Why do some people NOT put the bend in the gear tube?

[KDOG]

I've noticed in several pictures I've looked at that some Bee builders don't put the bend in the landing gear tube that the plans show. Why is that? is it unneccessary?

[Victor Duarte]

perhaps because they dont want to bend a tube because it could break if not well done ... only my opinion

[gyroman]

When Doug Riley was supplying kits he had an angle built into the axle to take the place of the bend in the axle tube. Don't know how Starbee is doing it. Might want to ask Ralph, from the pics of the Starbee gyrobee he is putting together it doesn't have a bend in the axle tube.

[Ralph]

The reason for the bend is simple - you get more ground clearance without having the gyro sitting with the tires at an angle. The StarBee axles are NOT bent and the axle inserts are NOT machined with a built-in angle. I have a suspicion that were are going to run into some issues in this area, but whatever we find, complete with any work-arounds (if needed), will be reported on the site.

Given the magnitude of the bend, you are not likely to break a tube (not with 1/8-inch walls!), but it is a pain and you want the two axle struts to be well-matched. However, it is a simple-enough solution in a world where machined/angled axle inserts are not available.

Ralph

[Brian Jackson]

Ralph: Which day(s) will you be attending the Three Rivers fly-in? I missed you at Mentone by 1 day.

All: Assuming there is a Bee or two at the upcoming fly-in, I plan on taking a great many high-resolution photos of it/them, including detail close-ups. So, if there is anything of special interest (fittings, connections, wiring, etc.,) you would like me to capture images of for you, let me know by this weekend.

Brian Jackson

[Doug Riley]

Hmm. Omitting the bend puts a skewed load on the wheel. I feel that the bearings in those go-kart wheels are not going to like this. The bendy Azusalite nylon wheels save you some weight, but they aren't going to appreciate the side load, either.

I'd either bend the tube or use a machined fitting at the outer end to get the wheel substantially upright when the craft is loaded for flight.

[Dean_Dolph]

Like Kandace was told and she ended up doing, if people have access to a auto racing shop that makes roll cages and etc. then they can get these bends made easily. Forget the muffler shops, you need someone that understands something about quality work!

[Brian Jackson]

I just had a quick thought I sketched up. Ralph, if you could have a peak at this sketch... it appears that the axle brackets can be dropped to the next tube while still maintaining proper clearance, and the axle struts could remain straight (no bending.) Does this seem like sound engineering, or am I completely overlooking something? Thanks.

Brian Jackson

[Ralph]

Brian,

There is no reason why your solution could not be made to work, but, like most "small changes", there are other implications:

(1) I would want to re-do the cluster plate so the tail boom was secured by more than one bolt at that point.

(2) I would probably extend the lower end of the seat braces and use two spaced bolts/holes to secure the front end of the tail boom

(3) The tail boom would no longer be demountable, meaning the aircraft could not be stored in a standard garage and the boom would have to be permanently mounted early in the construction sequence.


All of that makes a slight axle bend pretty appealing! Of course the angled axle inserts would be even slicker. Having the tires at an angle is not an option. The bearings won't like it (as pointed out by Doug), the tires will wear very quickly, tracking will be harder to set up and alignment will fade quickly with tire wear, and you greatly increase the chances that you will shed a tire if the wheel is subjected to side loads on touch-down. Did that many years ago in a weight-shift machine equipped with Tuff Wheels and I'd rather not do it again!

As far as KIMO is concerned, I will be there for a couple of hours late Thursday as we have a 7PM BoD meeting. I will be back early Saturday to spend the day. I will either come back for part of Sunday or will find a place to stay over and save the gas and travel time.

Ralph

[Brian Jackson]

Great points. The removal of the tail boom is a biggie for me for garage door clearance. It's funny, the more I study your design the more appreciation I have for how well thought out it is. Looking forward to meeting with you on Saturday.

Respectfully,
Brian Jackson

[Victor Duarte]

hi brian !
no matter with this thread, its just about ayout site... as i m also involved in viewing techs for web (realtime 3D) i m curious about your work.. but didnt get the ptviewer working... have you and idea of why?

best regards

victor

ps : sorry for this out of subject post .

[Brian Jackson]

Duarte,
PTViewer is a JAVA based applet. Usually Windows has Java enabled by default. If however it's not enabled, go to your internet options and make sure all Java options are checked "On."... that is, assuming you have Java installed on your machine. I've also seen issues where some network servers/hubs filter this out for security.

[Victor Duarte]

thanks brian, checked all JM options..still not work on my pc, nevermind, i ll see it further... thanks anyway !!

[KDOG]

Now if I order the round tubing package from Starbee will that particular piece come prebent?

Brian, you might want to contact Dana at StarBee with that idea!! Nice!

Also, you would have to shorten the tube a little because by straightening it out, you make it a tad bit longer. No biggie though, say, 1/8th of an inch?

[Dean_Dolph]

Ralph, I sent you a private message!

[Brian Jackson]

...Brian, you might want to contact Dana at StarBee with that idea!! Nice!

Also, you would have to shorten the tube a little because by straightening it out, you make it a tad bit longer. No biggie though, say, 1/8th of an inch?

Kevin,

I'm not planning to do this mod. It was just a 30 second brainstorm and did a quick diagram to have Ralph look at and offer his opinion. Per his response there are disadvantages, but that depends on if you're willing to add the weight of additional bolts, etc.

Part of why I love this forum so much is that it's frequented by great designers and inspires creativity amongst ponderous students like myself. There's a million-and-six ways to modify any project, which is part of the inherent romance & attraction of our sport. Imagine if all Harleys looked alike :eek:. But unique to few sports including gyros, form must follow function. Anyone can draw a cool-looking car body, but you don't have to land a race car from altitude (insert Dukes Of Hazard joke here :) ). Quite a different approach with aircraft, which is why newbies like me should check our egos in at the door, regardless of how much we think we know about other subjects.

It would stand to reason that the axle strut length would chance with that modification, but by how much depends on the elasticity and compressibility of the material. I cannot say 1/8" because I'm not an aircraft designer.