Aircraft floor dolley

[Old Koreelah]

Has anyone seen a good, simple dolley design we can use for moving light aircraft sideways in our hangar?

 

 

[spacesailor]

Depending on size/weight, "Skateboard" Of old type, might need a thicker top.

 

BUT

 

Another, Caster wheels on a ply plank, like a mechanics "creeper"

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Yes Spacey, these would work, but I want something taylored for the job.

 

I found some dolleys meant for cars at Supercheap, but I'm trying to design a simple trolley which slips around the aircraft wheel and then uses leverage to lift it. I have a couple of simple designs but I'm sure someone has invented a better one already.

 

 

[BusaKaine]

Like the “go jacks” or “quick jacks” that the tow trucks use.

 

[/url]http://www.racerindustries.com.au/afawcs0161689/CATID=345/Go-Jacks.html

 

 

[440032]

Go-jacks are exactly what you need on the mains, yes. Bunnings Aerospace also sells a range of wheeled boards which might do for a tailwheel.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Yep, getting closer. Our little planes probably don't need the hydraulics

 

 

[408059]

Two thoughts OK

 

1) I currently use a $12 dolly from Bunnings strapped to the front of the fuselage. There is no weight on the nose because it is a pusher aircraft. It enables easy maneuverability by me and the other owners when aircraft are moved around the hangar. I upgraded the wheels when I started to wheel the aircraft in and out of the hangar.

 

2) Going back to my glider days, hangar rash was a weekend occurrence. We devised a system of rails to overcome it. Each glider was assigned a rail (overturned and pinned angle iron) for the main wheel. The tail wheel was on a dolly. The rails ran outside the hangar. On the rails was a trolley made from caster wheels. In the trolley sat the main wheel of the glider. The trolley was accessed by a ramp made of compressed dirt or concrete or wood outside. The aircraft was pushed/pulled up/down the small ramp onto/from the trolley. There were two rails for every door of the hangar fitting two gliders. The system completely eliminated hangar rash and sped up the process of putting aircraft away of an evening when everyone tired and wanted to get away.

 

Cheers

 

 

[turboplanner]

Has anyone seen a good, simple dolley design we can use for moving light aircraft sideways in our hangar?

RHS rectangle with a couple of small chequerplate wedges to roll the airctaft on.

 

Fixed pneumatic wheels or castors - Bunnings have a big range of designs. Tamworth looks the closest to you.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Yes Turbs, that would work, but like most designs requires the aircraft to be rolled into the dolley. Our hangar is so small that there's little spare room for that. I have come up with a couple of designs that "scoop up" the wheel, but feel sure that something like this has already been invented.

 

I bought quite a collection of wheels from Tamworth Bunnings and used several as tail wheels.

 

 

[IHC150]

Here's one I made myself recently with built in pivoting ramps and chocks to stop the aircraft rolling off. Works well, but might not suit your situation if you don't have much space to roll the aircraft on. The tail wheel sits on a prefab movers trolley with castors bought for about $20 from Bunnings. I just cut a slot in the craftwood base of the trolley for the tail wheel to sit in.

 

 

 

[KRviator]

I found this one a good idea. I have a 10m wide door and was wondering how to fit a Mooney or Bonanza in there. Though I've decided to simply sell that hangar at Temora, and buy another block and build a much bigger one... Another option would be the Aero Aircraft Dolly's for each wheel individually.

 

 

 

[Blueadventures]

 

This is an image I saw a while back; may give an idea as you mount onto it outside and then push in. The large wheel will make pushing over grass etc easier. Cheers

 

 

[turboplanner]

Two pieces of pipe, or a v shape piece of chequer plate welded on to a length of MS Flat, orientated in the same way will slide under a stationary aircraft.

 

You then include a jacking leverage in the frame which welds on to the MS Flat.

 

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Two pieces of pipe, or a v shape piece of chequer plate welded on to a length of MS Flat, orientated in the same way will slide under a stationary aircraft.

 

You then include a jacking leverage in the frame which welds on to the MS Flat.

