How to fix retractable landing gear on RC plane
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- Who doesn't love retracts on their planes, but they will fail. This video show one of the many ways to fix the retracts on your RC plane.
***BTW, it was pointed out that the little trunnion part is called a FOLLOWER (thanks ModelAV8R)
Will what a helpful video. Such a easy fix and so many folks won't even try to fix them. I think that part is called the follower (I think if my memory serves...which it may not lol). I have got to replace the motor in one of my Avanti retracts tomorrow as a matter of fact. Always a great idea to keep anything left over from builds, crashes, etc. Really a great video idea and well done. You should post this on RCG on any thread where the plane has retracts! Or even start a thread titled "How to fix your retracts".
Adam, Appreciate the comments. Funny thing.. I call so many things Trunion.. (Trunnion). I knew it was probably called something else, but didn't know... Well, I hope people find it helpful on a quick way to fix that particular issue. I will post it on RCG too.. Great idea as I'm sure there are lots of people with this issue that typically just replace the retract.. Thanks, Will
Thank you for taking out the time to show this. Got a similar issue and I hope this fixes it.
Good luck, its not very difficult to fix.. If you can get the right parts.. - Will
Great info on this. Love your comment on “get a quality screwdriver “ ( 1:35) haha. I love my Klein mini screwdrivers.
Thanks for watching and commenting... I've owned a lot of crappy tools in my life... Working with all the small fasteners in this hobby... You gotta have a Quality screwdriver.... :-)
I appreciated this video, especially the explanation of how the drive portion resets itself. I recently found myself repairing servo internals. I have an A-10 nose gear servo that was a Spektrum A335 "metal gear" servo that was stripped. Turns out, it's not fully metal geared...it's a hybrid, partially metal. Turns out the gear that stripped inside was the same as one of the Flap plastic geared servos that malfunctioned on me. That servo had a different problem, so I swapped that portion of the gear set and voila...worked like a champ. I never thought I'd get that deep into a servo, but when you have spare parts...why not try.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Congrats on saving that servo. Its a proud moment when everything works the way it was planned....
Just had to do this today, thanks for the fantastic video and detailed description, worked perfectly!
Jason. I love to hear that. Always appreciate hearing how my videos helped others. Thanks.
I'm having this exact issue with my older discontinued T28. One gear only works about 20% of the time when I hit the switch. It also appears EVERY distributor of this retract that is located in the US is currently sold out.... Ugh. And to make matters worse, I started this hobby with Flite Test planes, so I don't have any crashed store bought planes yet... lol Guess I can try asking at my local club if anyone has one. Thanks for the video. I always try to repair before I replace. Watching someone do it before I dig in is always helpful.
Thanks for watching and I hope it helps. Sorry you can’t find some spare parts. You might try EBay. Good luck.
Thanks mate. Very useful. Just wonder if you ever got the A10 back up and running. They are really susceptible to ripping the landing gear out of the frame, if you're just slightly off with your landings and even take offs.
Thanks. Yep the A10 is flying great. Had it for a while and as you know the nose gear can be an issue. I’ve adjusted the flaps, elevator and CG to enable a good nose high, landing on mains. As long as the pilot does his job right. 😀
Thanks so much for this!
No sweat. Hope it helps. Thanks for commenting.. Will
Much easier if you remove the whole gear from the wing and work on a work bench/table with a parts dish handy!!
Yes, however you'll need to mess with disconnecting the cables and plugs, which also means removing that tape that covers the wires... But, to each his own....
Thanks for video. Just got my first retract model, was an itch I'd wish I hadn't had, stripped the bit you fixed on the first landing. Thought it was a break back safety thing but having seen your video I know it's not. I'm guessing it's the thread on the nut part not the screw? Shame you can't buy tiny helli coil to fit. I'm considering gluing it ridged rather than buying a new unit just for it to happen again. My retracts are sprung but you need a terrific force to compress them - in my mind the wrong direction - downwards instead of rearward, probably impossible?
Patrick, Retracts are awesome and a curse... I've repaired many over the years.. It helps when you have lots of retract parts from previous broken planes.. At first, like you and many others, I was apprehensive about opening up the case. But, understanding how they work made things very simple.. Its just a bit fiddly at working on and closing back up.. That follower nut thing is the item that strips on most retracts. Second is the circuit board with the micro switches.. I have a few retracts that I'm going to swap out circuit boards to repair.. Again, playing with this stuff dispels all the fears/myths... Good luck my friend... - Will
@SteffenRC Thanks for your reply. I'm a habitual take it to bits sort and already have, instead of straightening the leg I turned it 180' , so it now bends forward, ha ! Those ting grubs screws are the work of the devil, must be loctited in! I still have steerage, but that little threaded culprit is dead. I fear the only way forward is a block of wood glued to render it forever nonretractable. Transport will be indescribable. What's needed is for the wood piece to be manually hinged - for transport (similar to a retract hehe) but I'm not that clever
@@patrickhoyle8357 I wonder if you can thread a nuts before and behind the follower to lock it in place so the gear is always down (disconnect the power)? Or make a new follower with a wingnut and some creative dremel work...
Hello! Recently I’ve been searching for tutorials slash recommendations on how to install custom retracts on a model that dose not have any, more pacifically what motors to get and how to hook them up to the receiver and program them correctly, and this is somewhat the closest to it that I happened to find in your channel. I’m in no way experienced with custom rc, I’ve only just ordered my first kit, so I’m wondering if you know of any videos or are willing to do one yourself to save me from committing to belly landings 😅, thanks!
So, adding retracts to a plane that doesn't have them isn't hard, but there are a few structural issues you will run into. First, is how the retract will be attached to the plane. Lets say you have a belly lander P51 1.2m wingspan. I'd purchase the retracts from a similar sized P51 from one of the major manufacturers like Eflite, MotionRC or Arrows. Now, you have the right size retracts, the hard part is building the structure to attach the retracts to the wing. Landing gear take a lot of abuse and you must build some structure around the attachment point. I'd build a frame with 1/8" ply and some carbon fiber. The box needs to house (based on size of retract) the retract, but also distribute the load to a large portion of the wing. (else, it will just rip out on first landing). 4" strips of ply or cf imbedded in the foam around the retract housing should work. But there are lots of variable on the size and weight of the plane. Lets say, you built the structure to hold the retracts in place and cleanly removed material for the strut and wheels in the wing. Now you can connect the two retract to a "Y" cable and connect to a channel on your RX. Assign a switch to that channel and now you will have functioning retracts. That said, its an interesting topic for a video. I don't know of a channel out there that has done this, but I'm sure someone did it.. I may look at something like this in the future... Sorry I wasn't more helpful.. Will
@@SteffenRC you were very helpful! Again, I’m in no way an expert, so I’m willing to take any advice I can get! 😅 from my kit I’ve figured out the wiring and Im mostly sure the programming shouldn’t be hard for me, I just needed to know what retracts to purchase and the idea of buying replacement parts from a similar plane is a great idea, thanks!
@@deserting8710 What plane did you buy? I assumed its a foam kit, but if its balsa? Then the structural parts need to be a bit more planned out. I'm always happy to help.
@@SteffenRC Its a foam warbird! Particularly the f6f flite test one, I’m a younger flyer so I don’t have much cash (or experience of course) on hand to invest in balsa, it’s more or so a way to introduce myself into the electronic side of things as from here I would start 3D printing aircraft. The retract question was just me looking for information to use on a later build that may or may not be foam, though on that note, if I were to attempt an install on perhaps one of there larger kits (like the master series spitfire) there is a wooden spar located along the middle of the wing, I would think with some screws and added support It could bear the load of the landings, as the plane is generally light due to it being a foamie. Might be something I try in the future, thanks again for the advice, and being one of the more interactive creators on this platform!
@@deserting8710 oh how I loved building there swappable Spitfire. Great plane and you could design a retract for that for sure. Add the structure before folding the wings. I love the FT stuff. Enjoy
Great video, ya e a question, i tried to fix mine, but the jaxksxrew only turns one way, so gear only goes up, i put the circuit outside of case. Do tbsee any switches on iu. How does it know to go up or down.
There are small micro switches on that board facing the screw on either end. Often one of them will fail.. They are very fragile.. I've busted a few while trying to straighten a retract at the field..
If a retract collapses upon landing, can that be repaired with the same strength to support bouncy landings? In other words what happens on the inside of that retract to allow for a collapse of the strut?
I've had retracts collapse on a rough landing and continue to work for years... Maybe the internal micro switch released or something.. But, if the retract continues to not work correctly you'll need to replace that threaded metal trunnion part that rides on the screw drive. Or, replace the entire retract.
Hi Steffen. Great Video. Hey do you have any tips on replacing the 5mm music wire that is used in the landing gear to stop the rotation? I had one fall out and I'm not sure how to re-install it and secure it such that it doesn't fall out again. ( It loosened up after an unintentional grass landing due to over-flying a battery). Greatly appreciate any tips/thoughts!
Mark there should be grub screws on either side of that metal housing the 5mm rod slides into. Look in the holes on either side.
Let me know if that helped. If not I can take a picture for you.
@@SteffenRC Hi Steffen, I looked and could not see anywhere that a grub screw could be located. I have a picture (Its an Eflight F4U Corsair 1.2m) but can't paste it here on youtube comments.
Mark. Send me an email with the picture. Willsteffen@gmail.com
@@SteffenRC Hi. Just sent
Landing Gear, a collective noun as in fishing gear, sports gear etc.
Gears belong in a gearbox(transmission).
Hmm.. There are actual mechanical gears in the retractable landing gear...
how about the replacement on rotating retracts on Corsair or Hellcat, comes in two parts, how do you install it, looks like the pen is to be driven out then insert the strut and trunion need a how to
Harry, This isn't the first time I've been asked about this.. Let me see if I can make a video about this.. Luckily my retracts on my big FMS Corsair haven't failed yet.. But I'll see what I can do to help. - Will
The biggest issue with the Flightline Corsair is that even with a slight hard landing, the retract "collapses". The reason is the cam that rides on the worm screw pops out of the trunion. That's easy enough to put back in, but the worm screw bends and then won't rotate true, which causes the gear to shake as it's being lowered or raised.. You can try to bend it back the best you can. I wish there was a replacement worm screw to purchase. The retract case will also crack, but can be repaired with JB Weld.
Mine work but there are not aligned very well for some reason the hit the foam on the back side of the seat they are supposed to sit in. How can I fix this??
Sounds like they are slightly bent rearward. Maybe a little hard landing. Done that lots of times.. You can gentle try to bend forward. But you run the risk of ripping the retract out of the model. The other option is removing the retract and bend them straight. Worst case is remove and straighten or replace the metal strut that connects the scale landing gear and the retract. Hope this makes sense. Good luck, Will
I hate retractable landing gear especially electric ones.In the 1980s I had air operated retracts on my 60 size pattern ship.There heavy duty landing gear.But with today's foam planes I prefer hand launch belly landers
I get it.. They can be a pain. But they look so cool.. :-)