Lightest tailwheels
Moderators: John Dean, Moderator
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Lightest tailwheels
As the title suggests, has anyone got a source for a light tailwheel assembly (inc brackets) to go on a small tailspring? Minimax sort of size.
If you've got any pics of suitable items on your own pride-and-joy then I'd be most grateful for a photo.
I've got a 'Flexello' wheel assembly but it is rather heavy.
tessa dot thomas at tesco dot net is the e-mail.
Ta
If you've got any pics of suitable items on your own pride-and-joy then I'd be most grateful for a photo.
I've got a 'Flexello' wheel assembly but it is rather heavy.
tessa dot thomas at tesco dot net is the e-mail.
Ta
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- Phil Burgess
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I replaced a very heavy steel leaf spring and Supermarket trolley wheel/castor on Taylor Monoplane G-SUZY with a much lighter laminated GRP spring (Pazmany book used as a guide) and an own design locking tailwheel unit. The plastic spring worked OK for the short time I flew it, but did make the tail end "bounce" up and down when taxiing on anything less than a dead flat surface. The wheel was a small pressed steel/rubber commercial item - this also worked OK, but wore out fairly quickly on hard runways.
I bought a few rollerblade type wheels, but never got around to trying them!
I bought a few rollerblade type wheels, but never got around to trying them!
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I made a fibreglass spring rather than use a steel one on the Menestrel to reduce weight and I agree with the earlier comment that it is a bit bouncy. Having said that, I feel that it protects the back end nicely against rough ground and has certainly stood up to some fairly rough treatment. You can also make the spring to just the shape you want and not have to accept whatever shape is available.
I used the shape suggested by the plans as a template and just thickened it up a bit to gain a bit of ridgidity and then used a unidirectional glass cloth, West epoxy and a wooden mould to produce it. I found that using a slow epoxy was the best way to avoid dry drying out during layup and subsequent separation of the laminations (you need a lot of them).
The end result is nicely flexible but massively strong and light.
I used the shape suggested by the plans as a template and just thickened it up a bit to gain a bit of ridgidity and then used a unidirectional glass cloth, West epoxy and a wooden mould to produce it. I found that using a slow epoxy was the best way to avoid dry drying out during layup and subsequent separation of the laminations (you need a lot of them).
The end result is nicely flexible but massively strong and light.
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- Phil Burgess
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Try these guys: http://www.carboncopyuk.com/acatalog/Ai ... lates.html
This is all model aircraft stuff, but when I contacted them a few years ago, they said they could do one off parts like tail springs for light aircraft without much fuss. They will tell you everything you need to know if you want to do it yourself, though I would probably recommend giving them a mould to work from and let them make the part for you.
This is all model aircraft stuff, but when I contacted them a few years ago, they said they could do one off parts like tail springs for light aircraft without much fuss. They will tell you everything you need to know if you want to do it yourself, though I would probably recommend giving them a mould to work from and let them make the part for you.
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I found the hardest part of the job was making the mould - once that's done, it's really just a matter of choosing your materials and plodging away with the epoxy. And the most rewarding part of the job is breaking open the mould when the resin is set - so it would be a pity to give the best bit to someone else !
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Bill, Do you mean something like this? http://watsonwheel.com/ (no idea how much they weigh -- may not be a major consideration for garden equipment!)
- jamie_duff
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I was searching last night for invoices for the materials but can't lay my hands on them right now - fairly sure the glass was 175g unidirectional 50mm wide tape and the number of laminations was lots ! I just kept going until I reached the thickness I wanted of 18mm - which fitted the tailwheel I have.
I'm sure the spring would have been strong enough even if it were thinner but I wanted to reduce the bounce from having it too flexible.
I guess you could use carbon but I didn't see the need and I find it harder to work and wet out nicely.
I'm sure the spring would have been strong enough even if it were thinner but I wanted to reduce the bounce from having it too flexible.
I guess you could use carbon but I didn't see the need and I find it harder to work and wet out nicely.