Cobra Trailer Spare Tire mount failure

On Sep 21, 6:53*pm, Barny wrote:
Cobra should extend the top steel tube another 20mm in both directions
to capture the bolt with holes. Then tack weld the bolt heads for anti
rotation. The wheel has plenty of clearance for a longer cross-tube.
You still need the third leg to prevent bolt fatigue failure from the
constant rocking.

I'm reading all of this with interest. My new plane (ASW-19) lives in
a Cobra trailer (older -- it has ASW-24 stickers on it). The previous
owner
found that the fuselage is too long to fit very well, and ended up
rotating that
upright column 180 degrees to get things to fit. However, the spare
tire
mount bolts now point back toward the plane so the spare can't be
mounted (the box doesn't fit either but that's another story). For
the moment
the spare is riding in the under-trailer storage box behind the main
axle,
but that causes cg problems for the trailer (tongue weight is like a
feather).

I'm looking for ideas how to mount the spare up front now. The under
nose
option above sounds promising -- how do you anchor down the tire? I'm
also
thinking of using some angle iron so that the tire can hang on the
front of the
column, but it will be more vertical. Will it fit?

Thanks,
-- Matt

A 14" wheel and tire will just fit vertically across the trailer
without contacting the wing. If it's 13", as many older trailers were,
there will be plenty of room. Mount it so the tire rests on the floor
so there is less stress on the anchoring bolts and upright.
It sounds like you've already had to remove the storage bin, so
forward space may be at a premium. An earlier (1988) trailer fit the
13" wheel between the tracks and under the glider's nose, lying on the
floor with a bolt through it and secured with a wing nut. Best to
reinforce the floor to do that mod. A thin alloy plate on the
underside should do the trick. You may also find the fuselage will rub
the spare tire if the tire is too wide (perhaps anything above a 185)
so use a narrow tire for the spare.
Incidentally for anyone with 13" wheels who would like more ground
clearance, Spindelberger builds a lift kit (25mm or 50mm height) which
goes between the axle and frame. Much less scraping the tail, and if
you have a storage drawer it will last longer. I think the kit was
only 60 or 80 Euros and was easy to install on an empty trailer
sitting on four jack stands. It will be a special order item.
Jim


I'm looking for ideas how to mount the spare up front now. *The under
nose
option above sounds promising -- how do you anchor down the tire? *I'm
also
thinking of using some angle iron so that the tire can hang on the
front of the
column, but it will be more vertical. *Will it fit?

Thanks,
-- Matt