Cleveland DMB Replacement Wheels: List of 1500# Replacements

[mslezak]

I recently traded my Goodyear disk brake/wheel set for a Cleveland / VanSickle set to save a few pounds per the TC. Unfortunately, one wheel came cracked. I found one posting here that listed legal replacements for these DMB wheels. From my understanding here is the breakdown of what you can swap out. Note all the new assembly #s are for 1500lb wheels, compared to the original DMB 1000lb static load. They aren't subject to the AD to check for wheel cracks every 100 hrs as far as I can tell.

From the Cleveland Wheel Catalog:
http://www.parker.com/literature/Aircraft Wheel & Brake Division/AWB Static Files for Literature/AWBPC0001.pdf

Original DMB 1000lb wheels that used the VanSickle mechanical drum brake:
3050 (40-7)

Cleveland replacements (which are now 1500lb wheels):
161-01600 Inner Wheel Half Assembly
162-00600 Outer Wheel Half Assembly

Other wheel assemblies that have the same Cleveland part numbers, although these are stamped DHB-3 most likely (drum hydraulic brakes), which were installed on some Aeronca 7ACs:

3040 (40-6) (hydraulic drum brakes on some 7ACs)
3050A (40-7A) (same as the DMB but with a different grease seal)
40-28 (some early PA-28 Cherokee main wheels, check serial# in catalog.. also all PA-22)
40-28D
40-58
40-61

Same inner wheel only:
40-21
40-24
40-67

Same outer wheel only:
38501 (40-8) from a PA-23 Apache or PA-24 nose wheel, manufactured <=1971. Also early PA-28 Cherokee nose wheel (check serial# in catalog)

*3070 (40-5) (check to be sure the valve stem is cut out of this piece so it is actually an outer wheel half, have seen conflicting documents)

You'll notice that a lot of the early Pipers have wheels that will fit. Check the catalog as there are certain years or serial numbers that work, some don't. I had outer wheel halfs that were cracked, so I bought Apache nose wheel outer halfs pre-1972 off eBay.

If you show your A&P that the outer or inner wheel assembly you are replacing has the same part# as the Cleveland catalog for the DMB 3050 (40-7), then they should sign off on the replacement wheel.

FYI - be careful when you are buying a replacement wheel- I bought a DHB-3 earlier that had the outer and inner wheels swapped, so the center lip was reversed and the valve stem is on the "inner" wheel, where there are no vanes (you would think a drum would go here, but the mechanical drum diameter is slightly larger). I have an extra outer w/ no vanes and no markings.. looks like the right wheel but unsure how an A&P would validate that - looks like this http://www.aircraftpartsandsalvage.com/ ... ml?invis=0. Apparently there were outer half wheels made with and without vanes that have the same part number (can anyone verify)?

Please add your experiences here as well with what types of wheels work and how you got your approval with your A&P...

Also if you have the 161-01600 Inner Wheel Half Assembly 1500lb version let me know, could use 2 of them.

[mslezak]

Just a note on the inner wheel half for using the DHB (hydraulic) instead of the DMB (mechanical).

Apparently, the drum is slightly different. In order to get the mechanical drum to fit in the hydraulic inner wheel, the lower rim must be machined off:

http://mail.westmont.edu/pipermail/aero ... 68297.html

Possibly, the new Cleveland drums are made to fit this assembly. I don't have one to verify though...

[MikeB]

A bit off the thread but it's too bad that a set of hydraulic brakes can't be retrofitted on these aircraft (without buying the $3500 kit from WA). All the parts are available and we're not talking brain surgery to install them but I suspect it would be almost impossible to get a 337 approved when a STC'd kit is already available. I don't have a big problem with the cable system but it would be nice to have another option.

Mike Berg

[Paul Agaliotis]

Mike,
Install the 7CCM hydraulic brakes via the Advisory Circular, just thinking.
Paul

[mslezak]

I imagine you could get approval for the hydraulic drum brake with a 337:
Wheels/ Brakes: 3040 (40-6)

That has all the same wheel parts as the Cleveland from the TCDS (as well as those listed in the earlier post), and the hydraulic brakes fit this assembly. So the wheels should go on with a logbook entry. The hydraulic drums are approved for the 7AC so probably not too hard to get approved on the 11AC. My A&P said get the master cylinder, brake lines, etc. and he welds it on and files the form. Not sure how easy this set it to find though...

[dlrude]

I imagine you could get approval for the hydraulic drum brake with a 337:
Wheels/ Brakes: 3040 (40-6)

That has all the same wheel parts as the Cleveland from the TCDS (as well as those listed in the earlier post), and the hydraulic brakes fit this assembly. So the wheels should go on with a logbook entry. The hydraulic drums are approved for the 7AC so probably not too hard to get approved on the 11AC. My A&P said get the master cylinder, brake lines, etc. and he welds it on and files the form. Not sure how easy this set it to find though...

