Through a coincidental sequence of events which aren't important to describe here, I took possesion of a brand new Aircraft Products Inc tailwheel for my RV-8 yetserday. (I let Doug Bell know, so that he could free up my spot on the list for the Bell wheel, which still looks to me to be a GREAT product!). I took a little time this evening to do the install, and here are a few notes:
1) The quality of the whole assembly is really nice - my A&P friend stopped by while I was installing it and said "Hey, you got a real tailwheel!". The neck is much beefier than Van's, and I like the fact that it has a grease fitting on the swivel portion. The steering arm is beefier as well.
2) Even though my old tailwheel assembly has only been flying a few months, it took some twisting and light tapping to get it off. There was the beginning of a litltle corrosion line where it met the spring. I cleaned up the spring with emory cloth, and before I did the final installation, sprayed it with zinc chromate and assembled it "wet" (the same way I used to install the nosewheel strut on my Yankee) so it should be easier to remove some day.
3) Drilling it to the spring was not hard. I carefully lined it up vertical, and measured for the first hole in the spring from a datum line a couple of inches ahead of the front of the neck. I drilled this with a #30 to make sure I hit the hole, then stepped it up two drill sizes at a time, until I was nicely centerd and at an AN3 size. Once I was through and into the spring's hole, this served as a drill guide to get through the other side. I dropped in a bolt to hold it square, and measured for the second hole - they are exactly 1/2" apart. Same process for that one, and everything came out square. I then removed it, deburred, primed, and assembled.
4) I learned a trick awhile back that maybe everyone knows, but I haven't seen it documented. To compres the springs and make it easy to hook up the chains, run some big safety wire up the center of the spring and twist it with your pliers - it will draw the ends of the spring together (You can see it in the picture). Do it on both sides of each spring, and now you can connect the chains without any stress. Boy, I wish I'd known that the first time!
5)I replaced the cheap spring clips on the arm end of the springs awhile back (when one twisted and fell off!) with small stainless steel shackles from Boat US. They even have a nice hole in the clevis pin to run a safety wire and keep them in place. Breaking strength is some ludicrously high value - definitely aircraft quality!
6) It was dark (and we still have no runway lights) when I finished, so didn't get to taxi or fly it, but I can tell that the nose is lower just sitting in the cockpit. And no, I didn't measure the original value to compare...got too excited to be working on the plane again, and forgot...but the step up on to the wing took a little more of a stretch!
Total Install time was about an hour and a half (not counting chit-chat time with drop-in's). Can't wait to go fly with it, and I am much less worried about ground clearance now!
Paul
1) The quality of the whole assembly is really nice - my A&P friend stopped by while I was installing it and said "Hey, you got a real tailwheel!". The neck is much beefier than Van's, and I like the fact that it has a grease fitting on the swivel portion. The steering arm is beefier as well.
2) Even though my old tailwheel assembly has only been flying a few months, it took some twisting and light tapping to get it off. There was the beginning of a litltle corrosion line where it met the spring. I cleaned up the spring with emory cloth, and before I did the final installation, sprayed it with zinc chromate and assembled it "wet" (the same way I used to install the nosewheel strut on my Yankee) so it should be easier to remove some day.
3) Drilling it to the spring was not hard. I carefully lined it up vertical, and measured for the first hole in the spring from a datum line a couple of inches ahead of the front of the neck. I drilled this with a #30 to make sure I hit the hole, then stepped it up two drill sizes at a time, until I was nicely centerd and at an AN3 size. Once I was through and into the spring's hole, this served as a drill guide to get through the other side. I dropped in a bolt to hold it square, and measured for the second hole - they are exactly 1/2" apart. Same process for that one, and everything came out square. I then removed it, deburred, primed, and assembled.
4) I learned a trick awhile back that maybe everyone knows, but I haven't seen it documented. To compres the springs and make it easy to hook up the chains, run some big safety wire up the center of the spring and twist it with your pliers - it will draw the ends of the spring together (You can see it in the picture). Do it on both sides of each spring, and now you can connect the chains without any stress. Boy, I wish I'd known that the first time!
5)I replaced the cheap spring clips on the arm end of the springs awhile back (when one twisted and fell off!) with small stainless steel shackles from Boat US. They even have a nice hole in the clevis pin to run a safety wire and keep them in place. Breaking strength is some ludicrously high value - definitely aircraft quality!
6) It was dark (and we still have no runway lights) when I finished, so didn't get to taxi or fly it, but I can tell that the nose is lower just sitting in the cockpit. And no, I didn't measure the original value to compare...got too excited to be working on the plane again, and forgot...but the step up on to the wing took a little more of a stretch!
Total Install time was about an hour and a half (not counting chit-chat time with drop-in's). Can't wait to go fly with it, and I am much less worried about ground clearance now!
Paul
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