Landing Gear question

[914pete]

Close up pic of tail wheel

[Tom H]

Pete, your tailwheel design looks good, especially for the light-weight LEU or XL.  Having the bolt in double shear will reduce the bending on the bolt.  I made a tailwheel for DE Stubby, which works good, but we find a slight bend in the pivot bolt each annual.  I may try to incorporate (steal) your idea some day.

[914pete]

I decided to go with a more conventional set up for my tail wheel.  I'm still planning on using the 3" wheel but built the caster to accommodate at least a 4" wheel.  And went with a flat tail spring.  It seems very sturdy.  The whole thing including temporary grade 5 bolts, nuts and washers weighs 3.3lbs.

[914pete]

I decided to go with a more conventional set up for my tail wheel.  I'm still planning on using the 3" wheel but built the caster to accommodate at least a 4" wheel.  And went with a flat tail spring.  It seems very sturdy.  The whole thing including temporary grade 5 bolts, nuts and washers weighs 3.3lbs.

I also reshaped the caster wheel arms to drop 1" to the bolt.  Raises the caster up for more clearance.

[Bob Wood]

Pete,
That looks really good!

Bob Wood

[914pete]

Thanks Bob!  Welp, I added another leaf to the spring this morning.  I had some material left over.  I was dropping the tail and the spring was a little too bouncy.  Plus I pushed down hard on the tail several times and the spring started flattening out.  Its definitely stiffer now.  I used this material for the spring:
Stress-Resistant 5160 Alloy Steel

• Yield Strength: 97,000 psi
• Hardness: Rockwell C25 (Hard)
• Heat Treatable: Yes
• Max. Hardness after Heat Treatment: Rockwell C63
• Specifications Met: ASTM A689

Similar to spring steel, 5160 alloy steel handles repeated cycles of stress without breaking. It’s often used for flat springs.


Maybe not as stiff as regular spring steel?  I'm not sure.  We'll see

[Flyguyeddy]

How thick is this steel? 

[914pete]

How thick is this steel?

1/4" thick x 1 1/4 wide.