roadrunner20

roadrunner20

Well Known Member
I will be converting my 7A to a 7 and want to begin buying the replacement parts. I'll be requesting Van's part list tomorrow. Since it's cold & rainy in Florida today, it's a great day to do the research.

The archives have several threads on tailwheel replacements but most are from 2006-2010. A lot has changed since that time.

With that being said, what have others found to be a better replacement for Van's stock assembly?
Or is Van's stock assembly the way to go?
FlyBoys?
 
Also, JD Air. I've purchased their steering link and other products. Not flying yet, but sure looks like good stuff.

I purchased the lightweight tailwheel thru Van's that is made by DJM Manufacturing.

Bell for the fork.
 
Dan,

I converted the 9A to a 9 about a year ago. Basically you need the tail assembly (weldment, fork, wheel, and assorted hardware). I think any of the new forks mentioned are an improvement over the standard one (which I think is likely to catch if you go over a sharp bump). I got a JDair link and although expensive, it works very nicely. I also got a castle nut to put on the top of the fork, rather than the nylock nut (let me know if you want one, I had to buy a bunch to get one so can send you one). You may also need a couple new HS brackets (F711 or something like that) if yours was a slowbuild and you thinned these brackets for weight savings.

Also need a new engine mount - mine fit perfectly though a few others have had to make minor adjustments. To go with that are new gear legs and plumbing to move the brake lines (Bonaco or TS flightlines are nice options here).

There's another recent thread here on VAF regarding conversion of a 7A to a 7. Good luck, have fun, and don't hesitate to give me a call if I can help.

Cheers,
Greg
 
We're running Bell or Bell "clones" (sold by Alex D.) on all three airplanes, and using Dayton's lightweight tail wheel on the -3 (stock Van's wheel's on the other two) due to weight. Silver Bullet Links on all three, but they are no longer available - several others have been mentioned that will do the same job. Using the Bell or Flyboy's fork will enable you to use Van's "knuckle" on the end of the spring - if you go with the API fork (I had one for about 1,000 hours on the RV-8), you'll need their knuckle, tail wheel, and control arm - they have uniques sizes, and that can be a pain if you're trying to find parts in a hurry.

Any of them are an improvement in ground clearance over stock!

Paul
 
I've go two of Vince's tailwheels and couldn't be happier with them. One is for a fairing and the other for grass strips, etc. As Tom Martin said, Vince's fork really makes it easy to use Van's tailwheel fairing. I permanently glassed the fairing to the fork which makes the fairing really solid. Just takes a few minutes to change them out.

001.jpg


022pp.jpg


019pp.jpg


Oh yeah, and since I took these pictures, I also switched to the tapered pins instead of the two AN3 bolts shown here. Highly recommended also. :)
 
Greg Arehart said:
Dan,
You may also need a couple new HS brackets (F711 or something like that) if yours was a slowbuild and you thinned these brackets for weight savings.
Click to expand...

I removed my HS/VS fairing & opened up the rear fuselage this afternoon & found I hadn't trimmed the VS brackets because at the time, I thought I'd eventually go conventional gear. I had forgotten all about it. That will save me a few hours of not having to remove & replace it. Looks like I'll just have to drill out 2 rivets, drill to size, and attach the tailwheel support.
 
Pat Hatch said:
I've go two of Vince's tailwheels and couldn't be happier with them. One is for a fairing and the other for grass strips, etc. As Tom Martin said, Vince's fork really makes it easy to use Van's tailwheel fairing. I permanently glassed the fairing to the fork which makes the fairing really solid. Just takes a few minutes to change them out.

001.jpg



Oh yeah, and since I took these pictures, I also switched to the tapered pins instead of the two AN3 bolts shown here. Highly recommended also. :)
Click to expand...

Looks like Vince's gear is the way to go including the rocket steering link.
This makes a really nice clean setup.

Thank you for everyones input.
 
JD Air

We have a tailwheel fork available that is lighter and provides increased clearance over the stock Van's. I really enjoy the added visibility lifting the tail provides!!

All products are in stock and available for immediate shipping.

