OneX, landing gear axle fit

[Tnhelm]

Wondering what other OneX builders have done to get the axles fitted to the landing gear legs. I believe the plans call for a .74 ream to prepare the landing gear leg holes for the precooled axles. I don't have a .74 ream, they are rare, and cost for one is pricey. I measured the pre existing landing gear hole with a caliper and find the hole it is slightly under .74, maybe .736. Thinking the hole is already furnished with the proper size hole I fit checked the precooled axle and it won't even allow the threaded end of the axle to enter the hole. So it appears the holes need to be reamed to get closer to the axle size. A suggestion was to use a hydraulic press to fit the axles. That alone worries me about damaging the threads on the axle. Another suggestion was to slightly heat (say 100 degrees) the landing gear leg around the axle area. I haven't tried that as yet.
I'm sure I can have the axles pressed in locally and maybe I can find someone with a .74 ream, if needed.

So any suggestions on what others have done will be appreciated.

TNHELM
OneX #137

[tljones42]

Might be a different batch of landing gear from mine but my axles/bolts went in after a night in the freezer with only minor pounding. Don't recall any thread interference.

Tom Jones
Onex #0133

[13brv3]

I ordered a reamer, then found out the holes appeared to be correct already, so I sent the reamer back. I froze the axles, and heated the gear leg area with a heat gun, then hammered the axles in place. I recall the threads touching the hole, but not being damaged.

Rusty

[Onex107]

Don't ream that hole. It took two tries to get the first axle in. I heated the gear and froze the axle and as soon as the cold axle touched the hole, it cooled it and the hole contracted and the axle was not seated in the pocket on the back side.
The second time, after getting the axle back out of the gear leg, I heated the gear leg by sitting the gear upside down on the bench and sat my propane torch so the flame was just below the hole. When the gear leg is hot enough, the axle will slide right in. Don't freeze the axle. A few degrees increase in the aluminum makes up for the shrinkage in the frozen axle. Aluminum expands/shrinks four times as much, per degree, per inch, as steel. As the gear leg gets hot you can insert the axle by hand all the way. Then let it cool.

[Tnhelm]

Thanks for all the tips. I now feel more confident in proceeding.

tnhelm
OneX 137

[slyoho]

This reply is probably too late but I thought I would tell you how I installed my axles.
I inserted the axle loosely into the bore on the landing gear and stacked several washers
under the nut then tightened the nut down onto the threads which pulled the axle through
the bore until the hex end was seated properly. Very easy!

Steve Yoho
Onex 0104

[gcm52]

The washer and nut method (above) is how they demo it on the Hombuilt Help Onex construction video and it appears to work well. I haven't got that far in the process yet but that is the method I plan to use.

As a side issue, I always wondered what heating and cooling aluminum does, if anything, to its strength...

[tljones42]

I just put the bolts in the freezer over night. They went in pretty easily.

[dhogue]

Thanks everyone for the question and answers here for how to install the axle bolts into the Onex landing Gear.

Don

[gcm52]

The washer and nut tip is just one of many golden nuggets in the Onex homebuilt help video. The video is worth it's weight in bitcoin and I am not connected to homebuilt help in any way, just a very happy customer.