Seat rollers

How to keep the Cessna 170 flying and airworthy.

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MT_Don
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:12 pm

Seat rollers

Post by MT_Don »

Hi,
Anyone know of good source for the 3/4" seat rollers, or is Aircraft Spruce the only reasonable at $89 per set? Thanks, Don
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GAHorn
Posts: 20968
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 8:45 pm

Re: Seat rollers

Post by GAHorn »

'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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MoonlightVFR
Posts: 624
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:55 pm

Re: Seat rollers

Post by MoonlightVFR »

Are any of your Rollers "flat" on one side ?

Multiple decades ago I had a discussion with John Benham about seat rollers.

My opinion was that they should have been designed with precision roller bearings. Like with high end roller skates. Sealed bearings like the axle bearing in your automobile.

John had more experience w aviation design and he gave good reasons as to why the Cessna design was more than adequate.

Problem seems to be lack of service, ignore the rollers, dissimilar metals, etc and they bind up , roller just skoots, wears flat.

Concerned that this problem could potentially be a causative factor in seat rail lock pin failure; and to the back of the cockpit you go.
gradyb, '54 B N2890C
Jr.CubBuilder
Posts: 517
Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:33 pm

Re: Seat rollers

Post by Jr.CubBuilder »

For what it's worth I just replaced my rollers with the McFarlane replacement rollers. The original ones were aluminum and didn't look all that bad, but they were getting draggy. The new rollers were make of something else, perhaps Delrin but I don't know.

At any rate they made a night and day difference, with the new rollers the seat rolls back so easily I feel compelled to use a secondary seat stop. With the old rollers there was enough drag that over the years I'd gotten complacent and stopped using the stop.
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GAHorn
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 8:45 pm

Re: Seat rollers

Post by GAHorn »

MoonlightVFR wrote:...Multiple decades ago I had a discussion with John Benham about seat rollers.....
John had more experience w aviation design and he gave good reasons as to why the Cessna design was more than adequate.....
Considering the source, I suppose his reasoning was entirely due to cost? ... in which case, I believe him to have been correct. :?

If we could imagine ourselves the original designer handed the job of designing the seat system....How would we do it?

The present system resembles a railroad-track. But the potential for de-railing (bi-directionally as well as negative-G) must be addressed. So, a ribbed wheel is insufficient. The deep-well system of larger aircraft is usually subject to higher wear-rates due to dirt so it is usually reserved for seldom-moved passenger-seats only. Anything more robust not only adds cost but also weight/complexity.

Like anything built with weight in-mind... the system requires frequent inspection, maintenance, ...and cleanliness... in which case it can last 70 years or more. :wink:
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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