Check them out. www.jdair.com
 
I too am using Vince's fork and love it. I don't use any king of tailwheel steering and it works great. No matter what tailwheel you use, you are about to make an awesome aircraft, awesom'er (new word).
 
Guys, thanks for all the very kind words!

We're finishing up another batch of forks. We're up to around 425 of them out in the field with no issues. I'd have never guessed that an idea given to me by Jim Winings (F1 Rocket and RV pilot extraordinaire) would turn into a second career!

Anyway, we've normally got everything in stock for immediate delivery and do everything we can to make sure you're 100% happy. Like Tom Martin said, the retrofit forks are normally a 5 minute installation on an existing Van's tailwheel.

Plus we have repair parts, springs, steering links, tech sheets, tires, ... just about anything you could need for your tailwheel.

And a whole bunch of other RV stuff too.

Thanks again,
 
vfrazier said:
Guys, thanks for all the very kind words!

We're finishing up another batch of forks. We're up to around 425 of them out in the field with no issues. I'd have never guessed that an idea given to me by Jim Winings (F1 Rocket and RV pilot extraordinaire) would turn into a second career!

Anyway, we've normally got everything in stock for immediate delivery and do everything we can to make sure you're 100% happy. Like Tom Martin said, the retrofit forks are normally a 5 minute installation on an existing Van's tailwheel.

Plus we have repair parts, springs, steering links, tech sheets, tires, ... just about anything you could need for your tailwheel.

And a whole bunch of other RV stuff too.

Thanks again,
Click to expand...

Vince,
Sent you a PM.
 
tailwheel conv

Dan i have a few pics if you pm me your email of changing my 6a to 6 not sure what you are saying about vs attach points but most A models have 2 bulkheads that have to be changed to 4 bulkheads and when you order Vans change kit be sure to order about 40 inches of 1 1/4 t4 flatbar its not in kit and the A's arent long enough.
bob
 
Bob,

At least the 9 (and I presume the 7) have two bulkheads in the far back already, but they may need some slight modification (couple holes for the tail weldment). The next bulkhead forward is single, but has the VS attach bars (F711, I think) that protrude down along the bulkhead and add the necessary strength for the weldment, provided they have not been thinned in the original assembly. Not sure about the 6, but it may be different.

Cheers,
Greg
 
Regardless of the tailwheel fork you select, I recommend you install i-bolts on the bottom of the rudder horn and on the top of the wheel steering linkage, if you use the springs. That will keep you from wearing out the bottom of the rudder horn.

Also, install a longer bolt with brass bushings. This may slow you down a 1/4 of a knot but it will allow you to move the plane around with a Cessna tow bar.

The following is from the 4th fuselage page my web site:

Doug Bell makes these drop in replacement tail wheels for around $200, money well spent, IMHO. The real advantage to this type of tail wheel is that it presents the face of the wheel to any pothole the tail might drop into. This will allow the wheel to climb up out of the hole. Van's standard tail wheel works more like a tail hook and has been known to catch on things, like if you dropped the tail off the edge of a concrete pad, and pull the aft two bulkheads out. The other thing to notice is the Eye-bolts used to attach the steering spring. A similar arrangement is put on the bottom of the rudder horn. The advantage here is the spring is almost horizontal and should be out of the way of the rudder bottom. In addition, when the spring starts wearing away at the attachment points, the Eye-bolts are easy to replace. This was not my idea, it was in one of the OLD RVaitors, which are good reading. (Parts List, four of each are required: Eye Bold Drilled AN42B-5, Cable Shackles AN115-21, Bolt AN3-6 (Drilled shank), Washer AN960-10, Castle nut AN310-3, Cotter pins as needed)
The wheel bolt is long and bushed out on purpose so a Cessna tow bar may be used on the tail wheel. (The white bag is 20 lbs of OO buck shot. It is helping hold the tail down with the engine mounted and no tail or wings installed.) (5/27/07)
Click to expand...
 
