Grove gear pics


18 posts in this topic

Posted

I have recently purchased Grove gear from a Kitfox 5. I am installing it on a MK IV. I will have to build the mounting bracket as Grove doesn't sell one.  Can anyone that is willing and able show pictures of the mounting brackets that are being used?

Thank you. 

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Posted (edited)

Welcome, happen to be the same Brock I sold parts to several years back? 

IIRC, there are drawings of the different style blocks on Grove's website. I seem to recall EDMO posting he had some of the KF5-7 mounting blocks. Not sure if he was trying to sell gear w/ blocks or they were standalone. I recommend you start a WTB thread in the classified forum. He checks in infrequently due to health issues but that might be your best bet for him to notice as he is liquidating his inventory.

HTH

Edited by dholly

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Posted (edited)

Welcome to the group!

If you're talking tail dragger, take a closer look at the configurations of the Kitfox 5 gear vs. Avid Mark IV. You'll see that the KF gear uses the extra mounts more forward located, coming straight down. Avid gear is angled forward to get the wheels far enough ahead. Some fuselage mods might be necessary to use the KF gear if that's the case, although here's a pic that appears someone using KF mounted a bit further forward than Avid style mounts ( I don't know what kind of plane it's on). Added 2nd pic that I recall may have been a cub variant, but similar idea.

I'll make another post with some more mount ideas. I'm faced with making mounts for my 2nd hand MkIV Avid gear as well.

Springgearadapter.jpg

Schneider.jpg

Edited by marcusofcotton
added 2nd pic

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Posted

A couple Avid trike pics first:

Grove bracket3.png

Grove MK IV trike bracket Jim Chuck.jpg

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Posted

More Avid:

Grove bracket.jpg

Grove bracket2.jpg

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Posted

The yellow landing gear leaning against the garage door look familiar for some reason.... JImChuk

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Posted

Wow! 32 pounds for the tail-dragger gear.

Equal to about 5 gallons of gas.

I'll stick with the much lighter bush gear.

John M

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Posted

When I converted my old Kitfox IV-1050 from OEM bungee to Grove the overall weight gain was 12 pounds.

Easy trade off to me.

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Posted

The Grove needs to have the mount shaped carefully. The aluminum beam bends around the upper attach brackets, which are "pillow blocks" that carefully shape the bend as the hard landing is executed, and that bend determines the strength of the gear. When I tried to buy Grove gear they quoted $500 for those aluminum attach brackets (which made the entire gear package almost $3000 (and made it a non-starter).

If some of those guys who have the gear attach blocks could carefully document the shape, it should be easy to have them machined.

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Posted

In the above 3 photos with gear that’s painted red yellow and black it looks like the brackets for the grove gear are homemade. What material is used cold rolled steel? What thickness would be needed? If I go grove I need to build these brackets.

 

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Posted

The Grove needs to have the mount shaped carefully. The aluminum beam bends around the upper attach brackets, which are "pillow blocks" that carefully shape the bend as the hard landing is executed, and that bend determines the strength of the gear. When I tried to buy Grove gear they quoted $500 for those aluminum attach brackets (which made the entire gear package almost $3000 (and made it a non-starter).

If some of those guys who have the gear attach blocks could carefully document the shape, it should be easy to have them machined.

On my plane they are square clamping blocks that span the front two "float" mounts.  Nothing special.

On my friend's C-model/Kitfox hybrid they are also square clamping blocks.  The gear sweeps forward negating the need for the very odd looking mounts shown above.  The current Grove website lists the Mk 4 Avid gear at $2519, complete.  

http://www.groveaircraft.com/landing_gear.html

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Posted

Is the Grove gear that much ($2500) better than the standard gear?  I know it makes landings smoother and ground handling a little less stressful, but so is shelling out $2500 for just the gear.

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Posted

Is the Grove gear that much ($2500) better than the standard gear?  I know it makes landings smoother and ground handling a little less stressful, but so is shelling out $2500 for just the gear.

here is the written quote showing that custom brackets are required at $500 for the set. Total for a Mk IV is $2900

Est_2533_from_Grove_Aircraft_Landing_Gear_Systems_Inc._1932.pdf

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Posted

Look at the grove web site and look at the prices of the different gear. Tell me how they justify the Kitfox 6,7,8 gear being less that the Avid gear. The Kitfox 3,4 gear is $500 cheaper than the Avid gear. Maybe its because they make less of it but its still Bullshit. 

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Posted

Wow! 32 pounds for the tail-dragger gear.

They must be figuring strong because my much heavier duty  1550 gear is only 35lbs.

1012181936.jpg

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Posted

Look at the grove web site and look at the prices of the different gear. Tell me how they justify the Kitfox 6,7,8 gear being less that the Avid gear. The Kitfox 3,4 gear is $500 cheaper than the Avid gear. Maybe its because they make less of it but its still Bullshit. 

I understand the reason is due to the rake(?) angle. More material and more complicated bending necessary to make it. Looking at it closely, as in thinking how one would go about fabricating it, I can see that.

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Posted

Here is a picture of a Grove gear that nobody wants to see.  It does show the weakness, they do not take a side force well aka ground loop.

IMG_1089.JPG

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Posted

Thank you all for the input. KF 5 Grove Gear is what I am trying to put on an Avid MK4. Seems the largest issue is the rake forward that I am seeing on the Avid's. Might be, I could build the mount to take most of this up?? I will have a mount fabricated that will replicate the factory mount that you see in the Grove retrofit kits. Thank you all, again. this answers my questions. 

I will post pics once I get them. 

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