation, not operation. I haven't been all that impressed with the mounting system for this valve. It is a two-piece design and mounts with bolts between the two halves. The bolts clamp on the valve body so they cannot be tightened without preventing the valve shaft from turning. The mounting holes are a loose fit so the valve moves around when you actuate the lever. Since I have aluminum lines on the output side of the the valve, the play in the valve mounting will transfer load to the lines and over time may cause fatigue.

To solve this problem, I ended up reaming the loose-fit 3/16 mounting holes out to 1/4" and then making an insert from 1/4" OD stainless tube. I reamed the ID of the tube to 3/16. Now I can tourqe the bolts agains the spacer and adjust the thickness of the Matco-supplied rubber mounting washer to get the right clamping force on the valve body. This mod solved most of my concerns, but in the future I wouldn't use this valve again.

Current PVPV-D Valve:
http://www.matcomfg.com/PARKINGBRAKEVALVEDUAL-idv-3579-8.html

Discontinued PVPV-1 valve (I think this was a better design):
http://www.matcomfg.com/PARKINGBRAKEVALVE-idv-2606-8.html

Now that is a good point Colin - The Grove valve looks like the old Matco type - single piece unit - I see no advantage in Matco making the 2 piece design with a long spool - I wonder why they changed the design ...

I will look into this a bit more ... not very good that if you tighten down the mounting screw the valve deform to jam the spool ...

None

Agree with Scott.

Our home field taxiways are like a goat hill and still I would not put one in again. Leaky (I had to replace ours recently and never used it to begin with), and dangerous if you forget to disengage on takeoff like a fellow in a 182 did at our field. Not good.

I just carry chocks.

Tom,

Which valve do you have Matco - old or new design or the Grove valve ?

Cleveland

It's a Cleveland #60-5 (They are in the Aircraft Spruce Catalog)

Also, I misspoke in the previous post that I replaced the valve. I just replaced the O-rings.

It was a leaking O-ring internally forcing fluid into the left line and overflowing the left resevoir and emptying the right resevoir.

If the plumbing wasn't already in place and I was more motivated to replace the lines I would have removed it altogether