Greg Arehart said:
Bob,

At least the 9 (and I presume the 7) have two bulkheads in the far back already, but they may need some slight modification (couple holes for the tail weldment). The next bulkhead forward is single, but has the VS attach bars (F711, I think) that protrude down along the bulkhead and add the necessary strength for the weldment, provided they have not been thinned in the original assembly. Not sure about the 6, but it may be different.

Cheers,
Greg
Click to expand...

Bob/Greg,
My rear fuselage matches what Greg has called out. Since, I didn't trim the F711C, I just need to drill out the 2 lower rivets and use the mounting points for the tailwheel support. The bottom rear skin needs slight trimming to accommodate the mount. Vince does not include this mount so I will order it from Van. This saves me a bunch of work not having to replace the 2 VS F711C bars. I will also need to order the inside cabin gussets and panel when I swap out the A gear weldment. The motor mount is a 4-6 week delivery.
Thanks for all your input.
 
N941WR said:
Regardless of the tailwheel fork you select, I recommend you install i-bolts on the bottom of the rudder horn and on the top of the wheel steering linkage, if you use the springs. That will keep you from wearing out the bottom of the rudder horn.

Also, install a longer bolt with brass bushings. This may slow you down a 1/4 of a knot but it will allow you to move the plane around with a Cessna tow bar.

The following is from the 4th fuselage page my web site:
Click to expand...

I like that i-bolt idea. At this time, I'm not sure whether I will go with the rocket steering arm or the conventional springs.
 
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taper pins....ditto

I want to reinforce the comment about using taper pins rather than AN3 bolts to hold the knuckle onto the tail spring.

There are some good threads in the archive about how to do it. put one in from each side to maximize edge clearance.

A great enhancement to durability.
 
scsmith said:
I want to reinforce the comment about using taper pins rather than AN3 bolts to hold the knuckle onto the tail spring.

There are some good threads in the archive about how to do it. put one in from each side to maximize edge clearance.

A great enhancement to durability.
Click to expand...

Here's a photo that illustrates Steve's post:

015-1.jpg
 
Some have used roll pins instead of bolts to attach the tailwheel to the tailspring. Perhaps Tom Martin will share his experience. I think he said he has 500 hours on such a set up.
 
Knuckle Taper pins

I must have missed this thread when I was building and used the AN3 bolts per the drawings, I have a Bell type fork that fits the standard Vans knuckle and has worked well. Should I be inspecting for an issue with the standard bolts? Do they work loose? I have 185 hours so far on the plane.
 
Dave,

Jack up your tailwheel and grab hold of your fork and see if there is any play in the knuckle where the AN3 bolts are. If you have any play at all, it will only get worse from here. The taper pins will resolve this issue. The problem arises while taxiing when you swing the tail around and the tailwheel is 90? to the tail spring. This situation creates the maximum shear on the AN3 bolts. Add a good bump and you can actually shear the bolts as has actually happened to a few RVs.
 
Thank, will check

Pat
Thanks, flying tomorrow so will check. Do you have the part number of the pins by any chance?
 
Dave,

You will need the following:

2 ea. AN386-2-9A Taper Pin
2 ea. AN975-3 Taper Pin Washers

Also, you will need a taper reamer. I got mine from MSC Industrial Supply... I think the size you need is 12-02704. Do a search on VAF on tapered reamers to be sure. I'll check the number next time I'm out at the hangar.

You have to ream the hole by hand so get a good pair of leather gloves! :)

[P.S. - Dave found the MSC invoice... the taper reamer is a No.2 HSS B&S taper finish reamer, MSC catalog no. 02054021. Worked great, slow and steady using a good cutting fluid.]
 
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which side?

can the linkage be installed on the right side of the rudder horn or only on the left as shown in the pic's?...and why?

thankx
 
I am in the process of replacing my tail wheel and would like to verify the taper pin reamer is in fact correct for these taper pins.
The MSC reamer, MSC catalog no. 02054021, appears to have a small end diameter of .244. was this a reamer for the single bolt in the fuselage?
Just want to verify these are all the correct parts for replacing the 2 bolts in the Tail wheel assembly and not confusing the tail spring mount!

