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Install Landing Gear

I recommend you install the landing gear right after attaching the empennage to the fuselage.  Here's how I did it.  It took a little to raise the fuselage up enough to make room for the gear, but it is easier to raise it with the empennage on, than to wait until after the gear for the empennage.

Landing gear bolts

Landing gear bolts from the inside
If you didn’t install the U-805-1 and U-806-1 wear plates when you drilled the gear, you will need to install them now.  Start by putting temporary bolts back into the 3/8, 5/16, and 7/16 holes to align the U-805-1 and U-806-1 wear plates with the holes in the WD-813s and WD-822s.  Bolt the wear plates with the AN4 bolts.  Remove the temporary 3/8, 5/16 and 7/16 bolts.

When I finally installed the gear, tightening the main gear bolts was not easy.  The three inboard nuts for the U-804 were not hard to get to, but the outboard two for the U-803 were.  I have the older three-hole F-802C instead of the newer one with the long slot.  It looks like the new slot will allow easier access to the nuts.
I had to cut down a cheap wrench to make it fit inside the gear box and fit over the nut, almost straight down due to the lip inside the WD-822.  Then I torqued the bolts from the outside.  I figured out the friction drag torque by turning the bolts with the torque wrench before I pulled the nut tight.  The lowest setting on the wrench that let me turn the bolt was the friction drag torque.  I added this to the 240 in/lbs called for in the plans. See AC 41-14b, chapter 7 for more info on friction drag torque.  Then I checked to ensure I had the .030 gap between the U-803 and the U-805-1.
Cut wrench

Inside gear box


If you use some adapters or extenders to torque the nuts from the inside, make sure you compute the final torque reading you need to use.  This figure from AC 41-13b shows how to compute the correct torque values.

How to compute torque values from AC 41-13b.


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