T

Ted RV8

Well Known Member
To Paul Dye and any others out ther who are using the Rivethead Aero Silver Bullet steering link or other similar units.

Could you please comment on them.

Better or worse then the standard chain or lynx system? Difference in ground handling qualities? Does it clear the rudder or hit on hard turns like the chains?

Thank You

Ted
 
I Like it!

Hi Ted,

I've only had mine for a couple of months, but it works just fine. In fact, I am used to having my tail wheel chains really tight, so I really haven't noticed a difference in ground handling at all. From a piloting perspective, if I didn't know what was back there, it would be hard to tell the difference.

And it does look much cooler than the chains....

Now, if you prefer loose chains, you'll probably tell a difference, but it would be up to you if it is better or worse. (I have noticed no rubbing on the rudder lower fairing)

Paul
 
I agree with Paul,
I have had nothing on my 8 except for the silver bullet, and love it!
It looks great and in my opinion is much nicer than the chains, the only RV I have flown with the chains was Alex D. 6 when I did my transition training and he even commented on the fact he keeps them somewhat loose due to all the students flying the plane.
Go for the Silver Bullet!
 
Silver Bullet experience

Ted:

I flew with the standard chains for the first 70 hours on my -8 then switched to the Silver Bullet. I now have 225 hours on the plane (155 on the Bullet) and can't imagine going back to the chains.

A number of people warned me that the Silver Bullet would be much more sensitive to steering input than the chains. I'd say there is a slight increase in sensitivity but not a huge difference. I found the transition to be easy and the steering with the Silver Bullet much more precise. There is virtually no slop so you can steer where you want with relatively little rudder input (strong crosswinds excepted, of course.)

One area I would caution to watch is on the landing transition. Since there is almost no play in the Silver Bullet set-up you need to be cognizant of rudder position as the tail contacts the ground. If you are holding a lot of rudder in for a crosswind, be aware that the wheel is following the rudder and will be cocked to the side as well. This can make for some interesting movement at the back end of the airplane when the tailwheel touches down -- you need to be prepared to catch it quickly.

My only maintenance challenge on the Silver Bullet has been with the rudder control arm that Rivethead also sells. I added this piece in place of Van's standard control arm (the Silver Bullet only needs to connect on one side of the tailwheel assembly instead of two for chains). As you know, on the ground the control arm holds the rudder firm until there is about 15 degrees of deflection at which point it breaks free so the tailwheel can freely castor. This is very handy when parked on a windy day -- the rudder won't bang back and forth against the stops in the wind. After 50 or so hours on the combination, I noticed during pre-flight when I pushed the rudder to the left it would immediately breakout. It didn't do this to the right, only the left. My solution was to tighten the 3/4" nut holding the control arm-wheel-rudder assembly together. This would work for a few flights and then the same looseness problem would appear (I used new nuts each time, so it wasn't the nut). Obviously you don't want to tighten the nut too tight or the wheel won't rotate at all, so what to do? I'm thinking that perhaps the "notch" in the control arm that engages the little spring loaded insert in the tailwheel somehow got rounded and wasn't doing its job any longer. Upon inspection I can't say that I saw anything wrong, but I have purchased another control arm and replaced the original. I've now flown the new one about seven hours and a couple dozen landings and it is working fine. I'll keep monitoring this and post an update if the situation changes.

Overall, I love the Silver Bullet and highly recommend it.

Chris
 
I used the Lynx chains, but if installed with the springs at the rudder end, the springs hit the rudder. I installed them with the springs at the TW end and they did not hit the rudder.
I will use them again on my next plane.
 
Asymmetric Wear...

Hey Chris,

I experienced the same asymmetric wear as you did, using a standard two-sided arm. I flipped it over, and the problem went away, telling me that the one side and either top or bottom wears more. Now that I cut one arm off for the Silver bullet, I guess I can't use that trick anymore....(I can't use the beautiful Silver Bullet arm, as I have the API tailwheel, and the shaft diameter is different than stock Van's...)

Paul
 
Do not forget to try the Jantzi steering link. There are hundreds of these in service and I have over 700 hours with them on a number of different airplanes. http://www.JustPlaneWorks.com
The increased tail weights of the F1 rocket have increased wear on the short steering link arm. This has been something that has required replacement in the 20 to 30 hour range. Vince Frazier has a new tail fork assembly that has not only improved ground clearance but a shorter distance from the axle to the main pivot point. This greatly reduces the load on the little locking pin and has greatly extended the life of the steering arms. His product can be found on http://www.vincesrocket.com/products.htm
I am trying an experiment now with my latest steering arm. When I got my last batch of oil filter cutters metal hardened I got two of the steering arms done at the same time. I have quite a few hours on it now and I do believe it will make a difference.
 
