Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 12:48 AM - Re: Tailwheel upgrade (John Gilpin)
2. 07:47 AM - Re: Tailwheel upgrade (Rick Neilsen)
3. 08:57 AM - Re: Tailwheel upgrade (b young)
4. 09:48 AM - Re: Tailwheel upgrade (Rick Neilsen)
5. 01:39 PM - Re: Tailwheel upgrade (tombaisley)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Re: Tailwheel upgrade |
Yeh, a tailwheel upgrade is really worthwhile. That pizza cutter is
pathetic...
For my Firefly, I got the one from Aircraft Spruce because it was in
stock for immediate shipment and Kolb didn=99t have any in stock
at that time. Bad mistake..... The one from Spruce has 1/2=9D
hole, while the Kolb shaft is 5/8=9D..... It=99s a
specialized machining job to bore it out because there=99s a
square boss that won=99t chuck in a lathe. I took it to a really
well-equipped machine shop and they found it difficult. They had to
load it in the chuck from the driven end, then the work was so buried in
the chuck that a conventional boring bar wouldn=99t reach, so they
had to fabricate a special extension. Cost $130 for 1 1/2 hrs
work...... So if your going to get that tailwheel assembly, get from
Kolb and it=99s all ready to go.
But to do it again I wouldn=99t get that assembly at all. As
Larry has pointed out, that breakaway swivel is a pain.... I also had
to machine out the mechanism so that it doesn=99t breakaway. So
what=99s the point of paying for all that mechanism at all.
Besides, that tailwheel is heavy and designed for much heavier aircraft.
Another problem with that product is that the steering arms are much
longer than the original, so it gives even less deflection at full lock.
The arm is very hard steel and I couldn=99t drill it to shorten
the arms. Maybe if you heated and annealed at that point you could
drill it....
The original Kolb mechanism is a lot lighter and is adequate,
it=99s only the pizza cutter wheel itself that=99s the
problem...... I noticed that the bearings in the new tail wheel would
fit onto the the original Kolb tailwheel axle. Only problem was that
the axle is too short to project all the way through the new wheel. To
do it again I=99d have a longer axle welded in place on the
original gear, and just replace the wheel. Surely the wheel itself must
be available as a replacement part.
Hopefully Kolb could source those wheels and manufacture the part to
just bolt it onto their original gear. Be a lot easier and less
costly....
JG
Message 2
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| Subject: | Re: Tailwheel upgrade |
John
I can't speak for the Spruce version but the Kolb version is worth every
penny but it to needs to be modified to work well. First get some
compression springs. The light springs allow the tail wheel to rotate in a
strong cross wind situation that allows it to unlock at just the wrong
time. Then you need to cut (shorten) and drill the steering arms so that
you can get enough rotation to unlock the tail wheel at full rudder
defection. These tail wheels don't unlock till they are turned quite a bit.
Also you need to find a good tool store that sells drill bits for hard
steel.
Rick Neilsen
Redrive VW Powered MKIIIC
On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 11:25 AM, John Gilpin <j.gilpin@bigpond.com> wrote:
> Yeh, a tailwheel upgrade is really worthwhile. That pizza cutter is
> pathetic...
>
> For my Firefly, I got the one from Aircraft Spruce because it was in stoc
k
> for immediate shipment and Kolb didn=92t have any in stock at that time.
Bad
> mistake..... The one from Spruce has 1/2=94 hole, while the Kolb shaft
is
> 5/8=94..... It=92s a specialized machining job to bore it out because th
ere=92s
> a square boss that won=92t chuck in a lathe. I took it to a really
> well-equipped machine shop and they found it difficult. They had to load
> it in the chuck from the driven end, then the work was so buried in the
> chuck that a conventional boring bar wouldn=92t reach, so they had to
> fabricate a special extension. Cost $130 for 1 1/2 hrs work...... So if
> your going to get that tailwheel assembly, get from Kolb and it=92s all r
eady
> to go.
>
> But to do it again I wouldn=92t get that assembly at all. As Larry has
> pointed out, that breakaway swivel is a pain.... I also had to machine o
ut
> the mechanism so that it doesn=92t breakaway. So what=92s the point of p
aying
> for all that mechanism at all. Besides, that tailwheel is heavy and
> designed for much heavier aircraft. Another problem with that product is
> that the steering arms are much longer than the original, so it gives eve
n
> less deflection at full lock. The arm is very hard steel and I couldn=92
t
> drill it to shorten the arms. Maybe if you heated and annealed at that
> point you could drill it....
>
> The original Kolb mechanism is a lot lighter and is adequate, it=92s only
> the pizza cutter wheel itself that=92s the problem...... I noticed that
the
> bearings in the new tail wheel would fit onto the the original Kolb
> tailwheel axle. Only problem was that the axle is too short to project a
ll
> the way through the new wheel. To do it again I=92d have a longer axle
> welded in place on the original gear, and just replace the wheel. Surely
> the wheel itself must be available as a replacement part.
>
> Hopefully Kolb could source those wheels and manufacture the part to jus
t
> bolt it onto their original gear. Be a lot easier and less costly....
