Trim Wheel Nut Tool - New Design
/The redesigned Trim Wheel Nut Tool. Fabricated from a solid piece of aluminium
A potential problem when using an OEM Boeing throttle unit, is removing the nut that secures the trim wheels to the side of the throttle. The nut has been designed in such a way that loosening it can only be done with a specialised tool. Attempting to use a screwdriver or pliers may burr the nut, or slip causing damage to the trim wheel.
In an earlier post I examined how a simple tool had been designed to easily remove the nut from the spline shaft that holds the trim wheels in place. Although this tool was functional there was room for improvement in its design and manufacture.
New Design and Improved Engineering
The tool, has been redesigned and incorporates an aluminium cylinder that has been produced from a solid block of aluminium using a milling machine. The inside of the cylinder has been milled and a set screw securely inserted. The set screw mates with the screw that holds the spline shaft in place.
The outer flange, adjacent to the set screw has then been machined so that two ridges, approximately 1mm in height are either side of the set screw. The set screw mates with the female located on the end of the spline shaft while the ridge provides extra purchase by mating with the indents in the nut.
In addition, a circular hole 8mm in diameter has been drilled through the upper portion of the cylinder enabling a similar sized piece of metal, or the shaft of a screwdriver to be inserted. This allows additional purchase and leverage should the nuts be difficult to loosen. Finally, the aluminium on the outside of cylinder has been slightly scoured to facilitate better grip.
New design has easier mating which enables greater purchasing power for removing tight spline nuts
Round and Round
The trim wheels are continually rotating back and forth as the aircraft is trimmed. This rotation causes the nut, that secures the trim wheels to the spline shaft to, over time, become tighter and therefore more difficult to loosen. This firmness is often exacerbated if working on a throttle unit removed from a real aircraft, that has not had the spline nuts removed for several years; corrosion and caked grease can easily cement the nuts in place.
This tool, although not an OEM part, is more than adequate to loosen the most determined trim wheel nut.
