Rocket Bushwheels...
 

Here are some pics...

Smokey

Question
 

Will the 380x150-5 tire fit on a nosewheel ?

Size Matters...
 

Hans,

Yes, you can use the 380X150X5 on main wheels, but you have to use a bigger fork (as shown in the link)and a 500x5 on the nose. I've never owned a nosewheel RV but it sounds like a great idea. Let me know how it works out!

This is Steve Sampson's original idea and should be standard on all RV's and Rockets, in my humble opinion. A much better and safer footprint. My Rocket now has 300 hours on them, an absolute home run! My friend Dale went to 600X6's on his HR2 with RV10 wheel pants, even better!

Smokey
HR2

PS: Jeff, what is the full link to your 7A friend's site? Excellent machine work!

Spacers???
 

All,

I used to fly out of Lake Corpus Christi Arrowhead which had a grass strip and used these tires for about 800 hours on my first -4. A buddy flying a -6 changed over at the same time and put about 800 hours on it before selling it.

We never thought about using spacers....:confused: ...DUH...not saying we were smart. Just didn't think/KNOW we needed them and all worked out OK.

Am just throwing this into the mix for consideration. We did modify our wheel pants for clearance and watched it closely for first 10 to 15 hours. We had a problem with gophers and thought this might give us an edge if one of the little buggers was a deep digger. I liked them....the tires, not the gophers!:p

Am on a paved strip now; but often think about going back to them for all the reasons of landing on unimproved ground.

Good thread....

___________________________
Deal Fair
RV-4 (N34CB)
George West, TX (8T6)

It is starting to sink in now
 

Hey, thanks for the info and links guys. I really like this idea. It looks like the worst part is the fairings. Interesting that Steve Sampson is using what appear to be stock fairings and Bob Trumpfheller talks of needing different fairings, maybe he means reworking the originals?

I think my plane needs to fly before I go changing things, but I suspect a "Bob Trumpfheller" nosewheel is in 164HM's future.

I think all the links and info have made this particular thread the definitive "Big Tire" thread on VAF.

Thanks,

Hans

Big tires.....Small spats...
 

Smoky has given me, quite wrongly, much of the credit for big tires. They have been around in the UK for a while, but I guess I made it public perhaps, on Vansairforce.

I can see from the number of hits on my blog that oversize tires of great interest, and the posts below made me think it was time with 80 grass landings behind me in the -4, to see just how they were getting on inside their normal sized spats. Perhaps I had 20 lbs of mud travelling with me?

I never did space the tires out from the brake calipers but its quite clear the tires are clear of everything....well, except the mud.

So I have put some words and pictures here.

If you use grass that turns to mud in the autumn, they seem like an excellent addition to a -4, and I would think all tail dragger RV.

Big tires
 

Hi Smokey
I put on those bigger Dresser tires on my RV4 as you suggested, put on a new pair of Vans Pressure Recovery Wheel Pants, mounted them 1 inch higher than the plans say, and I love them! They make for a much better handling plane, and even help out the prop clearance a bit!
Great idea... the new wheel pants were a LOT of work !
Thanks for the suggetstion Smokey!
Dick,
Boulder, CO

Pay it forward...
 

My pleasure! I thank Steve Sampson for passing me the idea, glad it worked out...

Smokey
HR2

Update from Bob Trumpfheller
 

adjusting max load for longer fork isn't that simple
 

I don't stay in holiday inn's, but I am an engineer.

Trying to adjust the max allowable nose gear weight for a longer fork is a bit complicated.
First, using the logic from the above post:
If Van's rates the nose gear to 375 lb, and you have increased the fork length by 17%, then the reduction of allowed max nose gear weight would be based on 375 - 0.17 x 375 = 311 lbs.
However, not all the bending moment on the nose gear comes from the end moment applied by the fork. In fact, the bending moment at any point along the nose gear strut is based on its location relative to the axle. So, by lengthening the fork, the bending moment from vertical loads is actually reduced over much of the length of the gear strut. It is only the portion of the gear strut forward of the axle that will experience higher bending moment.

Whether this results in greater deflection or less deflection depends on the overal dimensions and taper of the gear strut. If it is very tapered, then the increased moment forward of the axle may make the end "curl up" more, but if there is relatively little taper, the dominant contribution to the deflection will be the aft part of the strut, and lenghening the fork may reduce deflection.