DA20 C1 Nose Tire Change Tips

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keithPTC
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DA20 C1 Nose Tire Change Tips

Post by keithPTC »

Did a nose tire change last week on my DA20 C1. It was pretty straight forward. However there were two steps unique to the DA20 that were not explained in the AMM. A call to the Diamond factory clarified these. I will pass them along to the group.

1.) I ordered the nose tire and tube from Desser. The tube has a 90 degree bent stem and was shipped with two securing nuts and washers on the stem. Do not use these nuts and washers on the DA20. Instead, use a dab of RTV to secure the stem to the oversized hole where the stem exits the wheel. This is what they do to the nose wheels at the factory. Lastly, I would suggest mounting & spinning the wheel on the aircraft to confirm that the valve stem cap has sufficient clearance (2mm minimum) before you apply RTV to the stem.

2.) There is supposed to be an oval shaped rubber patch around the stem. The patch is glued to the tube. Parts catalog calls this patch an "insert." The insert prevents abrasion where the stem goes through the wheel. The insert does not come with the new tube. Per the factory, I reused the old one and glued it to the tube with rubber cement from a bicycle tire tube repair kit. If your "insert" is missing, the factory says to make another from a piece of the old tube. I have some photos below to show the insert.

Everything else was like a standard aircraft tire change. Completely DEFLATE the tire before removing from aircraft. If you don't have a tire cage, inflate tire only after it is mounted on the aircraft. Use talc. Match red dot to stem. Wheel half bolt torque is 9-10 Nm or 80-89 in-lbs. Axle mount bolt torque is 28 foot pounds.
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zxc7847006
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Re: DA20 C1 Nose Tire Change Tips

Post by zxc7847006 »

Hi keithPTC, we purchase new DA20C1 nose wheel hub. The inner tube is often clip broken at the junction of two hub when we are assembling. We think there is something wrong with our assembly procedure. Do you have any tips for assembling two hub? Thanks~
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Karl
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Re: DA20 C1 Nose Tire Change Tips

Post by Karl »

zxc7847006 wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 3:13 am Hi keithPTC, we purchase new DA20C1 nose wheel hub. The inner tube is often clip broken at the junction of two hub when we are assembling. We think there is something wrong with our assembly procedure. Do you have any tips for assembling two hub? Thanks~
Make sure to dust the tube with chalk powder before assembly so that it can slide against the tyre and wheel hub more easily.

Partially inflate the tube until there is a small gap between the wheel hubs 1 - 2 mm. Tap the hub halves together before tightening the nuts/bolts. You should hear a metal on metal noise that way you can be sure the tube is not pinched.
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S2000airforce
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Re: DA20 C1 Nose Tire Change Tips

Post by S2000airforce »

Anyone find any STC or field approvals for a different nose gear fork, wheel, or tire size? $650 per nose tire, not including the tube seems insane!
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JohnE
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Re: DA20 C1 Nose Tire Change Tips

Post by JohnE »

S2000airforce wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 8:36 pm Anyone find any STC or field approvals for a different nose gear fork, wheel, or tire size? $650 per nose tire, not including the tube seems insane!
Hi Eric,

Wow, thought you were maybe joking about the price... ouch. Anyway, Desser Aerospace sells retreads in the 5.00x4 size for $249.00. The retread tires I bought from them in the past have lasted forever for what its worth. I think they outperform the new ones.

-John
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