A friend of mine had a really unfortunate accident with his Cobra trailer; he lowered his gear while on the fuselage dolly and the valve was somehow released, lowering the dolly such that the fuselage was only supported by the main gear. The fuselage
overturned and the canopy had a hole punched thru it. He has ordered a new canopy, but this will take months. In the meantime, he is going to bond or glue the broken piece (fortunately it is just one piece) back into place so the glider is flyable. The
cost of replacing the canopy is TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

There is a very simple way of preventing this from happening. I put a wood block into the jack track that will only allow it to move a very small distance. I made the block out of a piece of 2x4 that measures 62 mm x 70 mm. This would be small enough to
leave it in the cockpit, but I keep it with my refueling gear.

Tom 2G

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On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 3:04:13 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:

A friend of mine had a really unfortunate accident with his Cobra trailer; he lowered his gear while on the fuselage dolly and the valve was somehow released, lowering the dolly such that the fuselage was only supported by the main gear. The fuselage

overturned and the canopy had a hole punched thru it. He has ordered a new canopy, but this will take months. In the meantime, he is going to bond or glue the broken piece (fortunately it is just one piece) back into place so the glider is flyable. The
cost of replacing the canopy is TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

There is a very simple way of preventing this from happening. I put a wood block into the jack track that will only allow it to move a very small distance. I made the block out of a piece of 2x4 that measures 62 mm x 70 mm. This would be small enough

to leave it in the cockpit, but I keep it with my refueling gear.

Tom 2G

Or don't lower the gear till the wings are on

Dan

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Or don't lower the gear till the wings are on

I have seen the results from a number of incidents where the gear was down without the wings installed. They all cost a lot to learn the simple lesson. I also have seen and heard of incidents where the wingless fuselage tipped over when a clueless owner
attempted to run the engine on his motorglider.

And I have repaired a number of Cobra fuselage ramp jacks that lost pressure from either leaky seals or actual seal failure, with a rapid collapse. Unfortunately, virtually all hydraulic bottle jacks are made in China these days, and the seals they use
are substandard. There used to be a small company in Albuquerque that would disassemble, clean and replace the seals with Viton seals, and fill with a quality hydraulic oil, as opposed to the questionable fluid that comes with the jack. Unfortunately,
the company closed a few years ago. But I never heard of or experienced any problem with any of the jacks they rebuilt.

Leave the gear up and use a safety block, as suggested.

Oh, one other thing- the fuselage can rotate in the cradle if you wax the belly of the plane. This can be eliminated by putting a 10-inch-wide strip of the shelf/toolbox liner in the bottom of the cradle.

https://www.amazon.com/HOME-GENIE-Original-Adhesive-Cabinets/dp/B0898XD59S/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3SO8JYY4BO3NE&keywords=shelf+liner+non+slip&qid=1691622068&sprefix=shelt+liner%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-6

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On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 3:42:34 PM UTC-4, Dan Goldman wrote:

On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 3:04:13 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:

A friend of mine had a really unfortunate accident with his Cobra trailer; he lowered his gear while on the fuselage dolly and the valve was somehow released, lowering the dolly such that the fuselage was only supported by the main gear. The fuselage

overturned and the canopy had a hole punched thru it. He has ordered a new canopy, but this will take months. In the meantime, he is going to bond or glue the broken piece (fortunately it is just one piece) back into place so the glider is flyable. The
cost of replacing the canopy is TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

There is a very simple way of preventing this from happening. I put a wood block into the jack track that will only allow it to move a very small distance. I made the block out of a piece of 2x4 that measures 62 mm x 70 mm. This would be small enough

to leave it in the cockpit, but I keep it with my refueling gear.

Tom 2G

Or don't lower the gear till the wings are on

Dan

Agreed. It also helps to have metal arms that pivot off the dolly and capture the lift pin. We drill a small hole near the end of the pin to allow a " hair clip" pin through to hold the arm. Straps don't do the same thing.

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On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 12:42:34 PM UTC-7, Dan Goldman wrote:

On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 3:04:13 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:

A friend of mine had a really unfortunate accident with his Cobra trailer; he lowered his gear while on the fuselage dolly and the valve was somehow released, lowering the dolly such that the fuselage was only supported by the main gear. The fuselage

overturned and the canopy had a hole punched thru it. He has ordered a new canopy, but this will take months. In the meantime, he is going to bond or glue the broken piece (fortunately it is just one piece) back into place so the glider is flyable. The
cost of replacing the canopy is TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

There is a very simple way of preventing this from happening. I put a wood block into the jack track that will only allow it to move a very small distance. I made the block out of a piece of 2x4 that measures 62 mm x 70 mm. This would be small enough

to leave it in the cockpit, but I keep it with my refueling gear.

Tom 2G

Or don't lower the gear till the wings are on

Dan

Dan, I hope that you NEVER have to service the wheel or brakes on your glider, especially in your driveway.

