?.The wheel bearing mod that we do on the stock Matco wheel involves removing the tapered Timken type bearings and the antique felt seal assemblies. We re-machine the two wheel halves to accept the new double sealed precision deep groove ball bearings. We make a center stack up spacer, re-machine the original outside spacers to fit the bearings and the total stack up to the fork inside width. We precision balance the assembly first, then mount and balance the tire and tube. When we are finished you need only to slide your axle bolt in and tighten up the assembly. These deep groove precision bearings are designed for radial as well as axial loads and are the perfect choice for our nose wheel application. They never need service of any kind and are water and dirt proof (the cause of most failures). This is a great improvement and really pays off when changing or repairing a tire out in the dirt or in rain etc. These bearings are rated at many times over the load carrying capacity, radial and axial that will be seen in service on our nose wheels. Wide temperature range (-20F to + 350F) RPM rating at full load (8,100 that?s 260 MPH) Dynamic load rating Cr: 23,600 N, Static load rating Cr: 12,100 N. These bearings should outlast several airplanes and will be the one thing you will not need to concern yourself with. These particular bearings are used on literally hundreds of applications far more severe than ours. They are the wheel bearing of choice for many small Japanese autos (used on the rear of many front wheel drive cars). They are the most popular bearings used on virtually all large, heavy street motorcycles front and rear offering thousands of miles of trouble free service. Once this modification is completed, you can now tighten up the front axle bolt without exerting pressure on the bearings. The problem that we are eliminating isn?t drag from the seals, or for that matter bearing assemblies when unloaded. The real problem is the fact that the axle cannot be tightened without placing an unacceptable amount drag on the original bearings. When weight or stress of any amount is placed on the nose wheel it bends or deflects the axle, thus misaligning the tapered bearings and making them bind up, causing them to try to stop rotation. When the for/aft oscillations begin they try to multiply or snow ball, only causing more violent movement. (Here is a video link demonstrating this phenomenon) Sorry for the poor quality but this is scary and a must see. If you look closely at this video you can see smoke coming off the tire as it locks and unlocks.
http://www.eaa538.org/images/nosegear.wmv
After this mod is performed you will notice a considerably shortened time and distance to nose wheel lift off speed, taxiing will require less throttle, aircraft will push and turn much easier, most if not all nose wheel shaking, oscillations and vibrations when landing will vanish. The cost for this is $120 labor $90 materials plus freight and usually requires only a day or two at our facility. I can honestly say this modification made the most dramatic, instantly noticeable improvement of all the things we have done. All the violent shaking, vibrations and oscillations disappeared. As with all of our products, if you aren?t happy, we will cheerfully return your money. Regards all, Allan