On board wheel chocks

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
20,311
Location
west Texas
Display Name
Display name:
Dave Taylor
I have been looking for some lightweight and soft-ish wheel chocks to carry around for those times when a complete tie-it-down strategy is not necessary. Ie a completely flat ramp, no wind, zero traffic; you just need to step into the little boy's room 30' away but feel neglectful to not look after the airplane in this way.
I need something that is lightweight so when I flip them onto the wing they won't pound down making dents and non-metallic so they would be unlikely to scratch paint. Rubberized ones seem...a bit overkill; heavy.

Throw down on these ridiculously cheap ones (so you can say, "ah tole you so..." after I buy em.)

https://www.rvautoparts.com/Camco-W...MIxfDe_7m34QIVCq_ICh3X8guyEAkYBiABEgK03_D_BwE
 
Those look good enough, usually we don’t expect hurricane force winds.

My travel chocks are a length of 4” X 4” cedar post, cut diagonally. I have them together with a short rope, light.

Refuse, reuse, & recycle they say.
 
I keep airgizmos chocks, a quart of oil, and tiedown ropes in a small marine box.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I have been looking for some lightweight and soft-ish wheel chocks to carry around for those times when a complete tie-it-down strategy is not necessary. Ie a completely flat ramp, no wind, zero traffic; you just need to step into the little boy's room 30' away but feel neglectful to not look after the airplane in this way.
I need something that is lightweight so when I flip them onto the wing they won't pound down making dents and non-metallic so they would be unlikely to scratch paint. Rubberized ones seem...a bit overkill; heavy.

Throw down on these ridiculously cheap ones (so you can say, "ah tole you so..." after I buy em.)

https://www.rvautoparts.com/Camco-W...MIxfDe_7m34QIVCq_ICh3X8guyEAkYBiABEgK03_D_BwE
Click to expand...

For that price they look good. So does short 2X4's.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Parking brake?
Click to expand...

thought I'd anticipated all the alternatives that could be posted, Greg!
No Pkg Brake installed.

The wood option; too bulky / heavy / damaging to delicate surfaces in and out of the cabin door.

Thanks!
 
I use chocks like that on my RV trailer. They are designed for tires significantly larger than yours and the angle is going to be all wrong.

Sure, it’d work, but not that well. I’d find something where the tire diameter doesn’t matter so much.

I would also argue that a good soft wood chock is less likely to cause damage from any minor bumps into things. It’d be softer than the plastic.

I’ve used quarts of oil as airplane chocks before. Works fine. You already have them with you, no added weight. Makes a mess if you power over them but don’t do that.
 
GeorgeC said:
I keep airgizmos chocks, a quart of oil, and tiedown ropes in a small marine box.
Click to expand...
1+ on Airgizmos, from Aircraft Spruce...lightweight, nest into themselves, work well. I added cords between each of a pair.
 
I inherited two sets of these metal chocks with my airplane.

You can hear them, even over the engine noise, clanging around in the baggage compartment in turbulence (or during one of my "normal" landings). And they tend to slide over smooth pavement, defeating their purpose.

Other than that they're great. :cool:
 
What about 16" long piece of large diameter rope (the navy guy in me is thinking mooring line) but something like 1.5" or maybe even 2" diameter that won't compress much. Its gonna be too heavy to blow away. Lay down one behind the wheel. Push the plane back against it then flop a second one in front of the wheel and it should sitting there snug between both. Reverse the instructions to remove them. Not too heavy and shouldn't ding or scratch anything. Might serve some other purpose too..but I can't think of one LOL!
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Parking brake? For that scenario, what would chocks do that parking brakes won’t?
Click to expand...

Hold for multiple days? Hydraulics are great for applying force in the moment. Not so much for "hold this pressure for a week" -- they seep a little, slip and bleed and loosen a little. Not what you want for more than basically "right now". (Although the system does work great for 'right now'.)
 
deyoung said:
Hold for multiple days? Hydraulics are great for applying force in the moment. Not so much for "hold this pressure for a week" -- they seep a little, slip and bleed and loosen a little. Not what you want for more than basically "right now". (Although the system does work great for 'right now'.)
Click to expand...
Read Dave’s original post. That is what I was commenting on. Context, Man! :)
 
How about folding?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wheel-Immo...f-2-Folding-RPHA-HR01-Automotive/264204431546

Dimension: 2.3 x 7.3 x 3.6 inchs., Weight: 0.07lbs.

s-l1600.jpg
 
The helis based here use a U shaped chock on their dollies. You could get some 3D printed out of delrin that fit your mains.
heavy_duty.png
 
We have a set that consists of two deburred and painted aluminum angles and a bungee cord. Works for use case stated in the original post.
 
I have a couple of pieces of aluminum angle, I think 2" on a side and 1/16" thick, with a rubber strip on the edges, for my traveling chocks. Used them mainly to hold my old plane until just before getting in, after untying the tail rope after hand propping. I know the OP said no metal but these are so light they really can't hurt anything, they nest together in a cloth bag.

My hangar mate uses a u-shaped assembly of 1" PVC pipe, 3 pieces, two elbows, two end caps for each side.
 
A few 2x4s. If you want to get fancy, route the edges off.

Why are you flipping anything onto your wing? Any hard object has the opportunity to leave a dent.
 