Tom 2G

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On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 11:46:47 PM UTC-6, 2G wrote:

On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 12:42:34 PM UTC-7, Dan Goldman wrote:

On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 3:04:13 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:

A friend of mine had a really unfortunate accident with his Cobra trailer; he lowered his gear while on the fuselage dolly and the valve was somehow released, lowering the dolly such that the fuselage was only supported by the main gear. The

fuselage overturned and the canopy had a hole punched thru it. He has ordered a new canopy, but this will take months. In the meantime, he is going to bond or glue the broken piece (fortunately it is just one piece) back into place so the glider is
flyable. The cost of replacing the canopy is TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

There is a very simple way of preventing this from happening. I put a wood block into the jack track that will only allow it to move a very small distance. I made the block out of a piece of 2x4 that measures 62 mm x 70 mm. This would be small

enough to leave it in the cockpit, but I keep it with my refueling gear.

Tom 2G

Or don't lower the gear till the wings are on

Dan

Dan, I hope that you NEVER have to service the wheel or brakes on your glider, especially in your driveway.

Tom 2G

Here is a blog post on the topic. https://wingsandwheels.com/blog/post/beached-whale

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On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 7:46:43 AM UTC-7, Darren Braun wrote:

Unfortunately, virtually all hydraulic bottle jacks are made in China these days

Cobra adds that armature on the very delicate jack valve screw which does 2 things. One can easily over-torque the screw by hand and in some cases can interfere with either the ground or the jack pumping handle..both compromise the threads and seal.

Terrible design. You have to get rid of the arms and either leave it as a nut or some have fashioned a knurled end that allows you to go only thumb tight. The low profile is less likely to get in the way of anything also. Then it will last.
In the mid-90's, the bottle jacks supplied with Cobra trailers for ASH26Es often had problems from poor quality jack oil (it looked like used oil in some jacks). Replacing the oil as soon you received the glider seemed to avoid most problems.

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On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 12:42:34 PM UTC-7, Dan Goldman wrote:

On Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 3:04:13 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:

A friend of mine had a really unfortunate accident with his Cobra trailer; he lowered his gear while on the fuselage dolly and the valve was somehow released, lowering the dolly such that the fuselage was only supported by the main gear. The fuselage

overturned and the canopy had a hole punched thru it. He has ordered a new canopy, but this will take months. In the meantime, he is going to bond or glue the broken piece (fortunately it is just one piece) back into place so the glider is flyable. The
cost of replacing the canopy is TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

There is a very simple way of preventing this from happening. I put a wood block into the jack track that will only allow it to move a very small distance. I made the block out of a piece of 2x4 that measures 62 mm x 70 mm. This would be small enough

to leave it in the cockpit, but I keep it with my refueling gear.

Tom 2G

Or don't lower the gear till the wings are on

Dan

That's the method I use. For the rare times when I need to work on the landing gear, I block the ramp with two jack stands, or use a wooden block as Tom does.

My 28 year old Cobra trailer for my ASH26E came with metal arms like UH recommends, and they work very well. I out a 1" slot in the end of the arms that connect to the dolly, so there is some back and forth adjustment range. I put marks on the fuselage
and dolly, so the dolly always can be put in the exact place needed.

The inside of the dolly (where the fuselage sits) had carpet, except for a 10" strip of neoprene at the bottom. This strip provided so much friction, it wasn't possible for me to intentionally rotate the fuselage in the dolly without help (the fuselage
weighs 500 pounds). Eventually, I covered part of the neoprene with fabric, so I could rotate the fuselage small amounts to get the fin vertical in the trailer. It is still difficult.

It is possible to run the engine of a motorglider with the fuselage sitting on the end trailer ramp, but it must be done carefully. Here are the basics for my ASH26E (not a complete description of what I do): I pull the fuselage out to the end of the
ramp, lower the ramp completely, tie the tail to a large stake solidly sunk in the ground, put an 8' board through the root (an additional, smaller board fills the gap at the root) that is supported by sawhorses on the ends, and close the trailer top.

The above keeps the glider safe, but the propeller is still a potential hazard to the owner and onlookers. The owner's safety is increased by sitting in the glider to run the engine; I make sure no one is nearby.

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Unfortunately, virtually all hydraulic bottle jacks are made in China these days

Cobra adds that armature on the very delicate jack valve screw which does 2 things. One can easily over-torque the screw by hand and in some cases can interfere with either the ground or the jack pumping handle..both compromise the threads and seal.
Terrible design. You have to get rid of the arms and either leave it as a nut or some have fashioned a knurled end that allows you to go only thumb tight. The low profile is less likely to get in the way of anything also. Then it will last.

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My first Cobra trailer came with a hydraulic jack. 'Had the same problem with leaking seals, etc. Managed to find a local guy who fixed the problem with new seals. 'Ordered my current glider's trailer with a scissors jack. Never regretted that
decision. A little more work to lower the cradle but absolutely trouble free.