Thanks,
Jon


Pat Hatch said:
Dave,

You will need the following:

2 ea. AN386-2-9A Taper Pin
2 ea. AN975-3 Taper Pin Washers

Also, you will need a taper reamer. I got mine from MSC Industrial Supply... I think the size you need is 12-02704. Do a search on VAF on tapered reamers to be sure. I'll check the number next time I'm out at the hangar.

You have to ream the hole by hand so get a good pair of leather gloves! :)

[P.S. - Dave found the MSC invoice... the taper reamer is a No.2 HSS B&S taper finish reamer, MSC catalog no. 02054021. Worked great, slow and steady using a good cutting fluid.]
Click to expand...
 
Pat Hatch said:
Dave,

You will need the following:

2 ea. AN386-2-9A Taper Pin
2 ea. AN975-3 Taper Pin Washers

Also, you will need a taper reamer. I got mine from MSC Industrial Supply... I think the size you need is 12-02704. Do a search on VAF on tapered reamers to be sure. I'll check the number next time I'm out at the hangar.

You have to ream the hole by hand so get a good pair of leather gloves! :)

[P.S. - Dave found the MSC invoice... the taper reamer is a No.2 HSS B&S taper finish reamer, MSC catalog no. 02054021. Worked great, slow and steady using a good cutting fluid.]
Click to expand...

Well after blindly following this post, it appears I now have a 65 dollar reamer on the way that I don't think is going to work!

Can anybody verify the size taper pins and correct reamer for them, to replace the 2 AN3 bolts that attach the tail WHEEL assembly to the tail spring.
 
To replace the two AN3 bolts that hold the mounting socket to the the tapered (stinger) spring:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/reamers.php

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/an386taperpin.php

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/an975taperpinwshr.php?clickkey=61399

I believe that you'd want the B & S Taper No. #1 reamer, qty 2 of the AN386-1-8 pins, and qty 2 of the AN975-3 washers. (You can use a longer pin if you like, and grind off the excess. See ACS notes below for installation data.)

You'll also need patience, cutting oil, reamer (tap) handle, AN365-832 or AN320-832 nuts, and patience.

Pin data from the ACS site:
Manufactured from alloy steel, minimum tensile strength 125,000 PSI. Cadmium plated. Taper: 0.500"/ft. Use with AN975 taper pin washer, AN320 shear castle nut and cotter pin or with AN364 elastic stop nut. When installed, the small end of the tapered shank should protrude no more than 1/16" above the surface of the assembly. The first dash number is the Brown & Sharpe taper pin reamer number and the second dash number is the grip length in eighths of an inch. For undrilled threaded shank add the letter "A" after second dash numbe


Please double check the part numbers provided!
 
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N941WR said:
Regardless of the tailwheel fork you select, I recommend you install i-bolts on the bottom of the rudder horn and on the top of the wheel steering linkage, if you use the springs. That will keep you from wearing out the bottom of the rudder horn.

Also, install a longer bolt with brass bushings. This may slow you down a 1/4 of a knot but it will allow you to move the plane around with a Cessna tow bar.

The following is from the 4th fuselage page my web site:
Click to expand...

Bill or someone, could you quote the specs on the LONGER BOLT? I'd like to order one and also the Cessna Tow BAR. I can mfg the brass bushings.

Thanks guys, this is a great idea. I was always cussing the tow bar/tailwheel on my C-170, there just wasn't much for it to hang on to and the clamping force of the tow bar wasn't that high, well you get the picture.

ALSO, at AS which towbar does one get:
Is it:
Towbar Cessna Delux $56.95
Towbar Scott Tailwheel $59.95
or
Towbar Universal $87.75
that will fit over the tailwheel bolt.
 
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On a related note, we should have the first few Doug Bell forks ready to ship in a couple more weeks. These will be our pre-production prototypes and most are already spoken for.

As many of you may know, the Bell's are retiring from tailwheel fork production after the passing of Doug Bell Sr. Doug Bell Jr. has licensed us to continue producing his dad's very popular and successful fork design.

Like anything else, it always takes longer than you'd expect to get everything put into place on anything new... well, new to us anyway. We're taking a bit of extra time to make sure that everything that we make is just as good as Doug Bell Sr's fine product.

