Wanted: 600-6 Wheel/s PN 40-28D

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Hanrahan

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2023
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6
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I've been in the process of overhauling my new-to-me 72 KCAB for the past 6 months. The paint on the wheels was in bad shape so I stripped them and cleaned them up. They turned out really nice, maybe too nice. The A&P I'm working with said the inside wheel bearing housing is pitted and he won't accept them. Can the pitting be ground out and backfilled with tig aluminum weld - overhauled? Of course the wheels are cast and it may be difficult to tig weld this. Has anyone done it? If not, I'm in the market for a good set of PN 40-28D wheels. One would be great but a set would be awesome! Thanks
 

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If you mean the bearing race, they are replaceable.

I am always surprised at how panicked folks get with wheel bearings on light aircraft. I have never heard of a failure.

However, the front wheel bearings on my old Mustang convertibles have 200,000 miles on them, are roughly the same size as the Clevelands, and get repacked at ten to 15-year intervals. They can and do overheat if not properly lubed, and failure includes a burned spindle. A five minute taxi at 10 mph and a takeoff at 70 cannot generate enough heat to do serious damage.

Even if it could, which would you rather - a failure on a runway, or a failure on the freeway?
 
Hanrahan said:
I've been in the process of overhauling my new-to-me 72 KCAB for the past 6 months. The paint on the wheels was in bad shape so I stripped them and cleaned them up. They turned out really nice, maybe too nice. The A&P I'm working with said the inside wheel bearing housing is pitted and he won't accept them. Can the pitting be ground out and backfilled with tig aluminum weld - overhauled? Of course the wheels are cast and it may be difficult to tig weld this. Has anyone done it? If not, I'm in the market for a good set of PN 40-28D wheels. One would be great but a set would be awesome! Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi @Hanrahan and welcome to the site. like Bob said, there are steel inserts in the wheels that the bearings ride against, they are called "races"but I"m guessing you already know that if your IA has already rejected the wheels. Are you referring to the races or to the seats that the races press into?

The factory has approvals for Grove wheels but you have to buy them from ACA, Grove can't sell them to you. THey might be a more cost effective solution than used Clevelands
 
Bob Turner said:
If you mean the bearing race, they are replaceable.

I am always surprised at how panicked folks get with wheel bearings on light aircraft. I have never heard of a failure.

However, the front wheel bearings on my old Mustang convertibles have 200,000 miles on them, are roughly the same size as the Clevelands, and get repacked at ten to 15-year intervals. They can and do overheat if not properly lubed, and failure includes a burned spindle. A five minute taxi at 10 mph and a takeoff at 70 cannot generate enough heat to do serious damage.

Even if it could, which would you rather - a failure on a runway, or a failure on the freeway?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply Bob. The races and bearings are not the problem. The inner half "seat" has the pitting and some flaking. I have an email into ACA inquiring about the Grove wheels.
 
Bartman said:
Hi @Hanrahan and welcome to the site. like Bob said, there are steel inserts in the wheels that the bearings ride against, they are called "races"but I"m guessing you already know that if your IA has already rejected the wheels. Are you referring to the races or to the seats that the races press into?

The factory has approvals for Grove wheels but you have to buy them from ACA, Grove can't sell them to you. THey might be a more cost effective solution than used Clevelands
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply Bartman. The "seat" is where the issue is. Some pitting and flaking on the surface, not where the race actually presses in. I have an email into ACA regarding the Grove replacements.
 
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