I've been using bags of concrete in the front of the fuselage to keep the nosewheel on the ground. The problem is, the bags leak and they are in the way when I want to work in the tunnel or up front. My friend Jack has a steel barrel on wheels with concrete poured into it that he uses to hold the tail of his propjet down when he jacks it into the air for a retract test, and I borrowed the idea from him. I started with a Brute trash can from Home Depot that has an optional dolly that attaches to the bottom (still removable after this modification). I poured in two 80# bags of cement into it and marked the level; this is where I would put in the eye bolts. I drilled 1/2" holes opposite each other and installed two 10" long 1/2" eye bolts with a washer outside to prevent concrete ooze. The bolts are only threaded part way, but I ran the nut up as far as it woiuld go and then positioned the bolt with the eye against the trash can and oriented the way I wanted. Add two more bags of concrete, mixed with water for four bags. Soon, the standing water seeps down into the dry cement. I used a cutoff wheel to trim the can near the cement (a little high to act as a bumper), and attached it to the engine mount with ratcheting tiedowns to simulate the engine weight. After the build, I can use it at the tail to jack the nose wheel for service.
