Brief Description: Rigged floor jack to lift plane off main gear.
To attach the main wheel pants and fairings, the main gear must be off the floor to allow them to assume the in-flight position. The fairings and pants are then attached using Vans procedure to align them to the free stream of the air while airborne. This reduces drag to a mimimum and prevents yawing motions caused by a fairing or pant that might be attached at an angle to the free stream.
I made an H-frame from 2x4's and 4x4's to set on top a floor jack and under a saw horse. I had to cut 2 1/2" off the saw horse legs (from 30" height to 27 1/2" ) to get it under the plane. With the tail tied to a container filled with 25 gallons of water, I was able to jack directly under the main spar carry through. Without the wings on the plane, I only have to jack about 1 1/2" to get the wheels off the floor. I then put 2x4 wooden boards under the saw horse legs and let the plane settle onto the saw horse. By adjusting the ratchet strap on the water container at the tail tiedown ring, I can get within a half degree from level at the longerons with the digital level. That's close enough for me.
Floor jack under H-frame which is under the saw horse.