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On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 8:46:41 AM UTC-7, Scott Manley wrote:

My first Cobra trailer came with a hydraulic jack. 'Had the same problem with leaking seals, etc. Managed to find a local guy who fixed the problem with new seals. 'Ordered my current glider's trailer with a scissors jack. Never regretted that decision.

A little more work to lower the cradle but absolutely trouble free.
Back in the mid-80s a friend had just waxed his fuselage and it was sitting in the dolly with the canopy open. A wind gust rotated the fuselage in the dolly and broke the canopy. I don't wax the part of the fuselage that sits in the dolly for this
reason.

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On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 10:12:12 AM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:

On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 8:46:41 AM UTC-7, Scott Manley wrote:

My first Cobra trailer came with a hydraulic jack. 'Had the same problem with leaking seals, etc. Managed to find a local guy who fixed the problem with new seals. 'Ordered my current glider's trailer with a scissors jack. Never regretted that

decision. A little more work to lower the cradle but absolutely trouble free.

Back in the mid-80s a friend had just waxed his fuselage and it was sitting in the dolly with the canopy open. A wind gust rotated the fuselage in the dolly and broke the canopy. I don't wax the part of the fuselage that sits in the dolly for this

reason.

The dolly bars that attach to the lift pins should never be disconnected until right before inserting the wing. This will prevent this type of wind gust rollover.

Again, it is very easy to make a wood block that you will ALWAYS have with the glider when you need it. I have also dug through my tool box to find something of a similar size when working on a friend's glider (a set of screwdriver bits was close enough
in size).

Tom 2G

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On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 8:46:41 AM UTC-7, Scott Manley wrote:

My first Cobra trailer came with a hydraulic jack. 'Had the same problem with leaking seals, etc. Managed to find a local guy who fixed the problem with new seals. 'Ordered my current glider's trailer with a scissors jack. Never regretted that decision.

A little more work to lower the cradle but absolutely trouble free.
How much does your glider weigh when fully assembled? Mine weighs about 850 pounds, so i wonder how much work is required to raise it high enough to lower the rather tall gear.

I've heard of pilots using a battery operated drill to operate the ramp jack and the corner "steady" jacks. Faster and easier than manual operation, I'm told. Another option 2G used for years on his DG400 is12 V electric scissor jacks.

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On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 5:57:26 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:

On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 1:18:25 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:

On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 8:46:41 AM UTC-7, Scott Manley wrote:

My first Cobra trailer came with a hydraulic jack. 'Had the same problem with leaking seals, etc. Managed to find a local guy who fixed the problem with new seals. 'Ordered my current glider's trailer with a scissors jack. Never regretted that

decision. A little more work to lower the cradle but absolutely trouble free.

How much does your glider weigh when fully assembled? Mine weighs about 850 pounds, so i wonder how much work is required to raise it high enough to lower the rather tall gear.

I've heard of pilots using a battery operated drill to operate the ramp jack and the corner "steady" jacks. Faster and easier than manual operation, I'm told. Another option 2G used for years on his DG400 is12 V electric scissor jacks.

I used a pair of them and had a tilt control by running them in opposite directions. It worked great after I ditched the original controls (they couldn't handle the current of two motors).

I have also had scissor jacks fail: the nut completely stripped out. Again, I used two which were linked together, so they should have been able to handle the weight. These things, however, are designed for just very occasional use.

Tom 2G

I should add that the tilting option is unique and is very handy for rigging. The correct dihedral alignment is accomplished by raising or lowering the fuselage and tilting it. This accommodates a wide range of wingtip elevations w/o leaving the fuselage
to adjust a wing rigger. I would like to have that ability now, but Cobra doesn't offer it.

Tom 2G

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On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 1:18:25 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:

On Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 8:46:41 AM UTC-7, Scott Manley wrote:

My first Cobra trailer came with a hydraulic jack. 'Had the same problem with leaking seals, etc. Managed to find a local guy who fixed the problem with new seals. 'Ordered my current glider's trailer with a scissors jack. Never regretted that

decision. A little more work to lower the cradle but absolutely trouble free.

How much does your glider weigh when fully assembled? Mine weighs about 850 pounds, so i wonder how much work is required to raise it high enough to lower the rather tall gear.

I've heard of pilots using a battery operated drill to operate the ramp jack and the corner "steady" jacks. Faster and easier than manual operation, I'm told. Another option 2G used for years on his DG400 is12 V electric scissor jacks.

I used a pair of them and had a tilt control by running them in opposite directions. It worked great after I ditched the original controls (they couldn't handle the current of two motors).

I have also had scissor jacks fail: the nut completely stripped out. Again, I used two which were linked together, so they should have been able to handle the weight. These things, however, are designed for just very occasional use.

Tom 2G

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