Posted for "Scott & Paula" <spdahlgren@attbi.com>:

The posts on the nose gear have been great. I thought I would throw in my
highly eclectic thoughts on this modification:

-What grade of aluminum is the factory unit made out of? 6061-T6? 2024-t4?
If I was to make or modify this design I would want to use a material at
least as good. How about some 17-4 ph high strength stainless? It has given
us great fatigue life and corrosion resistance on down-hole drills at work.
Of course a stiffer material would add stiffness and more damage under
impact than aluminum.....

-If you place a rod end on the front arm of the linkage, wouldn't it likely
be weaker and prone to fatigue at the root of the thread where it joins the
linkage? It might be better to keep the geometry closer to the factory unit
and make a new part with a larger nose for a pressed in bearing (if it would
fit inside the gear-tab..). That could perhaps give us the best of both
worlds.

-On my unit I removed a little bit of material from both sides and put thin
washers to keep the unit from gouging the sides of the linkage. This in
conjunction with a bushing might be a "quick and dirty" bearing, though I
would want to make sure not to remove too much material for a bushing and
weaken the unit.

-Seems like any of these and other ideas could turn into an expensive
experiment (prop?). It has been my experience at with most mechanical
devices I have designed at work that FEA is invaluable in cases with
significant geometry change. Running several iterations often taught me why
the factory "used that crazy design"! Perhaps if we as a group can come up
with a few good ideas in 3D CAD format that look good, I know someone who
would likely run a gratis preliminary FEA as long as it's not to extensive.

Scott