Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

[tabranch]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

Tom, I know that 4130 is a stronger material. But stronger is not always better, it is just stronger. In some cases making something stronger just creates a problem somewhere else.
Are you replacing the struts on your airplane? Did they fail the inspection, or is it just to get rid of the inspection? If your struts did fail the inspection I would guess it was stored in some kind of adverse conditions. If maintained correctly your original struts should have lasted your airplane for life.
Tom

Tom,
Replacing the struts to avoid the recurring inspection. I believe my struts would last forever. However the front struts do not have a drain hole, so some doubt exists. Both front and rear struts are 4130 and the front struts are the larger ones as are now now in production.

[3Dreaming]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

Well Tom to reply by item:
1. Perhaps you didn't notice that I have an F model. They are much newer and heavier planes. I hope mine will last 70 more years!
2. I really believe that the 4130 would have held up much better.
3. The design change is probably the more important. But I will have both the design change and the 4130 for a little extra money and a much stronger strut.
4. The factory struts are stronger due in part to a larger cross section and are made of 4130 which has several properties that are better than 1025.

ps I am pro factory as I hope that they are able to stay in business to provide me with parts for the life of my plane.

Tom, I know that 4130 is a stronger material. But stronger is not always better, it is just stronger. In some cases making something stronger just creates a problem somewhere else.
Are you replacing the struts on your airplane? Did they fail the inspection, or is it just to get rid of the inspection? If your struts did fail the inspection I would guess it was stored in some kind of adverse conditions. If maintained correctly your original struts should have lasted your airplane for life.
Tom

[VictorBravo]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

Perhaps one of the engineers with knowledge in this area can chime in and say whether 4130 is more corrosion resistant than 1025.

Cross sectional area is a two way street. You can put solid (not tubular) struts on and create a stronger, longer lasting product. However you get a big increase in weight. If you want to use up a bunch of useful load on heavy struts because you have 118 or more horsepower, then you can... but what about the guys with 65 horsepower where the weight is more a factor?

I wonder if anyone at the "factory" has done aerodynamic testing on the larger cross section struts to see if they have any negative effects on spin recovery. Minor contour changes in engine cowlings, tail surfaces, etc. have created some surprising and serious changes in spin behavior in more than one airplane. If I wanted to design my own struts out of material with a thicker X-section, what do you think the "factory" would say? Maybe I should "drop a dime" on Harry like he did to us...

[tabranch]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

Well Tom to reply by item:
1. Perhaps you didn't notice that I have an F model. They are much newer and heavier planes. I hope mine will last 70 more years!
2. I really believe that the 4130 would have held up much better.
3. The design change is probably the more important. But I will have both the design change and the 4130 for a little extra money and a much stronger strut.
4. The factory struts are stronger due in part to a larger cross section and are made of 4130 which has several properties that are better than 1025.

ps I am pro factory as I hope that they are able to stay in business to provide me with parts for the life of my plane.

[3Dreaming]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

Dan,

I too talked to the factory today and while I also am a bit dissapointed in the further delay, I would rather have struts of 4130 that will trully last the lifetime of my plane. I will patiently wait for the factory's better struts.

Tom, I've read many pro factory post from you over a period of time, but this one takes the cake. I've never said anything negative about the factory. I've never had any bad dealings with the factory, but your statement just rubs me wrong.
1. Some of these airplanes are almost 70 years old. What do you consider the life of the airplane to be?
2. Most of the struts being tested are checking out OK, and would most likely will last the airplane for life. Of the ones that test bad do you think they would have tested OK if they had been made of 4130?
3. Which do you think will more likely make the struts last the life of the airplane the design change, or the materials change?
4. What really makes you think the factory struts will be better than the other FAA approved struts?
Tom Baker Jr.

[tabranch]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

Dan,

I too talked to the factory today and while I also am a bit dissapointed in the further delay, I would rather have struts of 4130 that will trully last the lifetime of my plane. I will patiently wait for the factory's better struts.

[DanBrown]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

I called the factory today -- they have still another delay in shipping. So I canceled with them and ordered from Airframes. They quoted a 2 to 3 week delivery and considerably less expense..

