Preferred tailwheel set up

From what I've read it seems that the stock Van's tail wheel leaves something to be desired. It seems that Doug Bell's tail wheel fork gets raved reviews but what compliments it. Which tire and link or chains do you recommend?

Shortage of opinions

There seems to be a shortage of opinions, which is rare for this site. After reading several old threads here on VAF I called Doug Bell yesterday to order his tailwheel set up. He informed me that they only manufacture a tailwheel fork not a complete tailwheel assembly which prompted me to start this thread.

My questions are,
1. What is the best tailwheel (tire) to use with the Bell fork?
2. What is the best steering link to use with the Bell fork?

I have flown an RV6 and an RV7 with the stock fork and an RV7 (mine) with the Bell fork.

The Bell fork offers slightly more over the nose visibility and is much easier to drive due to the geometry of the wheel axle in relationship to the vertical pivot.

The real benefit of the Bell fork is that it won't get caught on the edge of anything like the stock one can and will.

I have flown an RV6 with really loose and broken in stock link chains (Jan Bussell's) and an RV7 with tight stock link chains and mine with the Brentz Tail Lynx with about +-1/2" of slack.

I like the positive control of the tight chains but in a x/wind, the slack can help a little when the tailwheel touches.

I have never flown with the solid link setups so I cannot offer any perspective on those.

My opinion is that of a newbie in regards to TW flying...It seems that with the flexible link options out there, it is a tradeoff that can be fine tuned by the pilot to their liking. Lose offers less twitchiness, better x/wind control and the pilot is less dependant on the TW keeping the airplane straight due to the slop in the system, the rudder needs to work more. Tight offers instant control when the TW is on the ground. Might cause the airplane to swerve a little in X/winds once the TW touches.

I've been flying for over 17 years with the Aviation Products tailwheel and stock chains just snug.
Wouldn't have it any other way. I've flown airplanes with the solid link and don't like it.

JakeLewis22 said:

Which tire and link or chains do you recommend?

Click to expand...

I learned long ago not to actually "recommend" anything when it is so much a matter of personal preferences!

But I will tell you what works for me, and you can take that for what it's worth....(We have an RV-6 and an RV-8, both with stock Van's tires and Silver bullet links. One has an API fork, the other the Bell.)

Personally, I don't think I can tell the difference between tires. When the tire gets worn down to nearly flat, I can imagine I get a little less shock absorption on bumps. But for me, a tire is a tie.

I have flown pretty much all the combinations of links/chains. My preference is for a very tightly coupled tail wheel - I don't like play in my controls, so when I had chains, I had them very tight. I really like the Silver bullet - it is fairly rigid, but has springs, so it has some give to it. Note that you can't seem to get them anymore - JDAir sells one that (I think) is pretty much a replacement for it. The only problem I find with really tight chains (other than that chains look sorta frumpy) is that it is easy to wear out the attach points on the rudder horn - you'd need to use clevis ends or something.

In summary, from a flying standpoint, I don't think tires make much difference, and the rest depends on your personal preference for control feel.

Paul

Haven't flown mine yet, but a plug for JD Air...they do sell them, I have one, and in taxi tests, I am VERY pleased with how it feels...



Darwin and Jason ship quickly with parts in stock...

Van's tail wheel

I'd like to hear from people using Van's tail wheel. Are you happy with it?

Doug
RV-7
Fuselage

doug_rv7 said:

I'd like to hear from people using Van's tail wheel. Are you happy with it?

Doug
RV-7
Fuselage

Click to expand...

Yep. I just replaced my first one at 700 hours. I replaced it with another stock tailwheel.

I have the Rocket Link, and love the positive feel. Crosswinds haven't been a problem, there seems to be enough give in the spring in the link.

Just received my Doug Bell link yesterday (yippee!)... After hitting the edge of the concrete pad at our fuel station with the Van's link, i'm happy to be putting a better link on there.

I have the stock Van's tailwheel now, but I hear that there is a replacement tailwheel that is 1 lb lighter than the Van's wheel. I don't know where to find it though. The Doug Bell link is 24 oz, the stock Van's setup is 17 oz. So i'm up about half a pound with the Doug Bell link, it would be nice to regain some of that with a lighter tailwheel.

I'm feeling a bit left out so I'll chime in. We began building tailwheel forks for the Rocket guys about 5 years ago. At the time, I was oblivious to the Bell tailwheel, which is a great product.

Our tailwheel fork is similar in function to the Bell, but is similar in construction to the Van's and weighs virtually the same as the Van's. Our tailwheel offers superior obstacle clearance and lighter steering forces than the Van's. For speed freaks, our tailwheel will accept a Van's tailwheel pant and still full swivel normally.

We offer a retrofit fork like Bell does. It will fit right into the stock Van's socket. We also offer the complete tailwheel assembly if needed. We also carry spare parts that will fit ours or Van's tailwheels.

I always say that Doug Bell and I make the 2 best RV tailwheels out there. If you don't buy mine... buy his! You'll love either one.

For TIRES, we offer our deluxe tailwheel tire which is about 6 ounces lighter than the stock Van's tire, has maintenance free sealed bearings, and much more durable tread.

We also carry Just Plane Works (built by Wayne Hadath) RV Rocket steering link which is the grandaddy of all similar links and is well proven.

(FWIW, Wayne and I both carry the tires and the links. We've sold hundreds of each with no problems. Wayne is in Ontario so if you're Canadian, buy from him. If you're U.S., buy from me. Helps eliminate the cross border shipping delays.)

More information on all of our tailwheel products can be found at:
http://www.flyboyaccessories.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=66

Thanks,

Here's a photo of the entire set up, including our fork, installed in a stack Van's socket, with Just Plane Works steering link:



and now one with stock chains and a wheel pant:



Thanks,

flyboy tailwheel is great

Vince, I have your tailwheel fork, and it's great.

My original van's assembly had a defect in the locking mechanism, so I decided to check out my options for the replacement. I read about folks that had experienced the stock tailwheel fork catching on something. It never happened to me, but I can easily see where that's a possibility. Vince's tailwheel fork is such a simple and yet help modification, and it was an easy swap.

Go Flyboys!

Don

I like the stock chains. I didn't like tailwheel fork so I went with the API fork. Was on the fence between the Frazier, Bell and API, just opted for API. I have my chains tight. Like others I don't like any slack in the controls. Bill Repucci has a great mod to attach the chains using an eye bolt/shackle setup. I haven't yet installed that, but have it ready to go. I am sure the SB or RV Rocket steering link would be good, but at this point I have no complaints with my chain setup.

One thing, the two bolts that attach the fork to the tail rod have some slop in them. I know others have tried to use taper pins or other attaching hardware to prevent shearing of the bolts under side loads. This is an area for improvement. I carry a spare set of bolts in my "flyaway kit" but I am afraid if the bolts shear the tailwheel assembly with take out my rudder bottom. I may replace the bolts at every other oil change.