Time for a new Tailwheel!

28 posts in this topic

Posted

Getting rid of the solid Maule! And getting a larger pneumatic. I already have the twin leaf spring I bought from Brent with the hole sized for the Matco unit.

http://www.matcomfg.com/TAILWHEELLIGHTWEIGHTDUALFORK8PNEU-idv-3728-13.html

The Maule is a 6.5" and going to an 8" I don't think will cause problems. The bush gear is an inch and a half taller so that offsets that.

Now for the question, I think the dual tail spring is longer, so what do I need to get?

As far as weight and balance, I don't see a problem. The spring is heavier but the tail wheel assembly is more than a half a pound lighter!

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Posted

You are overthinking this a bit. Go with the 8" Matco it'll bolt right on to your spring. Weight and Balance will not be an issue. The dual fork Matco actually sits lower than the single fork does. You may end up slightly taller overall  but that can always be offset with bigger tires!!

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Posted

What he said!  :withstupid:

 

:BC:

 

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Posted

Going with the 8" like in my link. In my OP  I am "Getting rid of the solid Maule!!!"

I apologize for the miscommunication. Anyone want to buy a solid Maule TW 6.5"? ;)

So here we go, I almost have my tundra gear ready to go, hence my babbling about the gear changes of height, etc.

The dual tail spring is longer, and to add the new 8" tail wheel? I will need more links me thinks. :)

Almost ready do go. Waiting on paint to dry and sourcing a few fasteners.

 

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Posted

Here is what mine looks like, I have now taken a link of chain out to tighten up the chains, But it gives you the idea,

100_1042.JPG

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Posted

That helps! Thank you! So is that the "wide" version? Nice touch on the spring color by the way!

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Posted

That helps! Thank you! So is that the "wide" version? Nice touch on the spring color by the way!

yes sir,

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Posted (edited)

Agree, time to get rid of that solid Maule !

The funny thing is that when many complain about the Maule tailwheel  assembly it has always worked great for me. No unwanted releases while still releasing when I want it to (like when parking in the hangar. Maybe the geometry is optimum on my setup but it has always been stable during taxi etc. But it is soo damn stiff (and heavy!)…

So I wanted to keep the Maule single arm fork and only replace the wheel with a pneumatic Matco wheel for $74.15 

http://www.matcomfg.com/TAILWHEELASSY6PNEUMATIC-idv-3006-6.html

and the matching tube and tire for $18.42

http://www.matcomfg.com/TIRETUBE6x24PRTUBE90DegSTEM-idv-3097-38.html

This is the setup as used in the Matco tailwheel assembly http://www.matcomfg.com/TAILWHEEL6PNEUMATIC-idv-3373-69.html

For our European friends: With VAT and shipping, minus the EU AircraftSpruce 10% anniversary discount, it final bill was 130 Euros…

out of the box.jpg

The wheel and tire are really nice, there is no doubt on the quality here. And it is much lighter… The Maule wheel is 1490 g while the Matco wheel is only 700. Counting also the material used to fit the Matco wheel the difference is 750g / 1.63 lbs !

fittings fitted.jpg

I used some “adaption” and brass tubes rapidly delivered from my favorite online bearing supplier to make the Matco wheel fit to the Maule fork.

all in place.jpg

I’ll put it in the plane this weekend and let you know how it works out.

Edited by FredStork
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Posted

Very interesting, Fred.  My experience with the Maule has been exactly like yours.  The only thing I don't like is how harsh it rides when there are cracks in the runway/ taxiway.  This is amplified with my Grove aluminum tailwheel spring.  Your solution might work well for me too.  Can't wait for you to report back on this in operation.

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Posted

Av8r-sed, I bought a aluminum tail spring that Edmo pointed out on ebay a while ago, havent done anything with it yet, just wondered how you like yours? It dosent seam like it would have much spring to it, hence my reluctance to switch out my 2 leaft steel spring!

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Posted

Al, my tail spring is twin leaf steel I bought from Airdale.

Fred, that looks like the same wheel as on the 8" unit, just a lower profile tire. I need the height because I am rolling on some rough terrain.

Is there a longer spring I can get to move the TW aft?

Now I am thinking about larger mains... :ph34r:

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Posted

One of my kitfoxes had the Grove aluminum spring that was different than the current model Grove spring, and I flew it.  Another had a two-leaf  steel spring, and My Kitfox 3 had a 3-leaf steel spring.  I cant tell you the difference since I only flew one of them.  Someone listed a place that will make custom springs for you - check out old listings for the place, or ask again.   EDMO

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Posted

The aluminum spring I use is circa 1993 but has only been flying since 2012. It's stiff but really holds it's shape and gives the Maule tailwheel the proper angle to work well for me. I keep checking for fatigue cracks but no problem so far. I'm happy with it. 

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Posted (edited)

I put on the new tailwheel today, taxied a little and made 3 landings. I’m really happy with it, it is much softer and considerably less "shaky" than with the solid Maule wheel.

tailwheel 1.jpg

Obviously it is not a big fat tundra tail wheel, it is a 130 euro compromise and first impression is that it is worth it.tailwheel 2.jpg

Looks good as well...

