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suggestions for landing gear / tailwheel assc.

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:53 pm
by 173rd.abn.bde2426
I would appreciate any suggestions for buying landing gear / steerable tailwheels

Re: suggestions for landing gear / tailwheel assc.

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 3:11 pm
by taildrags
Probably the first thing you should determine is what style of landing gear you plan to use. The more "antique" style features wood landing gear legs with a straight axle and spoked-rim tires... and the most "antique-y" of those would not have any brakes and would only have a tailskid, no tailwheel, for operating off of grass, sod, or turf. The more contenporary setups would be the split-gear arrangement with welded steel tube gear legs and more conventional tires on Cleveland-style hubs with brakes. Somewhere in between those two general styles would be split-style but with spoked-rim tires and brakes. What do you have in mind?

Oscar Zuniga
Medford, OR
Air Camper NX41CC, A75 power

Re: suggestions for landing gear / tailwheel assc.

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:53 pm
by 173rd.abn.bde2426
I'm using the conventional tubular gear with shock struts. I'm looking to find the best place to buy 5 or 6 inch axel/wheel/brake assembly and a light weight steerable tail wheel. Thanks.
Bill Keener

Re: suggestions for landing gear / tailwheel assc.

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:59 pm
by donbrewer
I would suggest you look at the website of Tracy Obrien aircraft parts for the brakes. He has several different styles of brake that can be fitted onto spoked wheels. I feel the best tailwheel is sold by Aircraft Spruce and is listed as " homebuilder tailwheel". It was listed as AVP tailwheel for many years. it is simpler, cheaper, and better than any of the big name tailwheels.

Re: suggestions for landing gear / tailwheel assc.

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:46 pm
by taildrags
My Piet came with a Scott 2000, which is a 6" solid tailwheel, now obsolete, steerable. Some rebuild parts are still available, but very expensive. I now have a Matco 6" solid, MHLT-6, weighs 4.75 lbs (which is 0.4 lbs less than the Scott that I had on there originally), lists for $199.63. To give you some perspective, Aircraft Spruce wants $469.00 for the Scott 2000 arm assembly *alone*. Now, they do offer a 6" solid steerable "homebuilder's" tailwheel, 4.7 lbs, for $312, their part number 06-00403. but I have no experience with that unit.

I will say that the Scott (which I still have laying around the hangar) was a very sweet handling tailwheel before it wore out so bad that I couldn't hand-make parts for it anymore, and that the Matco does take a little bit of getting used to when you want to kick it back over from full-castoring to steering again. It's a robust unit.

Oscar Zuniga
Medford, OR
Air Camper NX41CC, A75 power