R

RV...Phorrrr

I'm New Here
Well, what a day Ive had!! 3.5 hours to remove the tailwheel/spring assembly from my 4!
I have an older style tailwheel spring (the bent one with the lock nut 1" from the ground) and want to upgrade to a screaming eagle one with a new spring. The nut holding the spring retaining bolt into the fuz tube would freely rotate but wouldnt undo so i had to drill the thing out, 2 hours later the nut dropped off and the bolt comes out then the tail spring is seized into the tube, I was glad to get home!!! :D
What do you guys think of the screaming eagle unit?

Cheers

Paul
 
Tail wheel upgrade

Hi,
I did this mod to mine. I just removed my tail spring and had the bend end cut off, then machined down for this Van's part.

Adapt your existing spring and mount this swivel
Part Number = U FSTW-W/O SPRING
Price = $142.00

Was easy and cheap fix, good luck.
 
I did the same as Bob. I cut it off and a friend tossed it in his lathe. I also had it powder coated. Worth every penny not to have to use a tow bar to push the plane backwards.
 
I did a similar mod on my -4 and went through several tailwheels before I settled on the Screaming Eagle unit. I have been very happy with it. Before I installed it, I had in powder coated. It still looks great after several years.

Good luck,

Dean
 
Cheers guys, I am going to get myself a new Screaming Eagle tail spring too, I have taken careful measurements and am certain it will fit fine. If the bolt hole through the mounting tube inside the airframe is too far aft, you got yourself a huge task to put right, mine seems ok. The picture I have attached shows one that was too far aft and he had to remove his tailplane to access/de rivet/redrill a new hole!! You can clearly see how the original bolt hole would send the bolt through the wrong place in the spring.
9uvyat.jpg

Ill send an image of the completed job :)

Paul
 
Look at JD Airparts too

I have an early RV4 kit (460) which had first engine start yesterday and should fly today. It came with the original bent spring as well. I wanted a better tailwheel with improved clearance and found JD Airparts. I think it is a great tailwheel setup as it has both needle and ball bearings and is sealed. It represents a greatly improved design. Jason had me send him my spring since it had already been mounted and was drilled correctly for the plane. He cut and machined my spring, powdercoated it, and mounted the tailwheel before shipping it back. The results are excellent. I think I have the best tailwheel setup for an RV4. You should give them a call. Easy to work with, high quality work. I do not work for them, I just really think they produce a superior product. I can send a picture of my tailwheel if you like.
 
Yes, getting the old bent spring out can be difficult. A little Kroil and a short pipe to twist the tailwheel stub to loosen everything will help.

We carry a tapered pin kit for replacing the AN4 bolt, if the hole is loose or drilled improperly.
 
Another option

RV...Phorrrr said:
What do you guys think of the screaming eagle unit?

Cheers

Paul
Click to expand...
Paul,
I have installed three different TW mods in lieu of the Van's "stone crusher" stock TW rod and assembly.
Vince's Screaming Eagle product is first rate and I installed one on my Rocket and his "hubcap" tail-wheel" Good product as well.

Alternatives? Not to take anything away from Flyboy Products but for the sake of comparison I also like the API TW assembly. I have installed two, one on each of the RV's I built. The API works better for my many unprepared airport excursions. My home turf strip gets "sodden" in the summer and the API's wider, larger forks keep mud from clogging between the TW and the fork much better.Geometrically, it raises the rudder higher off the ground as well, slightly improving forward visibility as a side benefit. I also use Dayton Murdock's lightweight tail wheel tire, several small companies sell it. Also, a great product and very light.

V/R
Smokey

http://www.legend.aero/images/API-Tailwheel.jpg
API Tailwheel

http://www.jdair.com/light-weight-tailwheel-tire-for-vans-rv/
Dayton's TW tire

PS: Many RVers use the Bell TW as well....
 
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Smokey,

Thanks for the kind words about our product. Indeed, the Screaming Eagle fork is much more tightly constructed (sleek) than the API, and possibly more prone to gathering mud. A small price to pay for the extra 10 knots it gives. ;)

Indiana mud gathers around the top, but is easily flicked off. I fly off of turf, which is pretty soggy and muddy this time of year.

Of course, everyone knows that a tailwheel's primary function is to gather oil, soot, grass, bugs, dirt, and mud. Steering the plane is secondary.

Teaser: soon we'll have a custom fitted tailwheel pant available for all of the Screaming Eagle Tailwheel speed freaks out there. Of course, it will also be good at gathering dirt, bugs, oil......

We also carry Dayton's lightweight tailwheel tires. Dayton is the man! He makes great stuff.
 
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Tail wheel

I tried the light weight tail wheel, way TOO hard for my liking.
Went back to the old style grease slinging wheel, rides much nicer.
 
Torch for removal, anti-seize before it goes back in

Found my tail spring seemingly fused into the tube when I tried to remove it a few of years back. Absolutely nothing would budge it, which was really frustrating. Finally thought of heating it (the unpainted spring, not the painted tube) with a torch, which did the trick nicely.

I had that thing slathered in anti-seize before it went back in. Might be a good idea on new builds too, although I don't know about any other than Vans' stock.
 
vfrazier said:
Our deluxe tire is a good compromise. No grease required and a medium ride. Very durable too.
Click to expand...

Yep, the "ride" is almost exactly the same as the stock Vans grease slinger tailwheel. I run one on my RV-6 and like it a lot. The 6 oz weight savings is welcome too. I ran over something and knocked a big chunk of rubber out of my first one and immediately bought another one to replace it. My damaged wheel still rolled just fine, but at only $74 for a replacement it was a no-brainer to put a new one on my plane. I also run a Screaming Eagle tailwheel fork and the steering improvement was definitely noticeable the first time I taxiied with it.
 
Well, my repair from two months ago failed miserably and my tail spring snapped last night while taxiing. Long story but now I need to replace my tail spring and complete tail wheel assembly. The tail spring in my RV4 is similar to the straight spring in this picture. Since I do not have one of the tapered springs to compare the mounting hole location as shown in this picture I'm wondering where I can find the same untapered spring. The one from Van's seems to be the tapered version. The untapered spring is probably shorter as well since I was not able to use the JD Link when I tried it a couple of years ago.

Thanks Paul for the picture you posted. It is exactly what I needed.

9uvyat.jpg
 
Mike,

Can you drill a new hole a bit farther forward? It might make the overall installation easier since you'll get a new, perfectly matched hole and all new parts.

We've got all the parts you'll need in stock.
 
Lang air

Speak with Harmon at [email protected]
I ran into this issue several years ago. He can make you a new spring and match drill it to your old one for a reasonable cost. He makes several of the gear components for Vans.
Ryan
 
Mike,

I recently went through a similar scenario, where my tail spring broke at the tailwheel assembly attach point at the aft end of the spring. I purchased a new tapered spring and tailwheel assembly from Flyboys.

I had the same problem with my old untapered tailspring, where the weldment mounting hole was too far aft as shown in the picture. Mine wasn't quite as far aft as is shown, if I recall just about half a hole. I did as Vince suggested and placed the new mount hole just forward of where the spring begins to taper.

I then began pushing the spring forward in the weldment until the tailspring hole lined up with the existing weldment hole and installed a new bolt & nylon nut. Moving the mount hole means the spring was short about 1/4" from being able to be pushed fully forward & butted up against the vertical piece of the internal weldment. However, there is still plenty of contact at the two places the rod mates with the weldment.

8Sl5eio.png
 
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