Suitable tailwheel set-ups

[J Holland]

Looking at this page.....http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/lg/tailwheels.html
can anyone recommend the most suitable robust unit for my BC12D?

I will shortly be upgrading the mainwheel tyre set-up to 8.00-6's and wish to have a "back end" as robust as my "front end".

A search on this forum gave someone advocating the Matco set-up. Is this the one on this web page?

Is the Maule P8b Tundra tailwheel worth considering? Anyone have any views on whether these are actually any better than the standard Maule pneumatic version?

Once again, your advice would be welcome

(Oh, and Happy New Year!)

[VictorBravo]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

I highly recommend the Matco unit. They make them in two sizes I believe. On a post-war airplane (later certification basis), it will require a 337 form, not TSO'd. The operating system is simpler and far more robust. It is far more field serviceable, and I believe the failure mode is much more benign. I think they make them with solid and pneumatic wheels. IMHO it is a far simpler and more heavy duty unit than Maule or Scott.

[jgerard]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

http://gallery.taylorcraft.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=2489

I love my Maule Tundra. Works great on the bigger rocks, BUT then my tail is hardly ever on the ground. These have bearings for the pivot vs' bushings like the smaller Maules and these are also PMA'ed for all Taylorcraft. Also 1lb lighter than the scott and 1/2 the price. If I had a heavier airplane I would use the scott 3200, but for these light aircraft this TW works fine. I do NOT like big tailwheels if you are still running the 6.00-6 main tires. In that case smaller TW is better.

Me on the other hand I prefer how my plane lands with the 8.50's and its even better with the ABW 26" tires.

Jason
N43643

[zero.one.victor]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

The only Matco t/w I've seen was the solid-tire model. No offense,VB, but it looked kinda cheesy. Never seen the pneumatic tire model up close and personal, but Spruce has them both in the catalog: solid tire t/w assembly $138, pneumatic tire t/w assembly $191. Pricing sure looks good. I'd like to see the pneumatic model in person, preferably torn down so I could examine it's innards.
I like my 3200, but if I was starting from scratch, for a light airplane like a Taylorcraft I think I'd probably pass on the Scott due to cost (around a thousand bucks!) and go with a Maule-- one of the the pneumatic-tired versions ($250 and $350) for off-road use, of course!

Eric

[VictorBravo]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

I have taken apart the Maule and the Scott, and both of them have small highly loaded parts for the locking mechanism that get worn out and are failure points. The Matco's "operating system" is basically thick steel plates and big steel pins that knock the steel plates "over center" to unlock against the rudder pring pressure. No tiny springs, no 1/8" wide steel keyways and keys, no stamped cam rings etc. The actual wheel on the solid Matco may be cheesy... I don't remember it well enough. But I do know they make a pneumatic one too. You could install a Maule or Scott wheel and tire on the Matco unit easily enough if that floated your boat. I make no claim to have tested the Matco, or the Scott/Maule for that matter. But to my eyes, the Matco looks like a drop forged hammer and the Scott/Maules look like a hammer held together with pop rivets. To repair a worn out Matco in the field without replacement parts, you'd only have to weld some more metal on the steel locking arms and file on it for a few minutes. It would work for quite a while until you were able to get the actual OEM replacement parts.

Bill

[d.grimm]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

I had a Matco on a Fisher Celebrity Exp. Bi-Plane. Had troubles with swivel
feature. A small Maule on the J-3 has been trouble free. A Scott 3200 on a F-19 was like having a nosewheel. Tailwheel angle and good steering springs
(Scott Heavy Duty) works for me.

[Sloanlow]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

I saw a heath with a yoke type housing. Its 43 bucks now, and I am sure that its completely rebuildable with parts from A/C Spruce or heath.

Jim

[Joel Severinghaus]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

I bought my ship a year ago with a Maule SFS-P8A tundra tailwheel installed, but now that I've seen a bunch of other Taylorcrafts, I want to go back to a smaller tailwheel for a more original look. No complaints about the tailwheel itself, and the six inches higher tail stance sure helps taxiing visibility over the nose, but it just don't look right with my 6.00-6 mains. Nor will I be bouncing over boulders on Alaskan river sandbars -- just landing on grass strips in the Midwest.

Which solid-rubber tailwheel do you guys recommend? I've heard people say they like the wider tire on the Maule SFS, and the Maule seems to be about a fifth the cost of the Scott 2000.

[M Towsley]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

Joel,

My T-Craft came with the original Taylorcraft marked (Heath) tailwheel with 6x2 solid rubber tire. Though it does not swivel it has worked perfect for me. You can every once in awhile find a Heath on E-Bay, etc. Plus, it is correct for the plane. Whoever had my plane before made an axle out of a long 7/16" bolt and used the extended ends to attach a custom made spring loaded handle to, to pull it back into the hangar. A Cessna nosewheel handle also works.

[3Dreaming]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

This question is basically a personal preference. I've used Maule's, Scott's, heath's, but my favorite is the Lang. It's like driving a sports car compared to a dump truck. Tom

[NY86]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

Ditto on the Lang. It's reasonably priced and only slightly more complex and less durable than a rock.

The Scott 3200 (or Bushmaster 3200) is the most rugged of the bunch, but it's big and heavy. Properly adjusted, the "pressure points" are not an issue.

The best thing about a Maule is the price...

[dewhitaker]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

Go for the Lang, works for me!

[hangarb7]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

And the Lang is available where? What model or is there only one?


Jack D.
'46 BC12D

[dewhitaker]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

Here is the Lang info....

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/lang_tailwheel.php

[hangarb7]

Re: Suitable tailwheel set-ups

Is the Lang really that good? The exploded drawing looks like my Scott 2000 and I hate it. It is going to need replaced this time around and I would like to have a much better unit rather than replacing all those parts and still being disatisfied.

So, is the Lang really better than the Scott?

Jack D.
BC12D
N44057