Do you like your chains Loose or Tight?

  • Loose - at least some slack

    Votes: 24 41.4%

  • As tight as I can get them

    Votes: 28 48.3%

  • I can't tell the difference, so who cares?

    Votes: 6 10.3%
  • Total voters
    58
Ironflight

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
I'm talking about Tailwheel Chains (or links) !!!!

I probably should have put this under the never-ending debates.....:rolleyes:
 
I like 'em tight...so tight I've fallen in love with the rocket link! That being said, it really doesn't matter that much, because flying off of grass all year means that at least once a year the tailwheel becomes a free castering shopping cart wheel until I take it apart and clean it (and when it's nice flying weather I usually leave it be until the weather turns crappy again - I know, a free castering tailwheel isn't the greatest thing in the world, but it's not as bad as you'd think either....kind of like when the old flap motors died every 40 hours...you just got used to flying without flaps) :)

My current project is getting a locking tailwheel so we'll have to see how I like that - it'll be something new for me.

Cheers,
Stein
 
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Snug to loose

I like my chains snug without any compression on the springs. I adjust when chains are loose enough to remove a link from each side. This thread will no doubt go the way of primers... and when it does, I prefer a two part epoxy.
 
I install them as tight as I can get them without any weight on the tailwheel. Then, when you sit the tail back down on the ground, there is just the right amount of slack due to the bending of the tail rod.

BTW, I like the small stainless spring set you can get from Van's. Just enough give when landing crosswind with some rudder without being overly stiff like the steering links.
 
SteinAir said:
My current project is getting a locking tail wheel so we'll have to see how I like that - it'll be something new for me.Cheers,
Stein
Click to expand...
Hey Guys,

Stein, you raised an interesting point. So with all of 7 hours tail wheel experience under my belt now, allow me this neophyte question: Why isn't a locking tail wheel considered a desirable feature on most small tail wheel equipped aircraft?
 
It IS, on some small short-coupled tailwheel airplanes - Pitts, One Design, etc. Many of these use the Haigh locking tailwheel that's either locked straight via cockpit cable, or free castering. I have no experience with them, but I've heard from many that they would prefer a steerable tailwheel once they are comfortable with the airplane, since taxiing is much easier with the steerable. Can't imagine wanting to put a Haigh on an RV.
 
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I like mine tight but with no pre-load. I find it tracks better while taxing. Can't tell a difference once I'm on the runway.
 
Squishy!

You know how the single engine Cessnas are, with the squishy steering that can be overridden by brakes? I like that better than the direct Cherokee or Comanche steering. With the Pipers while the nosewheel is on the ground you have very hard and direct steering then all of a sudden as the nosewheel lifts things are completely different; sort of, well, squishy, because that it the way air is, sort of squishy. With the Cessnas things are more close to the same as far as steering, air or ground.

That is kind of the way I feel about RVs. I can fly Cherokees or Tri-Pacers just fine but I prefer the ground feel of a 150 or 182. RVs with fairly rigid links or tight springs fly and taxi fine, but I prefer the squishier feel of loose chains.

Of course I may have been influenced by my builder's manual that told me to set them up that way.
 
You know, I actually thought about this very thing through the night, ya believe it.

Now with that said, I found it really doesn't matter. At least once you get some real good experience in the tail wheel. I've had mine tight and loose and really couldn't say which way matters to me. I will say if the wheel doesn't lock in possision, woa!!! you better be up on what you are doing.

Now, in my RC days, well I still do them. If you have a tail wheel that was too sensitive, wow, that little plane was all over the runway, if you put in some differential steering it was much more controllable. Now if you have a loose chain I guess you can say you have a little differential and could be a little more controllable on the taxi way, don't know, could be a bunch of bs, sounds good to me.
 
I like them loose

I keep mine loose when they are installed. I take them off when I am racing. Iwill leave them off until I have the time to put them back on.

These RV's have plenty of rudder and decent brakes. If the xwind is bad enough the springs won't matter anyway. I forked out the cash for the full swivel tailwheel and I find it doesn't work half the time anyway.

