Does the Mooney landing gear require special maintenance?
Yes to a point. They do require that no one messes them up with bad adjustments concerning the pre-load adjustments. Unfortunately, far too many Mooneys we see have been subject of just that; improper pre-load adjustments and maintenance by shops which do not have the education and/or proper rigging tools.. This can be catastrophic and cause a gear collapse, no question. Also, few shops can recognize the need for shims in certain nose gear wear areas as well as diagnose out of tolerance bungies. This means that many times the gear is left to go too long and then when someone looks at it who knows what he is doing, it is too late and costly parts have to be replaced. Actually, if lubricated about twice a year (which the owner can do), the average Mooney gear can go years w/out any other maintenance or parts replacement whatsoever.
