MTO Sport Teeter Bolt Replacement

[Mark Humbke]

Just wondering if anybody has any experience in replacing the PTFE lined bushes in the Tower & Hub Bar on a MTO Sport.

I got a new kit from auto-gyro which came with a teeter bolt, 4 PTFE lined bushes, 2 for tower, 2 for the hub bar.

On inspection I saw there was wear and decided it was time to install the kit.

The bushes in there are really tight and well I don't really have any idea on how to get them out without some special tool or press ??

Thought I would ask before I created some new problem...:yo::yo::

[CLS447]

New kit......already wearing out.........how many hours on her ?

Special tools ? Please post some pictures of this , please.

[Texasautogyro]

I have. You should do it about 200hr or so and the new bolt is always tight till it breaks in. The outer bushings I used a pin from a old lycoming piston rod. It fits perfect to drive it out. The hub was tricky to get the first one out. We had to get the split edge bent away and started then carefully work it back. The other one we drove through with the pin. Call me if you need more info I would be glad to help. Do you have a kit? I have an extra if you needed it.

[Mark Humbke]

At the moment I'm doing an annual on the machine and after taking the blades off and examining the PTFE bushings I notice some wear .. they still looked good & teeter bolt also was in excellent condition but I have 325 hours on the machine and for the cost of the replacement kit and piece of mine I decided it was a wise investment.

Plus it could help possibly improve any vibration that was present due to wear in the bushings..


Thanks Desmond.. I'll give ya a call as any advice is greatly appreciated..

[CLS447]

Sounds like it is time ! I would still like to see some pics of this , if possible.

[Texasautogyro]

I pull the blades every 100 hrs and any time I trailer the gyro just to look over them for cracks.

[mikeconcannon]

Thats a good idea if its a mto3, check em for cracks

[JAL]

I am pretty sure that the MT03 maintenance schedule, at least here in Australia calls for the removal and inspection (and re-greasing) of the teeter bolt every 25 hours and replacement every 100 hours.

It takes about 30 minutes to do 25 hour check and maybe 60 minutes to replace the bolt and the bushes.

The 100 hourly inspection is equal to the annual as well so you carry out a deep maintenance check of the blades, the airframe, motor and instruments and a part of that is to replace the teeter bolt and bushes as you have the blades off anyway.

[uksparky]

Hi,

I have 30 hours instruction in a R22 and decided it was to expensive to maintain. Every hour flight became the equivalent of a mid size shiny new flatscreen tv!

6 years later I was bored and decided to realise an ambition to have a go of a Gyro (the MTO sport). It was quite an eye opener! Then I started looking into running costs and upkeep should I decide to go for a PPL(G).

Ok, back on topic... I have a chance of a 5th share of an MTO Sport that my local flying field has up for sale. They want £9K for the share, £16 per month hangarage, £500 for insurance and its £40/hr wet to fly/learn in. Its an ex flyng club gyro used for training. I believe its got around 1500 hrs on it. It has the new rotor system fitted and I've been told a new engine a few hundred hours ago. If i look on Afors I can see some MTO Sports going for around the £38K price with half (or less) of the amount of hours. If I do the maths then £8K per share is more realistic. What do you guys think as I've never dabbled in aircraft shares before? I'm also a bit worried in case there will be some large maintenance bills to pay(new airframe, etc). I've tried to search for a maintenance schedule for a gyro from birth up to say 3000 hours to get a feel for what needs to be replaced and when, but info seems a bit sparse. Any advice would be appreciated. Chances are I will keep it to learn on, sell my share, then buy a share in something nicer.

[z_smurf]

The bushes for the tower is fairly easy to get out, just find a cylinder/tube that fits through the hole.
The bushes in the hub bar was also OK until somewhere 2010-2011, when I believe they changed something. Nowdays, you can not remove theese bushes with normal tools without scratching or destroying the the hub itself. We've made a special tool to press them out, and I will try to describe it here:

First, find a stainless steel washer with a 6,5mm inner hole and lathe it down to the exact diameter of the hole in the hub bar. Lathe one side a little more than the other, so it's edge is quite sharp on one side and soft on the other side. Then grind off two sides, so it becomes oval. Grind off just enough so you can get it through a bush.

Now, try to get the washer in between the bushes in the hub (possible because you have cut off a little from 2 sides), and when it's between, you should be able to rise it up, so it has full contact with one of your bushes.

Put a 200 mm long M6 threaded rod through. Put a M6 nut on one end. On the other end, make a 30 mm high spacer from a tube that is big enough to cover the bush as it comes out. Another big washer, and finally, another M6 nut.

Now, just turn the M6 nut until the bush comes out. Repeat the same steps on the other side.

We've destroyed a few washers as the force needed to get the bushes out is quite large (I would estimate a few hundred kilos), but with this method we do get them out without scratching the hub bar itself.

Best regards,
Andreas