Solution in search of a problem?

Ironflight said:
...I experienced the same asymmetric wear as you did, using a standard two-sided arm. I flipped it over, and the problem went away, telling me that the one side and either top or bottom wears more...
Click to expand...

Tom Martin said:
Do not forget to try the Jantzi steering link...
The increased tail weights of the F1 rocket have increased wear on the short steering link arm. This has been something that has required replacement in the 20 to 30 hour range...
Click to expand...
My kit steering chains have been trouble free for about 1,000 hours. I have to wonder what problem with them is worth added expense and maintenance. I think they work great!
 
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Wear Clarification....

The wear that I experienced that made the steerring "pop out" easier to the right than the left happened when I still had chains - long before I switched to the steering link. I haven't had any issues since then, but then, I haven't had it on for more than a couple months.

Paul
 
Thanks Paul

Ironflight said:
Hey Chris,

I experienced the same asymmetric wear as you did, using a standard two-sided arm. I flipped it over, and the problem went away, telling me that the one side and either top or bottom wears more. Now that I cut one arm off for the Silver bullet, I guess I can't use that trick anymore....(I can't use the beautiful Silver Bullet arm, as I have the API tailwheel, and the shaft diameter is different than stock Van's...)

Paul
Click to expand...

Paul:

Thanks for the info. I always wonder if it's "just me" and something I did wrong that others don't experience. Knowing I'm not the only one experiencing the problem helps.

I'm going to monitor this closely to see if this happens again and at what point (hours). I would hope that the control arm is not so sensitive to wear that it only lasts a short time before needing replacement. (By the way I permanently "borrowed" the new control arm from my brother who is building an -8. I ordered a new one from Rivethead for him and noticed that the new control arm is an updated design, so perhaps Rivethead has learned something along the way as well. We'll see.)

Chris
 
Tom Martin said:
Do not forget to try the Jantzi steering link. There are hundreds of these in service and I have over 700 hours with them on a number of different airplanes. http://www.JustPlaneWorks.com
Click to expand...

Same here, several hundred hours on the Jantzi link on my RV-6. I use the steering arm that was supplied with the link and have had zero issues with the arm and link, even after switching to the Bell tailwheel fork. I couldn't tell much difference in ground handling between the link and the fairly tight chains I originally had on the -6.

But the plane definitely looks faster. ;)
 
I appreciate Tom Martin's nice plug for my stuff. Thanks Tom.

I also have IN STOCK replacement control arms for $20. If yours is worn, get a new one here.

If you want the whole shebang to perform better, buy a retrofit fork too. You'll love the crisp handling and the better clearance or I'll refund your money!

Thanks,

Vince Frazier
Screaming Eagle Graphics and Accessories, LLC
3965 Caborn Road
Mount Vernon, IN 47620
812-464-1839
http://vincesrocket.com/products.htm
 
Tried all three

Sounds like I might be one of the only guys who has tried all three: Van's chains, Rocket Link, and Tail Lynx. Here's my take...

Van's chains - These are a non-starter: they rattle, rust, and just plain look bad. They work ok but the fittings tend to wear the holes in the rudder horn and tw bar. With two other options why would anyone be using these?
The Rocket Link - I'll assume it works similarly to the Silver Bullet. I got one of these when they first came out. It was ok, but as others have pointed out it is more sensitive and some might miss the freeplay between the rudder and the tw that is eliminated with this design. Also, at least with the Rocket Link, it was possible to get the arm spun around crossways if you jockeyed the plane a certain way on the ground. Having had this happen once I trained myself to always LOOK at the tw before getting in to start up.
Tail Lynx - This is the pick of the litter as far as I'm concerned. The recommended 3/8" of play the instructions is just right, and the "feel" is excellent. They can't get twisted around backward, they don't rattle at all like the chains, there is virtually no chance of them failing in any way as the single-sided flavors have been known to do, and they are very nice looking.

FWIW,
 
I second Randy's vote

randylervold said:
Sounds like I might be one of the only guys who has tried all three: Van's chains, