Bungee gear Toe Adjustment

[Brodstol 41]

I've been prepping for my first flight and taxiing around 15-25mph has been quite squirrely and wouldn't dare go any faster. So I decided to do a quick check of the toe on my Model 1 today. It is even both sides at 3/8" toe in referencing the deflection between the fore and aft of my Nanco tires at axle height. So I know I want to be 0 or just a tad toe out but my question is what's the best way to adjust this? I'm thinking of removing the axle and bending it slightly in a vise. Any recommendations?

Also is it best to adjust toe in the three point stance or with the fuselage leveled? 

[TJay 1041]

you want toe in but 3/8 sounds like a bit much one way to tell if you have to much is to pull the plane backwards on concrete if you gear is trying to spread out than you have to much. I personally would set it plane level just because that's when your gonna me moving the fastest. Just my thoughts

[1avidflyer 1983]

If you jack up both wheels (first picture)  and put a piece of tape on both wheels with a mark on the tape, then with the marks as far forward as they will go,  measure the distance.  Rotate the wheels 180 degrees so the marks are as far back as they will go.  Again measure the distance.  That will give you the toe in or toe out, but wont tell you if it's in one gear or the other or both.  If you want to see if it's just one gear that is out of line, you can do this.   Get the plane off the ground as I've shown in the second picture with the extra board screwed onto the jacking board.  Pull a line from the tail to the center between the front wheels.   Put nails in just at the front and rear of the tires on your center line.  then you can hook onto the nails with your tape measure.  Put a piece of tape on the wheel, put a mark on the tape, and measure from the nail to the tape.  Rotate the wheel 180 degrees, and measure from the other nail.  Difference will be toe in or toe out.  Hopefully you have toe in if you have to bend the gear to get the right setting.  I use an 1 1/2" pipe thats 8' long slid over the axel.  Put the nut back on the axel so you don't bugger up the threads.  Tie a chain to the tailwheel spring, and pull with a cable come along from the end of the pipe to the chain.  Careful not to bend it to far.  JImChuk

[NorthIdahoAvidflyer 374]

We have had this discussion on here and the general consensus is you want to be toed in not out if anything. You have larger tires on narrow gear. There is only so much you are going to do with that. They are prone to be squirrely hence why they get groundlooped so often and why so many people upgrade to wider landing gear. 

[1avidflyer 1983]

One argument is that a toed out wheel will try to steer out of a turn, a toed in wheel will try to steer into a turn.  (think ground loop)  How much difference it makes is a good question that has been debated quite a bit.  I would think that flex in the gear will also add some toe out from the drag against the wheel when going straight ahead.  I try to go for zero or just a bit of toe out.  YMMV  JImChuk

[TJay 1041]

Jim that Jacking board is genius I have been looking for a good way to do that. My floor jack alone always trys to slip off the axle And hits the tire. Thanks For the pictures.

[Turbo 162]

My read on the toe-in / toe-out question is that parallel wheels is best.   A priori I thought toe-in made sense, but it's all about the careening/lumbering oscillation you can find yourself in, which toe-in exacerbates.  Long piece of iron pipe fit over axle, then attached to fuselage tail via come-along seems preferred way to undo toe-in, but be careful.  Don't want to overdo it.

[1avidflyer 1983]

Jim that Jacking board is genius I have been looking for a good way to do that. My floor jack alone always trys to slip off the axle And hits the tire. Thanks For the pictures.

And if you have just one jack handy, jack it up on one side, block it and then jack up the other side.  JImChuk