The first batch of 100 should be available early 1Q 2015.
 
mantry said:
Bill or someone, could you quote the specs on the LONGER BOLT? I'd like to order one and also the Cessna Tow BAR. I can mfg the brass bushings.

Thanks guys, this is a great idea. I was always cussing the tow bar/tailwheel on my C-170, there just wasn't much for it to hang on to and the clamping force of the tow bar wasn't that high, well you get the picture.

ALSO, at AS which towbar does one get:
Is it:
Towbar Cessna Delux $56.95
Towbar Scott Tailwheel $59.95
or
Towbar Universal $87.75
that will fit over the tailwheel bolt.
Click to expand...
Check out this thread for pictures.

The bolt length will vary, depending on which fork you use. My Bell fork was an early production unit I bought from Doug Bell, Sr. while visiting my mother im mid-Michigan one Christmas while I was building and I think it is slightly narrower than some and wider than the stock fork.

I'll get the bushing length and post it tonight. Then you can order s bolt to match your configuration.
 
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So is the tailwheel axle the standard 3/8" bolt? AN6-xx What length should I look for? Bill can you measure yours? Looks like the standard length(from Vince's site) is AN6-32 3-11/32" So I would guess 1/2-3/4" bushings on each side so add one of those on each side and go with that?

Again, which of the 3 towbars fit on teh AN6 Bolt/Nut?

Thanks!
 
Yes, it is an AN6 bolt in whatever length you need. To get a measurement for you, I would have to remove the tailwheel as I don't have a caliper that will reach around the wheel. Also, as I said above, mine may not be the correct length for you. The bushings are a 1/2" long and are the same diameter as the washers. So, just add one inch to the bolt you have and you should be good to go.

As for which tow bar, you didn't include any links so I can't tell you which of the three you are asking about.

Mine was blue and was designed for a Skyhawk, so I would think any of the three should work. (IIRC, it was the Cessna deluxe tow bar.)

I have used a couple of different ones but if you follow the link I gave you, there are pictures of the bar I'm using. Maybe you can match it up to one of the three you are interested in.

Grab your AN6 bolt and head to the local airport and try it out on a few different Cessna towbars and see what works.
 
The Bell fork should use an AN6-37A as the standard axle bolt.

It is fairly easy to use a standard Cessna towbar on most RV tailwheels without any bushings or other major mods.

The only thing that we've done to the RVs at our home base is to carefully squeeze the cotter pin so that it doesn't interfere with the towbar. Easily done with channel-lock pliers. Mostly you just squash the head of the cotter pin down a bit.
 
Thanks Vince, I've got the parts added to my AS Cart, waiting to see if I can think of anything else I might need.
 
JD Air

The JD Air tailwheel assemblies are in stock and ready to ship. They are lighter and provide additional clearance than the stock Van's. Available in white and black powder coating. Also the light weight tailwheel is available.

Our steering link is unequaled in steering precision and balanced steering. We have steering arms for the stock Van's and API forks.

Check everything out at www.jdair.com
 
We do have the original Screaming Eagle retrofit forks in stock and ready to ship. We've also got the new smaller Screaming Eaglet tailwheel assembly with 4" tire available for our lightweight builders.

The new Bell forks should be available 1Q 2014... hopefully in January if all goes well.

We're working on a new Monster fork that will allow use of a larger, pneumatic tire. This project has been mentioned in the past and uses a Kenda 2.00 x 50 tire on a Matco hub. The tire is roughly 7 1/2" diameter.

And, of course, the original RV/Rocket steering links, approaching 1000 units in service, are still available.

And control arms with tie down rings, repair parts, canopy latches.... egad... please visit our website for a complete list.
 
We now have the first batch of Bell forks (officially licensed from Doug Bell) ready to ship. Not enough yet to fill all of the waiting list orders, but we're on the right track. Look for an email from Blake soon. Orders will be filled in order.

If you'd like to be added to the waiting list, please add you name to the list using this link:

http://www.flyboyaccessories.com/product-p/1120.htm

Thanks for your patience. We're working as fast as we can!
 
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