I am pretty sure that the difference between the mechanical drum and the hydraulic drum is that the hydraulic drum has an aluminum support ring or hoop around it right at the open end of the drum.

The steel drums appear to be identical but the hydraulic one has that hoop that actually can be easily removed by sliding it towards the closed end of the drum.

Dave

[clipperfixer]

I don't have any cross over information, but what I did was get a set of DHB wheels from a Tri Pacer. They are the same size as the DHB wheels except for the brake drum. The DMB drums won't quite fit all the way to the bottom of the wheel half as you insert them if you are using DMB drums in a DHB wheel. The wheels I bought came with drums from the Tri Pacer, and they work fine with the Van Sickle brakes without modification. I have seen somewhere a guy post that he used the DMB drum in the DHB wheel and a little machining was required at the bottom of the wheel half will get them to seat. I did not want to do that so I used the DHB drums. As for the aluminum rings on the out outside of the drums both my DMB and DHB wheel drums had them? I may have a set of the rings if anyone wants them.
As for a sign off I just signed the logs off as a substitute part per AC23-27 and consider it a minor alteration. The DHB has a higher load rating and otherwise the complete assembly if just about identical to the DMB.
Those wheels beat the DMB wheel on one side and the unknown wheel on the other side. It fit was so poor the guy that put it on made a wheel spacer out of a piece of pipe he cut with a hacksaw! It was pretty bad. Oh and no log book entry on that one!

[Dennis]

Everyone with an older plane should read AC23-27 over and over.

Dennis

[MikeB]

I agree with reading AC 23-27. Much of it look like a 'common sense' approach. I like 7-4 for example although I'm quite sure there are 'gotcha's' all over if something maybe not even related should fail and cause an 'incident'. As another example, folks have been making their own spars for years even though a PMA spar is available. Using that as a case, it seems like going with a different wheel or braking system shouldn't be that much of an issue. I tend to come down on the side of caution when dealing with aircraft but sometimes you need to use common sense too.

It gets me back to my pet peeve: Johnny Teenager can jack his pickup truck up so he needs a step ladder to get into it while if I, Pilot Mike improve the lousy brakes on my Champ by putting some 'unapproved' parts on it gets me in trouble with the FAA and maybe the insurance company.....it ain't fair.

One other thought after re-reading 23-27: I don't believe anyone makes unapproved aftermarket parts of either the Lycoming or Continental engine......am I correct on this??
Mike

[bob turner]

Yeah, that is one of my pet peeves too - and worse, the only thing a wheel/brake problem can do really is foul up a runway, but experimentals use the same runway and do not have to jump through all these hoops?

So my buddy cracked a wheel on a 90 hp Champ with mechanical brakes. I have recommended a salvage yard, but from your posts assume the wheel halves are still available? Are they a grand each? Should we cheat and put good wheels on there and convert to discs?

[clipperfixer]

I don't know what wheel you have, or which half is cracked, but there is an outer DHB-3 wheel half on ebay now. There is also a set of 40-58's on there too. I only know about those being a set that are listed in the post above.

[Shaw Siglin]

I posted this the other day on a different thread but this ones seems to be where folks are talking wheels and brakes...I'm in the process of restoring a 7EC and have at least one cracked wheel half. I'm interested in whether there is a conversion kit that will take you from a mechanical heel brake system over to a hydraulic heel brake system? Wag Aero has such a kit under OEM P/N 4-1557K listed for later 7 series aircraft. There's no one technical to talk to at Wag about this and it seems only the wheels and brakes are STC'ed (SA34CH). So has anyone ever done this conversion and does anyone have a copy on the 4-1557 drawing that installs this kit?

[Paul Agaliotis]

Shaw,
I have heard that Robbie Grove is making some kind of installation kit for hydraulic brakes in the earlier cable brake installations.
The AC could be used for approval to install a hydraulic system from a 7FC in the fuselage. All of this would be a major alteration.
Paul

[Shaw Siglin]

Thanks Paul,
I had read that somewhere on the Board and have sent a note to Grove asking about progress. I would really prefer an STC but a Major Alteration would be ok if the technical definition was good.

You seem to be a proponent of keeping the Cleveland mechanicals. Is there fairly good availability of used parts (wheel halves)? It won't be easy getting the Drum and bearing cone out of the cracked wheel half I've got. Any ideas? By the time you've replaced several items you're starting to make a big dent in a whole new brake system.

What would you recommend as far as refinishing of the wheel halves so that they really look good again?

Thanks again,
Shaw

[Paul Agaliotis]

Shaw,
I would look for a complete TriPacer DHB set up. They aren't too much money and solve the AD requirement. The cables are generally are stuck in the housing and the return spring has been removed. About half of the Champs I look at have no spring. Once the brakes are adjusted correctly they work real well. Many people will junk the brake when in fact they have a tailwheel problem.
The installation of the attach points for the hydraulic brakes require some welding so the difficulty factor goes up.
Paul