Bungee Cords

[JG3]

Have a look at the nose wheel bungee in your Savannah.

 

We've checked the bungees on four Savannahs in our group and found all of them with partially broken bungees, 'necking' down in several places. These aircraft have anything from 100 to 700 hrs. None have had hard impact nose wheel landings, but considerable taxiing over bumpy ground. The breakages are not at the ends where the bungee goes over the attachments as you'd expect, but are midway down. Have to remove that aluminium shroud, to get a look. Don't seem to break suddenly, but strands break progressively until all the stretching is happening at that weak point. Won't last long after that.....

 

We got the replacements from Aircraft Spruce USA. Aircraft Spruce part number 06-00829 "Shock Cord ring 9010HD". Cost US$18.50 each, with postage shared on four units, landed cost was about A$30 each. Arrived in one week. Less than half the ICP dealer price.......

 

To mount the bungee I've made a puller which makes it really easy. It's just made from some 20mm RHS and some flat steel. Photo attached. I can't figure how to add dimension lines to the photo.... but the distance from the yoke on the left that fits over the top engine mount to the pivot is 130mm, and the distance from the pivot to the end of the handle is 400mm. From the pivot down to the hook is 330mm. The design of that hook is fairly important. It's made from a stub of tubing welded to the RHS so that it can fit over the attach stub on the nose leg. This way you can just push the tight bungee across onto the stub. If the hook is smaller diameter than the stub, it's really difficult to get the tight bungee across onto the larger stub.

 

JG

 

stolspeed.com

 

 

 

[markendee]

Thanks John,

 

As always you are a fountain of knowledge and ready to spread the word to help your mates.

 

Will be checking 5386 out this weekend.

 

See you at Temora.

 

Mark

 

 

[Graham Pukallus]

JG, I checked my bungee and yes at 170hours on my 2008 Savvy, it is starting to fray just above lower attachment, could I hire the use of the bungee puller to fit a new item, will reimburse all costs.

 

I am contactable on 0437004225 anytime, have ordered new bungee from Areokits which should be in the next 2 weeks. Thanks Graham.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Graham

 

John is in the USA still he should be back here in a few weeks

 

 

[Tony Garrett]

Have a look at the nose wheel bungee in your Savannah.We've checked the bungees on four Savannahs in our group and found all of them with partially broken bungees, 'necking' down in several places. These aircraft have anything from 100 to 700 hrs. None have had hard impact nose wheel landings, but considerable taxiing over bumpy ground. The breakages are not at the ends where the bungee goes over the attachments as you'd expect, but are midway down. Have to remove that aluminium shroud, to get a look. Don't seem to break suddenly, but strands break progressively until all the stretching is happening at that weak point. Won't last long after that.....

We got the replacements from Aircraft Spruce USA. Aircraft Spruce part number 06-00829 "Shock Cord ring 9010HD". Cost US$18.50 each, with postage shared on four units, landed cost was about A$30 each. Arrived in one week. Less than half the ICP dealer price.......

 

To mount the bungee I've made a puller which makes it really easy. It's just made from some 20mm RHS and some flat steel. Photo attached. I can't figure how to add dimension lines to the photo.... but the distance from the yoke on the left that fits over the top engine mount to the pivot is 130mm, and the distance from the pivot to the end of the handle is 400mm. From the pivot down to the hook is 330mm. The design of that hook is fairly important. It's made from a stub of tubing welded to the RHS so that it can fit over the attach stub on the nose leg. This way you can just push the tight bungee across onto the stub. If the hook is smaller diameter than the stub, it's really difficult to get the tight bungee across onto the larger stub.

 

JG

 

stolspeed.com

 

JG helped me make a bungee puller for my Savannah VGW/XL. It is very similar to the photo above. I attached some more photos. My bungee has 500 hours on it and it still looks good.

 

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Tony

 

How are things over there?...I believe JG will be paying you a visit soon if he hasnt already.

 

When you did your weight and balance what arm did you come up with? x= I mean although mine was done in metric at .284 I am trying to get mine back to about .330 by shifting the battery back

 

Mark

 

 

[Graham Pukallus]

Thanks Toni, photos will make the bungee replacement and use of John's tool much easier. Will follow up with photos of repair. Regards Graham

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

The Kilcoy boys came over to YCAB this morning for a cuppa and to bring over JG's special tool he made to remove and install the bungee in the savannahs. Wow it makes a terrible job easy as. JG should get them made and sell them. Hans and Graham were doing the hard work while we all stood back and gave the usual advice from onlookers and the occasional joke I have to say the tool was easy to use and is so simple but works a treat literally 5 mins and it was done except the hours work disconnecting the nose leg and other stuff of course. Graham asked me to upload some pics of his old bungee to show how it ended up and why it needed to be changed

 

 

 

 

[eightyknots]

The rubber band was really on the way out in Graham's plane. What causes this damage to happen so quickly?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

We can only summize this but the plane was hangared for quite a number of years in northern NSW and it can get pretty wet and humid there in a hangar. Also the plane had only ever flown off bitumen so the bungee never got any real work as far as stretching goes you can see this with the indent marks . I think this new one will last Puk a long while as he gives his plane some good work outs

 

 

[dave66]

Have a look at the nose wheel bungee in your Savannah.We've checked the bungees on four Savannahs in our group and found all of them with partially broken bungees, 'necking' down in several places. These aircraft have anything from 100 to 700 hrs. None have had hard impact nose wheel landings, but considerable taxiing over bumpy ground. The breakages are not at the ends where the bungee goes over the attachments as you'd expect, but are midway down. Have to remove that aluminium shroud, to get a look. Don't seem to break suddenly, but strands break progressively until all the stretching is happening at that weak point. Won't last long after that.....

We got the replacements from Aircraft Spruce USA. Aircraft Spruce part number 06-00829 "Shock Cord ring 9010HD". Cost US$18.50 each, with postage shared on four units, landed cost was about A$30 each. Arrived in one week. Less than half the ICP dealer price.......

 

To mount the bungee I've made a puller which makes it really easy. It's just made from some 20mm RHS and some flat steel. Photo attached. I can't figure how to add dimension lines to the photo.... but the distance from the yoke on the left that fits over the top engine mount to the pivot is 130mm, and the distance from the pivot to the end of the handle is 400mm. From the pivot down to the hook is 330mm. The design of that hook is fairly important. It's made from a stub of tubing welded to the RHS so that it can fit over the attach stub on the nose leg. This way you can just push the tight bungee across onto the stub. If the hook is smaller diameter than the stub, it's really difficult to get the tight bungee across onto the larger stub.

 

JG

 

stolspeed.com

We can only summize this but the plane was hangared for quite a number of years in northern NSW and it can get pretty wet and humid there in a hangar. Also the plane had only ever flown off bitumen so the bungee never got any real work as far as stretching goes you can see this with the indent marks . I think this new one will last Puk a long while as he gives his plane some good work outs

JG helped me make a bungee puller for my Savannah VGW/XL. It is very similar to the photo above. I attached some more photos. My bungee has 500 hours on it and it still looks good.Tony

Thanks for the info you guys, I currently own a VG which has suffered a hard landing before my time and the front leg has been giving me problems with the lower rubber stop hitting the lower leg ring and putting a dent in the bulkhead ! which in turn puts a kink in the shroud around the bungee, I also got fed up with the steering rod clanking on the lower rest when taxiing, My Savannah VG is the jabiru powered version and I fly out of Hornchurch UK , ( G-TTAT) Thanks again guys, very helpful.