Tailwheel steering setup

[woodmw]

My hangar neighbor and I were discussing our tailwheel setups. He has a Piper J-5 and the tailwheel steering springs are compression springs with what I think is a lot of slack in the linkage.
My setup has springs in tension with some load on the springs stretching them. I read on Aircraft Spruce website that the compression spring setup is considered better because it put less pressure on the hinge bushings. I'm guessing this occures because the setup has slack in the spring/chain linkage.

Question #1:
Any opinions as to which setup, tension springs or compression springs, is better? Smoother? Reliable?

Question #2:
Slack or no-slack?

[otrcman]

Much depends on which tailwheel that you have. For instance, the Maule unit has springs specifically designed for that tailwheel. The two springs are slightly different and the company puts out a detailed instruction on which spring is left or right, and how much pre-stretch is to be used. Without the correct springs, and correctly installed, the Maule is very difficult to control. Lesson here is to check the brand of tailwheel. And if the maker lists a specific spring to be used, then do what he says.

For more generic tailwheel installations where the springs are not specified, I do prefer the compression springs because they can't be over-stretched. And we may get some disagreements here, but I like to set the springs up where they have zero slack when the tailwheel is dead straight.

Dick

[woodmw]

I should have included that my plane has the Lang tailwheel.

[3Dreaming]

Put 10 pilots in a room and ask this question, and you will get 12 different answers. As Dick said it depends on the tailwheel. Also it depends some on the geometry. For example if you make a Cessna 170 tight on the ground it mat bend something when the wheel is unloaded in the air. We have run a Lang on our airplane for years with tension springs, and couldn't be happier in how it performs.

[astjp2]

I tried about 10 different combinations, I am currently running the small tension springs with very little tension. I had a Scott 2000, Scott 3000, Maule Tundra and now the 3200, with these, I tried the compression, small tension, big compression and I have bent those little scott tear drop connectors... my next go around will be the turned up arm for the scott tail wheel, eye bolts for the rudder horn and true clevises for the spring and chain...

Failures included a bent rudder horn with the Scott 3000, broken steering spring on the 2000 which created a nice ground loop, the Maule kept failing to unlock and free caster, even with new parts yearly, and the 3200 broke the leaf spring and bent my rudder when it collapsed. The 3200 has been the best, it just needs a good cleaning and fresh grease every annual. I want to refine the 3200 installation by trying the up turned arm and see if that makes the steering springs more level and put less leverage on the rudder arm.

Tim

[tyler]

We run a Lange on our Taylorcraft with tension springs.

[mikeg]

I have been running a 6" Scott with tension springs for 50 years on my '41 DeLux and am very satisfied. 6" Lang works great on my Fleet 2 on tension. Careful with the caster angle on the tailwheel. Bought a replacement spring once that made a beast of the T-Craft until I had one fabricated at the local auto spring shop with the proper curve to it. BTW-shop owner said he used to make tailwheel spring for the "guys" all the time back in the day. The spring has been on the T-Craft for about 40 years now. Stay safe.
Mike