T

tomusa

I'm New Here
When taxing or during landing rollout I find it difficult to turn tailwheel. With enough rudder pressure it does move but in a jerky increment and usually too far (yikes). I have disassembled it and lubed it while apart as well as assembled with no weight on it. Nothing seem to help much. I have noticed that the pillar is not quite vertical and was told by a mechanic that this could be part of the problem. Any suggestions? BTW, with no weight on the wheel it turns easily.

Thanks,
Tom
 
What type of tailwheel control do you have (chains, link, etc.)? If there's a lot of slack in your chains, you can be difficult to control.
 
Did you check the little spring-loaded pin for burrs? The post should be angled a little to minimize shimmy.
 
I'm sure that I can help. Feel free to call me at 812-464-1839

Advice is always free. Spare parts, upgrade tailwheel forks, sealed bearing tires, or complete units are available too.

Vince Frazier
Screaming Eagle tailwheels
3965 Caborn Road
Mount Vernon, IN 47620
812-464-1839
http://www.vincesrocket.com/products.htm
 
f1rocket said:
What type of tailwheel control do you have (chains, link, etc.)? If there's a lot of slack in your chains, you can be difficult to control.
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I have a rocket/rv steering link with absolutly no play. That part seems to work great.
 
N130WN said:
Did you check the little spring-loaded pin for burrs? The post should be angled a little to minimize shimmy.
Click to expand...
I did not check for burrs but I will. I am now thinking of upgrading the entire fork and assembly with one of the aftermarket forks that improve the clearence.
 
I don't know if it will fix your problem but I've found the steering link difficult to use. For me, there's not enough give in it.

IMHO, Van's tailwheel leans forward too much which contributes to the lack of smoothness because the fork is binding inside the casting. Now it's greased and all that so it's not rally binding, but the forces acting on the fork are not evenly distributed for the purposes of load bearing. I switched to an aftermarket fork and the stainless steering chains and my handling improved considerably.

I stongly recommend Vince's tailwheel. It's a direct replacement to Van's unit.
 
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