I am rebuilding a Luton Minor. The tail wheel leaf spring as was fitted is best described as less than fit for purpose. The drawings are a bit vague on material spec as they just call for spring steel. I have made a new part using material from an old land rover leaf spring but as I am unsure of the grade of this material the heat treatment/performance could be in doubt and I am concerned about using this part.
Any advice on material used by others that have proved successful?
Stuart Penfold
Tail Wheel Spring Material.
Moderators: John Dean, Moderator
Not sure if this extract from an old EAA /Tony Bingelis item(hope they will excuse my copying it!) might help:
"Making The Tail Spring
A builder can make a big problem out of fabricating the tail spring for his homebuilt. This shouldn't happen, however, as the spring steel material is readily available from almost any auto wrecking yard or auto spring shop in the form of automotive springs. These leaf springs are perfectly suited for homebuilt use. I would suggest locating some auto springs, from smaller cars, that happen to be about 1 1/2" wide and 3/16" thick , an ideal size. It may be that a single salvage spring 1/4" or 5/16" thick would be heavy enough for your airplane. The 1 1/2" width is suggested rather than a narrower 11/4" because it is more stable torsionally --- "
The Pazmany book might also be helpful?
Ian
"Making The Tail Spring
A builder can make a big problem out of fabricating the tail spring for his homebuilt. This shouldn't happen, however, as the spring steel material is readily available from almost any auto wrecking yard or auto spring shop in the form of automotive springs. These leaf springs are perfectly suited for homebuilt use. I would suggest locating some auto springs, from smaller cars, that happen to be about 1 1/2" wide and 3/16" thick , an ideal size. It may be that a single salvage spring 1/4" or 5/16" thick would be heavy enough for your airplane. The 1 1/2" width is suggested rather than a narrower 11/4" because it is more stable torsionally --- "
The Pazmany book might also be helpful?
Ian