>
> JG
>
> *
>
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===========
===========
===========
> *
>
>
Message 3
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| Subject: | Re: Tailwheel upgrade |
I don=92t know what I am missing.... if you drill the arms so you have
more deflection, then machine out the fitting so it takes more
deflection to break it loose... where is the benefit. I put on a
full swivel tail wheel and never looked back. it is wonderful. in
normal driving I have never had it break away. if I want it to break,
even with the longer arms all I have to do is add a bit of breaking and
that forces it over the edge. I am still using the light stock springs
with the longer arms and have not noticed any more problems in a cross
wind than I had on the pizza cutter wheel. I don=92t know if it just
comes down to technique, but in a cross wind I have been conscious of
riding the break a bit. I only had one time when I could not hold a
line... that was in a 25 gusting to 35 wind at a 90 deg to my direction
of taxi. the tail wheel was firmly attached to the ground... I just
think it would skid sideward when the gust would hit the tail. only a
tire with more grip would have eliminated that problem.
boyd young
mkiii utah
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I can't speak for the Spruce version but the Kolb version is worth every
penny but it to needs to be modified to work well. First get some
compression springs. The light springs allow the tail wheel to rotate in
a strong cross wind situation that allows it to unlock at just the wrong
time. Then you need to cut (shorten) and drill the steering arms so that
you can get enough rotation to unlock the tail wheel at full rudder
defection. These tail wheels don't unlock till they are turned quite a
bit. Also you need to find a good tool store that sells drill bits for
hard steel.
For my Firefly, I got the one from Aircraft Spruce because it was in
stock for immediate shipment and Kolb didn=92t have any in stock at that
time. Bad mistake..... The one from Spruce has 1/2=94 hole, while the
Kolb shaft is 5/8=94..... It=92s a specialized machining job to bore it
out because there=92s a square boss that won=92t chuck in a lathe. I
took it to a really well-equipped machine shop and they found it
difficult. They had to load it in the chuck from the driven end, then
the work was so buried in the chuck that a conventional boring bar
wouldn=92t reach, so they had to fabricate a special extension. Cost
$130 for 1 1/2 hrs work...... So if your going to get that tailwheel
assembly, get from Kolb and it=92s all ready to go.
Message 4
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| Subject: | Re: Tailwheel upgrade |
Boyd
On a cross country the wind picked up don't know the speed now but it was
strong. I landed for gas and had to taxi cross wind. Holding
full opposite rudder and one wheel breaking a gust would push the tail
wheel (stretching the weak springs) to the point where it unlocked three
times (doing a 360 to get it to lock again) to the gas pumps then 5-6 more
times to get to a sheltered area. The compression springs fixed the
unlocking problem but they also didn't allow the tail wheel to rotate
enough to unlock ever. The optional tail wheel has much longer arms than
the stock "bogey" wheel tail wheel assembly. I then shortened to tail wheel
control arms and spring attach points to get enough rotation to get a full
deflection unlock. Now I get very positive control of the tail wheel and
the wheel will unlock only when the rudder hits the stop. There have been a
few times where wind gusts have pushed the tail wheel sideways but I was
able to recover without having to do a 360 and I don't have to ride the
brakes. Note! I did not "machine out the fitting".
Rick Neilsen
Redrive VW Powered MKIIIC
On Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 11:57 AM, b young <byoungplumbing@gmail.com> wrote:
> I don=92t know what I am missing.... if you drill the arms so you hav
e
> more deflection, then machine out the fitting so it takes more deflection
> to break it loose... where is the benefit. I put on a full swivel
> tail wheel and never looked back. it is wonderful. in normal drivin
g
> I have never had it break away. if I want it to break, even with the
> longer arms all I have to do is add a bit of breaking and that forces it
> over the edge. I am still using the light stock springs with the longer
> arms and have not noticed any more problems in a cross wind than I had on
> the pizza cutter wheel. I don=92t know if it just comes down to
> technique, but in a cross wind I have been conscious of riding the bre
ak
> a bit. I only had one time when I could not hold a line... that was i
n
> a 25 gusting to 35 wind at a 90 deg to my direction of taxi. the tail
> wheel was firmly attached to the ground... I just think it would skid
> sideward when the gust would hit the tail. only a tire with more grip
> would have eliminated that problem.
>
> boyd young
> mkiii utah
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> I can't speak for the Spruce version but the Kolb version is worth every
> penny but it to needs to be modified to work well. First get some
> compression springs. The light springs allow the tail wheel to rotate in
a
> strong cross wind situation that allows it to unlock at just the wrong
> time. Then you need to cut (shorten) and drill the steering arms so that
> you can get enough rotation to unlock the tail wheel at full rudder
> defection. These tail wheels don't unlock till they are turned quite a bi
t.
> Also you need to find a good tool store that sells drill bits for hard
> steel.
>
>
> For my Firefly, I got the one from Aircraft Spruce because it was in stoc
k
> for immediate shipment and Kolb didn=92t have any in stock at that time.
Bad
> mistake..... The one from Spruce has 1/2=94 hole, while the Kolb shaft is
> 5/8=94..... It=92s a specialized machining job to bore it out because the
re=92s a
> square boss that won=92t chuck in a lathe. I took it to a really
> well-equipped machine shop and they found it difficult. They had to load
it
> in the chuck from the driven end, then the work was so buried in the chuc
k
> that a conventional boring bar wouldn=92t reach, so they had to fabricate
a
> special extension. Cost $130 for 1 1/2 hrs work...... So if your going to
> get that tailwheel assembly, get from Kolb and it=92s all ready to go.
>
> **
>
> *
>
===========
>
===========
===========
===========
>
> *
>
>
Message 5
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| Subject: | Re: Tailwheel upgrade |
I take off and land my Firestar 90% from grass, never had a problem with the stock
tailwheel,
Might not look like much but it's very high functioning
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=394834#394834
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