jury strut clamp slips

[WISDAN]

Has anyone used any type of gripping tape or other methods to keep the jury strut brackets from slipping on the lift struts?

[Monocock]

Are your wing struts faired?

[WISDAN]

No, they are the round tube type. It's a Kitfox IV. I think I will try a piece of silicone tape under the clamp. Any thoughts?

[t j]

My Classic 4 jury strut clamps were not as tight as I would like so I put one wrap of silicone tape around the wing strut under the clamps.

[Dick B in KY]

I made a round shim to fit under the jury clamp for my SS7. Talked to John (Kitfox) first and he said that would work. Clamps up good and tight!

Dick B

[inzersv]

Would this be an issue if you have faired struts?

[t j]

My struts were unfaired for a while which allowed the jury strut clamps to slip. My thinking, however, is that they need to be tight so I kept the tape under them when I installed fairing a couple years later.

[LesH]

I used PVC electrical tape under the clamps (4 windings) and it worked fine. They do need changing now and then as they wear through, the paint chips and the rust gets a hold. Danger is it rusts unseen under the tape.

[JoeRuscito]

Just noticed two have mine have started to move a little. Is a small strip of self fusing silicone an acceptable method to fix the movement? I have faired (hysoled in place) struts so I have limited access.

[WISDAN]

Just noticed two have mine have started to move a little. Is a small strip of self fusing silicone an acceptable method to fix the movement? I have faired (hysoled in place) struts so I have limited access.
I had no problems using the silicone tape under the brackets.

[Pmcc]

Is there any reason not to hysol the clamps in place?

[WISDAN]

I'm not sure if anyone else has used Hysol but l don't think I would. The silicone self fusing tape under the clamp worked great for me and it's easily removed if needed.

[Pmcc]

I'm getting ready to fair the struts. Seems like changing the clamps will be next to impossible after they are covered?

[Dave S]

Phil,

I have to agree with you - I used the faired struts from the start, which pretty much prevents slippage of the clamp; however, I do not see any reasonable way to inspect and clean/maintain as needed unless a gap is maintained the width of the clamp.

You guys got me thinking and I might try to retrofit a gap for maintenance/access to the clamp.

Appreciate everyone's comments on this subject.

[ken nougaret]

Got me thinking too. Those struts are pretty much all that holds our wings on, and we've covered them with fairings and no way to inspect.

[Pmcc]

Fabricated shims from alu sheet
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[4Hummer]

Try using these clamps (Aircraft spruce) Clamp WEDGE WDG16 Prevents any slippage.

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Currently adding speed fairings, This fixed any slipping issue with the standard clamps

[jiott]

Methinks this slipping clamp thing is a tempest in a teapot. I'm not saying that it can't happen when there are no speed fairings, but it just hasn't been that much of a problem for the 10 years I have been monitoring this forum. Those rubber cushioned adel clamps may function fine, but will cause an ugly lump under the speed fairings. A simple wrap of silicone tape under the kit supplied clamps will not slip when trapped by a small close-fitting hole thru the speed fairings. Most of us do use the speed fairings. I'm afraid because one person without speed fairings experienced some slip, several others are now paranoid about a non-problem.

[jiott]

Regarding maintenance and corrosion, there is a very real issue to be aware of: If you don't carefully seal up the clamp opening thru the speed fairing with silicone caulk or similar, rain and washing water can get thru to the inside of the fairings and then run down and collect at the bottom. The bottom end of the fairings are usually sealed up with Hysol/Pollyfill so the water can't get out and will eventually cause corrosion in this critical area. Floog drilled a hole in this area and drained out quite a bit of water. The solution is seal up the clamp holes and/or drill a permanent drain hole near the bottom.

[jrevens]

I agree 100% with both of your previous posts, Jim. I sealed the opening around the clamps with silicone sealant, and also made drain holes for the fairings. I also made new clamps out of stainless steel in lieu of the aluminum ones in the kit, but that's another story. I "cushioned" the clamps with a layer of urethane anti-abrasion tape. As you said, if using the fairings, cushioned Adel clamps would not seem to work well at all... way too thick in my opinion. One additional thought - while those fittings are not normally subjected to a lot of stress (IF the lift struts are perfectly straight when the jury struts are located and installed), I would be cautious of substituting something of unknown strength for the original fittings.


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