Design Improvements for the Zenith 601 HDS:
Gear Stop by AN4 Bolt
Gear Stop by AN4 Bolt
The main gear is not so easy to install, since the bungee chords
are preloaded when the gear is fully extended. Yet, there is
a simple fix that makes installation a cinch and that does
away with the unsightly safety-wired top cap of the gear above the wing.
The gear is put into the wing without bungee chord. On the gear tube
it is marked how far the tube sticks out of the bracket holding
the lower gear bearing, when the gear is fully extended.
Then the gear is removed, and a 1/4 inch
hole is drilled through the gear tube just above the bearing bracket.
An AN4 bolt is inserted and held in place by a nylon stop nut.
Sealer is added on both sides so that moisture cannot enter
the tube. Care must be taken when tightening
the nut so that the tube does not become distorted.
Once the bolt has been added,
the bungee chord can be assembled on the bench,
with the gear clamped in a vise. The entire gear, with bungee,
is inserted into the wing and the lower bracket is bolted in
place. Note that in the extended position,
the entire bungee force is handled by the
AN4 bolt. Thus, on top of the wing, one only needs a slender
cover plate.