[matsuthunder200]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

http://www.supercubs.com/fab_manufacturing.html Is Airframes web site

[Carl E. Carson]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

I received a call from Airframes, Inc, in Alaska on Thursday evening. They said they have received the PMA and will start shipping next Friday. The cost is $1800, plus crating and shipping. The total cost to ship to Iowa is $2025.

Carl Carson

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

It is now 8 weeks since I ordered my struts from the factory. On Wednesday this week I called and Harry said they would ship that evening and call me with a tracking number. No call.. On Thursday, I called again and got the same story. This afternoon (Friday) I tried to call the factory and got no answer. Next week I leave for a vacation. I'm getting very frustrated with the runaround.

At this point, If Univair or Airframes had the paperwork for BC-65 struts, I'd cancel at the factory and order from them.

Dan,

If I were in your shoes I think I would so this assuming you have sent no $ to the factory.

1) verify that the bc-65 is on the same TCDS as the bc12d
2) get a copy of the strut(s) drawing from Forrest/TF
3) get Univair to allow you to compare your drawing to the drawiing you got in #2 above
4) do a feild approval/AMOC with Andy McAnual and your IA/FSDO by showing that the parts are identical

Dave

[flyguy]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

I rather wonder if there might be some government oversight committee who would be interested in the history of the development of this A.D. directly from a document written by a company that is set up to and expecting to make considerable profit from the implementation of said A.D.
Am I correct that there is no recorded instance of an inflight failure of a Taylorcraft strut? That is pretty good ammo for any committee.

Furthermore I am fairly certain that I can find a lawyer who would be interested in a class action suit against you know who over the above behavior.

It has started to irritate me more as I think that we are talking so much about "working it out" so they can only take part of our money for a non-existant problem, and that we should be content with it. For 1800 bucks I can buy a heck of a lot of other goodies for my plane that I would actually use and enjoy. Some of those goodies would make it safer in reality, not just on paper.

Darryl

[VictorBravo]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

I apologize in advance to anyone within the FAA who is working on the GOOD side of this issue. But by backing the factory on a bogus AD, and by helping the factory frighten the owners into spending money on something they might not have had to spend money on, The FAA may have just stepped outside the normal legal protection that a federal agency would otherwise have. I can easily see the FAA involved as a co-defendant in a lawsuit using the words collusion, undue influence, perpetuating and assisting in the commission of fraud by a private company, etc. etc.

When the "factory" goes tango uniform once again, the only deep pocket left standing on the playing field will be the FAA. Considering how so many of the FAA's mis-steps and mistakes have been due to their living in fear of lawsuits, I find this ironic as all hell.

[N74DV]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

I got a call from Airframes Inc. yesterday asking if I was ready to order. She said they were getting the FAA paperwork within a day or two.

I would NEVER order from Harry after hearing all the stories I have heard.

[DanBrown]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

I ordered mine on 8/17. At that time, the factory quoted shipping in 3 to 4 weeks. I called last week and was told 1 to 2 weeks more -- so expecting a call soon. I needed a BFR so checked out in a new Sport Cruiser -- very nice ship, but I want my T-Cart back.:tdown: I'll let y'all know when they ship and arrive.

It is now 8 weeks since I ordered my struts from the factory. On Wednesday this week I called and Harry said they would ship that evening and call me with a tracking number. No call.. On Thursday, I called again and got the same story. This afternoon (Friday) I tried to call the factory and got no answer. Next week I leave for a vacation. I'm getting very frustrated with the runaround.

At this point, If Univair or Airframes had the paperwork for BC-65 struts, I'd cancel at the factory and order from them.

[Carl E. Carson]

Re: Anyone received their new factory struts yet?

I just received an email from Levi Ward at Airframes, Inc., just north of Anchorage. He said they were told they would recieve their PMA this week and they are now building struts. They will begin shipping when the FAA paperwork arrives, $1800 per set is what I was quoted plus shipping.

I am ordering from them and I (and they) are willing to batch orders shipped to one location. I live in Iowa and would be interested and willing to have them shipped to my IA at the Iowa City Airport or a central location that might be better. Anyone interested?

Contact me at:

[email protected]
or
319-560-4944