Chris Murphy
RV-4
 
Hanging Loose

When I bought my RV-6 the springs were loose, and that is the way I learned to fly it. I have landed in some pretty stiff winds (not always down the runway either) and on grass runways without any problems.:)
On the good advice of Rick Gray, I recently purchased a full swivel tailwheel (mine is the old non-swivel type, with the big nut just begging to be knocked off), and will hopefully get it installed soon. At that time I may try the method of "snug with the tail in the air" and take what play results from the weight on the tail spring.
I guess I got lucky in that my RV seems to have good landing gear geometry and tracks fairly straight on the ground without much correction.
On another topic (which is currently under discussion in another thread) I appreciate the suggestions about whether to use standard AN or tapered bolts for the mounting.
 
tail springs

Years ago I totally eliminated the chains and springs on my 4, worked perfectly. Only one problem. Taxing with a X wind I was wearing out my brakes quickly. If there was never a X wind for taxi I would have left it that way. On the RV4 you cannot get full rudder deflection with out exercising the springs, unless you leave a sufficient amount of slack. I never did like the slack, but felt I needed it.
 
I like mine as tight as possible - so much so that I went away from chains, and went to a link. (Many folks who like loose chains don't like the links, becuase they behave like tight chains, but I actually found it to be a little bit looser than chains - that's how tight I like them!) I just like to have instant response from all my controls, and that includes the tailwheel on the ground.

Paul
 
jetjok said:
When I bought my RV-6 the springs were loose, and that is the way I learned to fly it. I have landed in some pretty stiff winds (not always down the runway either) and on grass runways without any problems.:)
On the good advice of Rick Gray, I recently purchased a full swivel tailwheel (mine is the old non-swivel type, with the big nut just begging to be knocked off), and will hopefully get it installed soon. At that time I may try the method of "snug with the tail in the air" and take what play results from the weight on the tail spring.
I guess I got lucky in that my RV seems to have good landing gear geometry and tracks fairly straight on the ground without much correction.
On another topic (which is currently under discussion in another thread) I appreciate the suggestions about whether to use standard AN or tapered bolts for the mounting.
Click to expand...

Full swivel a must, you also need to keep it greased good. I generally take mine apart and clean it and grease it about every two months or when needed. When landing in the dirt and grass thay can get pretty gummed up.
 
Yes, Paul....

You should put more info in the title.

This might mean different thing effecting the answer:

1. Because of the snow we have been having in the NW.
Tight, because you will get better traction in the snow.;)

2. If the woman in black leathers has a whip.
Loose, because I may be able to escape if needed.:eek:

3. Oh, I have a nose dragger, so I don't need chains.:p

Kent
 
Sorry about that....

Ironflight said:
Just for the record, I only started this poll because "JonJay" mentioned it in another thread! you can blame him....:p
Click to expand...

....just trying to have fun. I think it is a personnal preference so not really an argument either way. :p
 
It is a locking tailwheel...

Rick6a said:
Hey Guys,

Stein, you raised an interesting point. So with all of 7 hours tail wheel experience under my belt now, allow me this neophyte question: Why isn't a locking tail wheel considered a desirable feature on most small tail wheel equipped aircraft?
Click to expand...

...it just locks automatically. Oh, it also unlocks automatically which is how it differs from a manual cable actuated locking tailwheel. I have a manual locking tailwheel on my Bucker. It will limit your turn radius on the ground quite a bit but it is pretty squirly when you unlock it. I always take off or land with it in the locked position. If you unlock it, you can spin it on a dime with differential braking, just like your RV, but it does not take any rudder or force to "brakeout" like the RV does. (I still use rudder kind of automatic reaction regardless.)
 
That's what I was talking about...a manually locking tailwheel. My Mullicoupe project has one and I just ordered a custom cable for it. Not an RV or Scott type tailwheel at all, but a neat little shot pin locking tailwheel that Younkin built. It's a work of art, but is new to me - someday I'll report back on how it works!

A Bucker?!? Come on already - you really know how to make a guy jealous!! :)

Cheers,
Stein
 
I like lockable tailwheels. Flew many hours in the SNJ, N3N and TBM with them. One thing nice is that you could use full rudder deflection and the tailwheel remains straight in a crosswind. Also on take off as the tail comes up there is not as much tendency to swing as by that time the rudder is doing all the work keeping you straight. I like loose springs for the same reason. Don
 
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