22
Shoutout to the guy who showed me the zip tie trick on landing gear brake lines
I spent 45 minutes struggling with a loose brake line on a Cessna 172 last Tuesday before another mechanic walked over and showed me how a single zip tie through the inspection panel holds it steady while you torque the fitting, and now I use it every time.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
noah8809d ago
Man I feel you on the Piper firewall thing, that's a whole different level of tight. I tried the zip tie trick on an older Mooney last month and had to basically do it blind by feel because you can't even get your head in there to see what you're doing. Still beats the alternative though, once you finally get that zip tie cinched down it saves so much hassle versus trying to hold everything with one hand while you wrench with the other.
5
terryallen9d ago
You ever try that trick on a Piper or does it only really work on the Cessna layout? I had a similar situation on a Seneca a few months back and ended up just using a piece of safety wire because the panel access was different. That zip tie method sounds way cleaner though. I hate fighting with brake lines when you're already working in a tight spot.
2
Tried it on a Piper Arrow last week and the firewall is so tight I could barely get my hand in there to even see the brake line, let alone get a zip tie around it. Ended up using two zip ties daisy-chained together and it still took me longer to thread them through than it did to bleed the whole system. Makes you wonder why they don't just put a service panel there from the factory.
5