When the time comes I would like to be able to change a tire myself on the DA42. Is there more than one method to jack up the plane?
The official method using the jack points under the wing scares me a little. Balancing the weight of the plane on a slender steel rod seems a bit precarious. One slip and the rod pokes up into the wing. Here are some Cirrus pictures showing what happens when a non-service center mechanic uses whatever jack they have on hand to fix a flat tire at a remote field. In each case, the jack slipped off the lift point on the wing.
Bogert Aviation and others make jack pads that attach to the landing gear instead of the wing. For my DA40 I used this jack pad. Light and small enough to keep in the plane:
The one in this video might work for the DA42:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFE8XDi ... _rel_pause
Beechcraft and Cirrus can utilize a rod in the axle hole as a jack pad. The DA42 has a similar axle hole that maybe could be used.
The big advantage of a jack pad on the landing gear is that you then can use any old available jack, you only have to raise the plane few inches and you don't risk puncturing the wing. Has anyone used a landing gear jack pad on a DA42?
Jack Pads
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- ultraturtle
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Re: Jack Pads
I've used the Bogert Tribal jack numerous times to jack the wheels so I can replace air in the tires with nitrogen. Easy to do on the mains, but you need to brace the nosewheel straight, or it will twist off of the jack as you raise it. Easier to just push the tail down and hold it with a strap and ~ 150 lbs of weights.
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Re: Jack Pads
These pads are designed to use devices like the Meyers jacks plus a tailstand. The jacks have an indentation that the pads fit into. I've been doing this for years on my DA40 without issue. It's all quite stable when used out of the wind in a hangar. The jacks are expensive and you can't be carrying them in the plane. But most shops have them. To do service on retractable aircraft at annual (and some other times) you need to take the plane completely off the gear to check proper operation or do certain repairs.
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- Davestation
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Re: Jack Pads
The wing pad is by far a safer option than the bogert jack, though I have used that as well many times in a pinch. The caveat is that unless you're lifting both sides together you'll have to go way way up and the plane will be sitting at a high angle because the gear is sprung - the bogert jack lifts from the bottom of the trailing link with a little cradle so it isn't an issue, just have to be careful it's going up straight and you're on a level surface.
My favorite option is that last one with a floor jack and a bolt - very stable, don't have to go up very high.
My favorite option is that last one with a floor jack and a bolt - very stable, don't have to go up very high.
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Re: Jack Pads
Like Rich, I've been jacking my airplane up by the lift points every year (and then some). No issues in 19+ years of doing it. I pad the lift points with some cotton towels to help reduce the paint scratching. I have a sturdy tail stand as well. Supported by the three points, I can walk anywhere on the airplane, even crawl into the tail cone or remove the prop and engine, and it stays stationary and stable.