Bent gear?

[4BravoWhiskey]

Hi all,

I am wanting to put the later model "lady legs" on my 170B, and finally found some for sale. But they are far away so I can't inspect them in person. I received a few photos, and it looks sorta like one of them is slightly bent. Would anyone who knows this type of gear leg well care to take a look and see what you think?

I know the left and right are slightly different but I can't find anything that says HOW they are different, other than you can't interchange them due to not being symmetric like the earlier ones. Nothing about curvature, but I don't see any reason that should be different.

Last photo shows it best.

Thanks,
Jack

[n2582d]

Jack,
I'd agree that one looks as if it may be bent just above the taper. Jim Hayton of North Sound Aviation would be the guy to send them to for inspection. Are you sure those aren't 180 gear legs? I see "180" written with a Sharpe on one leg. Ask the owner for the gear thickness to confirm they are indeed 170 gear.

[bagarre]

Looks bent to me. I'd pass and keep looking. You'll find a decent pair sooner or later but those do look bent.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Sure looks bent but it's really hard to say.

[4BravoWhiskey]

Ha, they say "180" because they were temporarily on a 180. Which is also a concern. He's selling them because the 180 he bought had these on it, and he had to swap them out for actual 180 gear. Supposedly on there for less than a year, but still... He claims they were straight, everything was aligned just fine. But I do think I'll just pass on these.

Good to know about Jim Hayton. There was someone named Tom (that's all I have) advertising gear a while back on Barnstormers and I contacted him, it was around $3.5k for a set of lady legs that he has gone through: "per Cessna drawing 0541114 or 0741001 and Cessna spec 204-1 reconditioning includes re-arch, magnetic particle inspection, stress relieve, and epoxy primer. Gear comes with certs."

Thanks guys,
Jack

[Joe Moilanen]

Ha, they say "180" because they were temporarily on a 180. Which is also a concern. He's selling them because the 180 he bought had these on it, and he had to swap them out for actual 180 gear. Supposedly on there for less than a year, but still... He claims they were straight, everything was aligned just fine. But I do think I'll just pass on these.

Good to know about Jim Hayton. There was someone named Tom (that's all I have) advertising gear a while back on Barnstormers and I contacted him, it was around $3.5k for a set of lady legs that he has gone through: "per Cessna drawing 0541114 or 0741001 and Cessna spec 204-1 reconditioning includes re-arch, magnetic particle inspection, stress relieve, and epoxy primer. Gear comes with certs."

Thanks guys,
Jack

I just bought a set of Lady Legs from Jim Hayton about a month ago. He completely reconditioned them and primed them, total price 2K. It was worth all of that just to land in his cow pasture and look at all the airplane parts and carcasses laying around his place. There must have been a dozen Beavers hidden in the blackberry bushes along with Otters and Cessna bones. He may have some more Lady legs laying around waiting for reconditioning.

Joe

[blueldr]

Re; The difference between a left and a right "Lady Leggs" type landing gear is most easily noted at the bottom end. The curve of the "ankle" will be one on the left and one on the right. In other words, if rhey both curved in the same direction you would have two legs for the same side.

I bought a set of "Lady Legs" uninspected from a rotten shyster guy named Rowzee one time. When they were unpacked they turned out to be a very early pair of gear legs from an early straight C-170 with the hole drilled in them for the brake line attachment. When I called him on it, he insisted they were "Lady Legs" and refused to return my eight hundred dollars. He was a ATP pilot and lived in Alaska. I haven't forgotten it and some day I'll be recompensed in one way or another.

[GAHorn]

The Eldrs experience is not solitary. There are others who also offer things for sale off B-models and they are either ignorant of what is correct...or they deliberately mislead...
The point is: Caveat Emptor!

[4BravoWhiskey]

Blueldr - I take it you mean this difference is when viewed from the side, for example if the gear were on the plane, standing at a wheel and looking in the direction of the airplane (rather than edge-on. as in the photos). Hope I'm making sense...

And I already ran across someone claiming to have lady legs from their '53, and they ASSUMED they were the lady legs.. but as it turned out it was an early '53 (like mine) and most definitely not lady legs. Fortunately it wasn't too hard to convince them, but yes I can see how this happens. George's knowledge of the airplane serial number when that transition occurred was very helpful.

Joe - Seems you got a great deal, and had a lot of fun in the process! And I think you are the lucky dude who got George's camera port, right? I would so love to have one of those!

Jack

[Joe Moilanen]

Blueldr - I take it you mean this difference is when viewed from the side, for example if the gear were on the plane, standing at a wheel and looking in the direction of the airplane (rather than edge-on. as in the photos). Hope I'm making sense...

And I already ran across someone claiming to have lady legs from their '53, and they ASSUMED they were the lady legs.. but as it turned out it was an early '53 (like mine) and most definitely not lady legs. Fortunately it wasn't too hard to convince them, but yes I can see how this happens. George's knowledge of the airplane serial number when that transition occurred was very helpful.

Joe - Seems you got a great deal, and had a lot of fun in the process! And I think you are the lucky dude who got George's camera port, right? I would so love to have one of those!

Jack

You are correct Jack!

Joe

[170C]

I am surprised that someone wanting to sell something (gear legs in this case) didn't clean them up before taking photos Cleaning them up doesn't make them any better or worse, but someone selling something and it being grimy, etc. doesn't bode well with me

[GAHorn]

Beware of newly stripped/cleaned/painted gear legs. ASK how it was done. (I suggest not revealing YOUR knowledge that using chemical strippers are a NO-NO due to hydrogen embrittlement... so the seller does not become evasive.) Plastic or glass bead blasting or soda blasting is OK, as is light, longitudinal sanding.

[4BravoWhiskey]

Good point, George. In fact I just found some 180 gear legs (thanks to Bruce!), and all sounded good but photos show considerable rust. May go beyond the .030" pitting limit that I read somewhere. If they had cleaned these up and painted them, I'd have no idea. So another gamble. I'd have to get them inspected by someone who knows what they are doing. Ideally in the Memphis area where the gear is located.

Joe - Do you have Jim Hayton's phone number and/or email? The one I found on Google and in previous posts (360-826-3962) is no longer working.

Jack

[bagarre]

Landing gear are like wing struts. If they fail, your day is ruined.

To that end, I'd strongly having any gear leg at least properly stripped, NDT'd and curve verified before installation.
Gear that look like hell may be in great serviceable shape and clean fresh painted ones might be one bounce away from letting loose.

If I were looking for a set of legs, I'd offer to pay the guy's price plus refinishing and NDT of the legs - if they pass.
If not, you're paying some good coin for some spring steel of unknown value.

[4BravoWhiskey]

That's great advice. I am having trouble finding places to get them checked out. Maybe Jim Hayton if I can find his number, but apparently he can take a really long time to get the work done, too. The only other I've found (Tom at Landing gear works on Barnstormers) wants $1940 for their checkout which he calls a reconditioning. yikes.