What does everyone think about changing the RV7A sprung steel nose
  strut
    (also used on my airplane) to an oleo strut. It was done by
  someone on VAF
    forum but the thread ends with no further feedback, just at the
  place it
    was starting to look good. A/C gross weight is 2200lbs.

  http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=64850

    here are some youtube vids of his testing

    RV7A nose gear taxi test v1.3
  <http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lKjyARhgXdU

    Any suggestions on production aircraft
    free castering nose oleo's that might work, that I could get from a
    boneyard.

    Alex


  On second thought, I'm now leaning back towards the sprung steel RV nose
  gear that it have, this is why.

  I've found some reports on tricycle RV's now that still talk about
  insufficient nose gear suspension travel on RV's making them
  moderately unsuitable for anything more challenging than flat grass
  fields,
  even when shimmy issues can be sorted out, however cirrus uses the same
  configuration on their production gear except that their gear is on
  a swing
  link off the motor mount, and they have rubber donuts for shock
  absorption and would appear to give slightly more travel which is
  what you
  need at low taxi speeds over bumpy ground with this gear to avoid a bad
  day. I think this is what I want to do. Anyone with thoughts,
  suggestions?
  Paul, do you think this is viable to incorporate on my motor mount
  design?

  http://www.inetefb.com/Documentation/Cirrus/AMM/pdf/32-20.pdf

  Alex

  There is a fundamental difference. The Cirrus nose gear is a thick
  wall piece of steel tubing. Not a tapered round spring.
  I can handled either one. The Cirrus is stiffer for side loads.
  It also limits the up travel regardless of the vertical load
  which could save the prop in some circumstances.

  Paul Lamar

  Hi Paul, I'd be really happy to go with the cirrus type design nose
  gear for my mount, either rubber puck or oleo version whichever is
  easier to model up and build. I have the velocity type
  hoop main gear already mounted up on the plane, which was the old
  main gear they used to supply with the kit before they went to
  aluminium, ive heard its a great ride on grass fields, not so
  rigid so it should absorb more bumps and transfer less
  oscillations to the nosegear too,

  Alex

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