Front wheel shimmy

[Chatterton]

Am getting quite nasty front wheel shimmy on my Sonex. New front wheel, bearings and tyre - balanced -has not improved matters. Anyone else got/had this problem and been able to cure it ? Would appreciate comments and advice. Bob Chatterton.

[kmacht]

Check the axle where it bolts to the gear leg. The axle tube is fairly thin and can oval out over time allowing the wheel to shake side to side on rollout. I know a few people (myself included) who have had to weld a washer on either side if the bolt hole to fix the issue. If you don't have many hours on the plane I would also suggest checking wheel alignment.

Keith
#554

[Onex107]

Another thought. My Cessna 150 had a bad nose wheel shimmy that just escalated to radical movement. That nose wheel is steered by the rudder pedals through spring loaded steering arms. It's a little different situation that is solved by shimming the nose strut to eliminate nose wheel movement before the steering arms get tight. I'd suggest you make sure your steering cables are tight and have the springs installed at the steering arm to disallow any movement. I think the springs act like a shimmy dampener. I found a small turnbuckle, only about two inches long. and I put one on each side of the steering arm so I can keep the cables adjusted. I don't know how to post the article but I'll send it to your email address.