Edited by FredStork
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Posted (edited)

And it looks good too!!! I ordered mine yesterday along with a chain kit. I ordered the new gear springs for the tundra gear too. Hopefully both will land here sometime next week.

Edited by Fly-n-Low

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Posted

Carry a spare tube. All that is is a front wheelchair tire. After about my 15th flat I chunked it in the trash. 

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Posted

Carry a spare tube. All that is is a front wheelchair tire. After about my 15th flat I chunked it in the trash. 

That sucks... What about the size I just ordered.. ? If so, it is going back! :ph34r:

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Posted

Wheelchair? That explains why it says "NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE" on it... After all it is sold as nose wheel and in the tail wheel assembly by Matco. Time will tell. 

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Posted (edited)

Agree, time to get rid of that solid Maule !

The funny thing is that when many complain about the Maule tailwheel  assembly it has always worked great for me. No unwanted releases while still releasing when I want it to (like when parking in the hangar. Maybe the geometry is optimum on my setup but it has always been stable during taxi etc. But it is soo damn stiff (and heavy!)…

So I wanted to keep the Maule single arm fork and only replace the wheel with a pneumatic Matco wheel for $74.15 

http://www.matcomfg.com/TAILWHEELASSY6PNEUMATIC-idv-3006-6.html

and the matching tube and tire for $18.42

http://www.matcomfg.com/TIRETUBE6x24PRTUBE90DegSTEM-idv-3097-38.html

This is the setup as used in the Matco tailwheel assembly http://www.matcomfg.com/TAILWHEEL6PNEUMATIC-idv-3373-69.html

For our European friends: With VAT and shipping, minus the EU AircraftSpruce 10% anniversary discount, it final bill was 130 Euros…

out of the box.jpg

The wheel and tire are really nice, there is no doubt on the quality here. And it is much lighter… The Maule wheel is 1490 g while the Matco wheel is only 700. Counting also the material used to fit the Matco wheel the difference is 750g / 1.63 lbs !

fittings fitted.jpg

I used some “adaption” and brass tubes rapidly delivered from my favorite online bearing supplier to make the Matco wheel fit to the Maule fork.

all in place.jpg

I’ll put it in the plane this weekend and let you know how it works out.

Salutations Fred.

Any chance you have the dimensions of the "brass tubes" and aluminum sleeves you used in your assembly?

Edited by allonsye

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Posted (edited)

Sure... but I'm not convinced it will help you as I'm in the metric world and you in the imperial world...

I used 3 steel tubes to increase the diameter of the axis to 15 mm. Inner diameter 13 mm, external diameter 15 mm, length of each tube 20 mm. there is no added value of having 3 tubes but the longest they had was 20 mm.. and the alternative was ordering several meters of uncut tube...

The new wheel need to be sitting 2 cm from the inner side to be centered. 1 brass tube with inner diameter 15 mm, external 20 mm and 20 mm in length.

The shorter brass tube next to the nut is of the same initial dimensions and cut down to the appropriate length to get a snug fit.

Hope this helps!

And about the modification and the wheel itself...

So far I have only landed on grass strips so it still looks like new. But to be very honest I had almost forgotten about it, it just sit there and does it job. It was much HARDER to forget the Maule wheel if you see what I mean...

Edited by FredStork
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Posted

Sure... but I'm not convinced it will help you as I'm in the metric world and you in the imperial world...

I used 3 steel tubes to increase the diameter of the axis to 15 mm. Inner diameter 13 mm, external diameter 15 mm, length of each tube 20 mm. there is no added value of having 3 tubes but the longest they had was 20 mm.. and the alternative was ordering several meters of uncut tube...

The new wheel need to be sitting 2 cm from the inner side to be centered. 1 brass tube with inner diameter 15 mm, external 20 mm and 20 mm in length.

The shorter brass tube next to the nut is of the same initial dimensions and cut down to the appropriate length to get a snug fit.

Hope this helps!

And about the modification and the wheel itself...

So far I have only landed on grass strips so it still looks like new. But to be very honest I had almost forgotten about it, it just sit there and does it job. It was much HARDER to forget the Maule wheel if you see what I mean...

Thanks Fred.  My wheel arrived last week. I can convert the metric.  Your dimensions give me something to work with as I stop by the local hardware on my way to the aerodrome and maybe save me an extra trip.  I hope we have better luck than Joey had. But, agreed, though the solid wheel can get a flat, it sure creates a noisy racket in the cockpit.

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Posted

Good luck! Tell us how it worked out (and what imperial dimentions you ended up with for future candidates)

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Posted

Hey just want to chime in...I have replaced the original solid tailwheel with the same and this is on my Catalina (much more weight on the tail ) and it works great on hard surface, never any issues. It does however dig in when you're landing on a beach....

 

Also replaced steel spring with fibreglass...saves 2.5 Lbs and it's stronger

P1100140.jpg

P1100145.jpg

P1100141.jpg

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Posted

What keeps that FG tailspring lined up - Is there another bolt or something we don't see?   EDMO

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Posted

Hey EDMO,

the FG tail spring is mostly running / inserted in a U channel. I just found it convenient and maybe stronger to leave it a bit larger (that's the way it was laid up) than the U chanel....to install it I just had to cut two parallel grooves .

Also....it tends to puzzle people.......

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