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Can I change my front tire in the field?


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Hi All,

 

Here is some food for thought and you may want to check this out before you have a front tire flat in the field.

Can you change a tire or fix a flat in the field without removing your complete front end?

The problem is when you take out the screws on each side of the front wheel pant that hold it secure you should be able to lift the wheel pant high enough to get to the axle nut and bolt. Many wheel pants won't go high enough to allow this access. The actual problem is the wheel pant is a little too long below the screws and or the "V" notch at the top is not quite deep enough.

The fix is to trim the wheel pant up about an inch below the screw holes and or trim the "V" notch down just a tad with a Dremel tool sander. In trimming the wheel pant up off the bottom some you also gain better access to the valve stem to check your pressure more frequently. This is a good side benefit. Once the notching or trimming is done you should be able to lift the wheel pant high enough in the field to remove the front axle and nut. If you fail to do this little trim job then if you have a flat on the front in the field you will need to remove the entire front end just to gain access to the axle and nut and better hope you have a few more tools. :unsure:

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We have had a couple in the UK where the pin inside at the back of the fairing was fitted/replaced with a nut and bolt needing a very long extension bar for the nut socket it would have been fun with a flat tyre in the field with this fixing so that's worth checking as well ..

 

Mike

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When I first got my CT the spat was bolted either side of the wheel spindle and with that silly 5mm bolt on the inside of the spat trouser leg.

I removed it and screwed in a long bolt upwards from the tyre side and now just drop the spat onto it and use it as a locating pin. No more long socket bars needed and the wheel can be off in a flash.

Mac

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Hi Mac

 

That's how it should be ! just a locating pin so you can lift the spat up after undoing the axle spindle bolts , but some have been replaced or fitted from new with a nut and bolt

 

Mike

 

 

When I first got my CT the spat was bolted either side of the wheel spindle and with that silly 5mm bolt on the inside of the spat trouser leg.

I removed it and screwed in a long bolt upwards from the tyre side and now just drop the spat onto it and use it as a locating pin. No more long socket bars needed and the wheel can be off in a flash.

Mac

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I normally screw a tie down into the ground under back of the body push tail down till skid is on the floor and strap/rope it to tie down or same with a heavy weight..

 

Mike

 

 

Any trick to lifting the steering gear off the ground?

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Hi Wlfpckers,

 

More or less just like Mike said. In the shop you can have a rope anchored to the ground or I use a heavy weight below the tail boom and then just pull it down and tie it off. Use some thick padding over the tail boom so you don't leave any marks. You will need to have the tail about 12" off the ground to get the full front suspension out, but if you only need to drop the wheel off then just get the front tire about 6" off the ground.

In the field you could use a tie down on the ramp or just have someone hold the tail down just a little while you pop the wheel off..

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Tieing the tail down works, but then the plane is not quite stable.

 

What I typically do is build up a support structure from styrofoam thick pads in front of the main gears , have someone lower the tail and push it under the belly so the nosewheel is off the ground.

 

I find that more stable to work on than tieing the tail down.

 

Cheers,

 

Jos

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