You're on the right track, Turbs. My designs have a lever pulling the two tubes closer together to lift the aircraft wheel. Still have to firm up the orientation of the lever and its size. One design has a long handle that lifts up to elevate the aircraft wheel and position the pulling handle high enough to comfortably manoeuvre the plane.

 

I like the tracks idea of 408059 because I've already had to spend up large replacing a Savanna's wingtip strobe that I broke.

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

At Gawler, most hangars for gliders use tracks, they are made of 1" angle with the vee upwards. A trolley with a low and tipping ramp is used, so you pull the glider up the ramp until it tips and locks in. Then you go to a wingtip and push the glider in sideways. Steel wheels on steel tracks give very little rolling resistance.

 

A power plane would need 2 trolleys for the mains and something for the nose or tail wheel. It would also need some way of helping the mains up the ramps. Recently, I put a Dimona ( heavy tail dragger motor glider ) in my hangar using this method and needed a car to pull it up onto the trolleys. This is not a recommended for normal operations.

 

 

[turboplanner]

At Gawler, most hangars for gliders use tracks, they are made of 1" angle with the vee upwards. A trolley with a low and tipping ramp is used, so you pull the glider up the ramp until it tips and locks in. Then you go to a wingtip and push the glider in sideways. Steel wheels on steel tracks give very little rolling resistance.

 

A power plane would need 2 trolleys for the mains and something for the nose or tail wheel. It would also need some way of helping the mains up the ramps. Recently, I put a Dimona ( heavy tail dragger motor glider ) in my hangar using this method and needed a car to pull it up onto the trolleys. This is not a recommended for normal operations.

I agree with OK that in tight spaces, pulling is not a good thing, my daughter recently proved this by pushing a camper trailer through a wall.

 

Lifting is better.

 

You could make the one cradle do both the mains and nosewheel.

 

I haven't got time to do any more on it, but a model made out of cardboard and pins is often a good way to get the scissor effect or cam effect that you need.

 

Levers are fine.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

As I firm up the design of my lift lever, I need to know the max weight a trolley is likely to be asked to lift.

 

If a C-172 was moved (sideways) into our hangar, what is the load on each main wheel? Hopefully my lever system can cope with it, because I don't want the expense of hydraulics...

 

 

[facthunter]

Say 150 lbs on the nosewheel and the balance of Basic plus fuel equally on each main.. Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

As I firm up the design of my lift lever, I need to know the max weight a trolley is likely to be asked to lift.

 

If a C-172 was moved (sideways) into our hangar, what is the load on each main wheel? Hopefully my lever system can cope with it, because I don't want the expense of hydraulics...

The POH for a C172 should show the Weight and Balance envelope. From this and with a tape to measure the nosewheel and Mains centrelines you can calculate the weight on each using moment equations.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Thanks Turbs. No C-172s around here. Does anyone know those numbers?

 

 

[Jaba-who]

OK

 

I’ve got a complex set that were made for me by an old engineer mate. I supplied the bits and a carton of beer and he built this fantastic set. Sorry haven’t got pics with me and the planes an hours drive away.

 

I used them all the time when I shared a hangar with a EC120 helicopter. The Jabiru lived in one half of the hangar pushed in sideways from the apron.

 

Probably way more than you want but I’ll tell you about them.

 

Consists of two crab like devices for main wheels and just use a four castor wheeled simple metal dolly for the front wheel.

 

The main wheel dollies were converted from car workshop versions bought from a local auto parts place but were then modified so they would fit under and not damage the spats.

 

Consists basically of a horizontal frame holding a fixed roller and a movable roller. The movable one is moved closer to the fixed one by pumping a pedal of a hydraulic pump. You open them wide - roll it in place front and back of tyre, close the valve and pump away. The rollers come together and plane lifts off the ground about 50 mm.

 

Repeat it on the other side.

 

Put the front dolly in front of wheel. Lift the nose by the prop and push the dolly under by foot.

 

All the wheels castor so it can be pushed in any direction.

 

I can get some pics next week end if you are interested.

 

 

[planedriver]

Anyone wishing to fabricate their own dolley, may find The Richmond Wheel and Caster catalogue useful. They carry a huge range and have outlets in most States.

 

Castors - Richmond Wheel & Castor Co