I know folks talk a lot about trailering being bad for gyros, but does anyone actually have any experience with actual damage done to a gyro from trailering. Especially if it's done properly - tied down correctly, blocks to take stress off landing gear, blade off etc.

Before I installed my air ride I had to tighten the landing gear two full turns on a trip to Mentone.

I have seen Dominators break the bolt that holds the tail yard arm on, and one that broke a landing
gear bolt.....BUT they were both the grade 8 bolts that Ernie uses.

I have personally witnessed a broken motor mount and the failure of a tall-tail pivot bolt (two separate machines) during trailering to Bensen days on machines that were apparently well-moored on their respective trailers. Both were repaired at Bensen Days, but the repairs were not optional. The tall-tail nearly got loose and would have been a tragedy had it not been spotted quickly.

I have seen a broken keel on a Bensen-style machine that had a heavy Continental motor on it.

Secureing the gyro to the trailer is good, but a gyro trailer should be a dedicated trailer with the springs softened by removing leaves from the spring packs so that the gyro doesn't get pounded going down the road.

I have heard it recommended that the trailer should be at 80% capacity when the gyro and extras are loaded on it. Makes for a cushy ride.

I have my trailer modified, I removed a few leaf springs, and have radial tires, even had them balanced.

On my first gyro I too broke the tail connection on the top.
It was not in flying condition yet so it was an easy fix.

And the next time the brakes on the gyro broke!

Here's a tip:

DO NOT TRAILER A GYRO to Wauchula via the "back way" (off I-75, across highway 60, through the phosphate mines). The rail crossings (all million of them) are brutal. The places where rail crossings "used to be" are ill-repaired and the roads back there could murder a gyro even if it was on an excellent trailer.

I almost broke the ficken gyro because of it..... The struggle is real my friends.

I want to say it was "The Screw" that had a T-Tail damaged on a trip to Bensen Days.
A quick trip to a shop with Dick Degraw fixed it.

I have had a nose wheel (the whole thing from the bottom bearing down) come off and a main wheel, I would suggest the damage was done on the trailer..... however, I think the second worst place for gyros to get damaged is in a group hanger.... I have seen people move their machine and have the resulting sword fight with the 3 machines near it with the rotors, bumping wheel pants etc.... the only truly safe place for a gyro is flying closely followed by in a hanger on its own and you have the only key. I have never heard someone say "oh, just check your right spat, I bumped it last Thursday while moving my machine" or "sorry, when I moved your machine to get mine out, the rotor hit the inside of the roof above the door as I pushed it out.... you better check it, it looks a little bent" no.... if someone walks past and breaks off your pitot tube, they just keep walking

The longest I used to trailer my machine was to Sydney or the coast from Canberra when I lived in Canberra (250km) I wont be trailering my machines to Wondai in the future either.... the road there is like a tar sealed goat track.... I drive a Vitara (Sidekick) so I know where every bump is.... they aint pretty It will be fly or no go.... although, I am thinking about tire tube cushions under the mains.... push the gyro on, close the flap, pump up tube to lift gyro.....

The most important thing is to restrain the rotorhead from flopping about and stop the joystick smashing everywhere.... and tails, especially tall tails and all flying tails.... to keep an eye on the mounting hardware and bushes.... tail flap on the freeway can destroy a gyro....

The worst damage I know of from trailering a gyro, was when they were making 'Mad Max' ...... the crew were towing the gyro on a trailer at night and got to their destination..... no gyro on trailer They drove back 200 miles and found the machine at a cattle grate (outback dirt roads) the machine had been dragging for quite some time, then fell off at the cattle grate

The second machine, Gerry clipped a street sign on take off (2" round gal tube 1/4" thick)

Watch the joystick on this machine just being trailered to the lake.... blades on.... tell me how great that is for the control system.... let alone the rest of the machine?

That float thingy is such a weird setup!
Yep I am sure the head bearing did appreciate the weight of the blades banging on them every time the guy hit a pot hole.

I had a blow out on the way to Bensen days, I had a spare but it was probably old enough to vote......so Phil and i swung out of the way to tractor supply company in Live Oak FL and bought 2 new tires and rims and installed them in the parking lot and then hit the road......small delay, but now i have new tires...

Yeah, that was just a gyro on a trailer blades on, towed down a dirt roadway to the lake by a quad (4 wheeler) but it sure shows what a flogging the entire gyro cops.... even at slow speed....

Let me tell you a story....After I got to Bensen days, the gyro would not start, it was flooded, so after wearing myself out, decided to take the carbs off and blow out the crank case with compressed air to evaporate the gas, worked, started up and flew fine, next morning extremely hard to start again, once started flys fine, sat morning same thing....Norm seemed to think that i had a weak ignition box, fine i have a spare at the house. So i bring the gyro home and it has been a couple of weeks, been busy with work etc..So I put the blades on and did a good check over on the gyro, everything seems fine, So i blow out the crankcase again just to clear any gas that may have sloshed in there on the trailer, and it fires up just fine.
I changed the ign box and it starts up just fine again.
So today I decide to go fly, i fill it up with fresh gas and do a good preflight, get down to prerotate and hit the electric aux pump and the engine starts running rough?? OK turn the aux pump off and make a takeoff roll, I can't get over 5500rpm on the engine???

So I change back to the old ign box and try again, this time I take off, I am over the runway and the tach only reads 6000rpm, I know that it is not correct, again I am over the runway so I hit the aux pump, and the engine runs rough but the tach jumps to 7000, engine rpm did not change, flip the switch a few times and each time the same thing..

I always fly with the aux pump on, and the engine does run at 7000 at takeoff.

So I am thinking some sort of electrical gremlin has jumped on my gyro from the trailer ride......GRRRRRR!!

Probably a ground or neutral wire has worked itself loose.

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I keep trying to come up with a quote of some sort ... here is one ...

Part of gyro pilot training should require the pilot to be tightly strapped into the seat of his machine while it is being towed on a trailer down a rough road

Only one 15 minute lesson will be required , and he will never forget it

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I know weight is the ficker factor but I also wonder if maybe we should build them more trailer travel
tough or just fly them to the destination instead?

OK I was only speculating!!!!

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A heavy trailer , or heavily loaded trailer will ride a lot smoother .. it is a mass + inertia thing , hit a bump and the wheels and suspension will move a lot but the trailer deck will not

Lightweight (gyro) trailers with small hard tires are about the worst (rough ride)

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