I saw a pair of these on an ultralight amphib once, but I don't know who manufactures them. Small, plastic and lightweight, lighter than 2x4 wood.
Some of our planes don't have a parking brake.

IMG_7155 (1024x683).jpg
 
I also thought we don’t like using the parking brake? I don’t anyway.
 
I found some aluminum 2×2 angle in the trash at work. Cut to length, file the ends smooth and sand the faces to look pretty. I've drilled holes in the ends but haven't gotten around to putting ropes or chains on them yet.

They weigh nothing and take up little space on the hat shelf.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Parking brake? For that scenario, what would chocks do that parking brakes won’t?
Click to expand...
Yep. In a "no wind" situation, we park it and hit the restaurant. Even with ten knot winds, it's not moving.
 
Stop by the Michelin booth at OSH. Spin the wheel. Got some lightweight plastic chocks. They’d do the trick for a potty break.
 
For the OPs purposes, get two 6-inch pieces of heavy rubber hose a couple of inches in diameter and run a rope between them. It will hold the plane on a slight incline and not damage the wing.

I have a high wing and I put my wood chocks on with the rope on the inside. I have started the engine with the chocks in place and used the tow bar to hook the rope and pull in the chocks. Saved a little embarrassment at a fly in.
 
Chocks. Pffffff.

Carry an air pump with you and just deflate the tires.
 
cgrab said:
For the OPs purposes, get two 6-inch pieces of heavy rubber hose a couple of inches in diameter and run a rope between them. It will hold the plane on a slight incline and not damage the wing.
Click to expand...
Good chance they'll roll away in wind... but if we got chocks for our chocks... now there's an idea!
 
They are tied together one on each side of the wheel. Because they are rubber, they can be pushed against the wheel and will grip the tarmac. The idea is that they would not mar the wing.
 
cgrab said:
They are tied together one on each side of the wheel. Because they are rubber, they can be pushed against the wheel and will grip the tarmac. The idea is that they would not mar the wing.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's not a bad idea, I just see that in the wind with the plane rocking one of the hoses will get loose and roll off to the side following the arc of the rope.
 
sourdough44 said:
I also thought we don’t like using the parking brake? I don’t anyway.
Click to expand...
Brakes are good for a short period of time but if left more than a day, they can cause the pads to stick and the hydraulics to leak. Also, ramp crews may need to move your plane for some reason, which I don't like, but I'd rather they not be in the cockpit changing things.
 
Sinistar said:
What about 16" long piece of large diameter rope (the navy guy in me is thinking mooring line) but something like 1.5" or maybe even 2" diameter that won't compress much. Its gonna be too heavy to blow away. Lay down one behind the wheel. Push the plane back against it then flop a second one in front of the wheel and it should sitting there snug between both. Reverse the instructions to remove them. Not too heavy and shouldn't ding or scratch anything. Might serve some other purpose too..but I can't think of one LOL!
Click to expand...
That actually sounds like a perfect solution to me.
lancie00 said:
Brakes are good for a short period of time but if left more than a day, they can cause the pads to stick and the hydraulics to leak. Also, ramp crews may need to move your plane for some reason, which I don't like, but I'd rather they not be in the cockpit changing things.
Click to expand...

I never use the things and taught students to avoid using them as well. If you need to use one, it’s because the airplane would roll without it, and you can’t trust whatsoever that they won’t leak down.

It’s the wrong tool to secure an airplane, for any time greater than it takes you to chock it, IMO. I can say that I’ve never set a parking brake on an airplane and walked away from it.

I’ve seen other pilots set parking brakes on their airplane, leave it running, then walk in the building to take a ****. lol. no thanks.
 
Sinistar said:
What about 16" long piece of large diameter rope (the navy guy in me is thinking mooring line) but something like 1.5" or maybe even 2" diameter that won't compress much. Its gonna be too heavy to blow away. Lay down one behind the wheel. Push the plane back against it then flop a second one in front of the wheel and it should sitting there snug between both. Reverse the instructions to remove them. Not too heavy and shouldn't ding or scratch anything. Might serve some other purpose too..but I can't think of one LOL!
Click to expand...

I look the rope Idea. maybe a string or hook attached to each end (heat strink tubing to attach and stop fraying) so you just wrap it around the tire hook it together and it can't blow away.

I was also thing maybe a Balsa wood chock, could make it from this...
https://www.amazon.com/Balsa-Wood-Shop-36in/dp/B00YV6XWH2
probably should paint or seal it so it doesn't absorb water.
Balsa light weight and very soft wood.

Brian
 
At my home/hangar..............I just use a small 1/2" rock for short term. Then when leaving, just run right over the thing.
 
Bobanna said:
A true squid! (Thanks for your service...which vessel?). How do you keep the ends from "frazzeling" on a 2" hemp rope?
Click to expand...
I was on a submarine - we didn't carry the mooring lines :) I am sure you could wrap the ends in something or just take a torch and melt them. At that point I've reached the end of my mechanical inventorness. Heck, Jesse chewed me out recently for not knowing if a IO-570-CBTC-23454-SDHHR-@&*^%$ is fuel injected or not so I'm still trying to figure that out :)
 
jesse said:
I use chocks like that on my RV trailer. They are designed for tires significantly larger than yours and the angle is going to be all wrong.
Click to expand...

That's the biggest problem with these. The other problem is that they may not fit under spats, if you have them on your plane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top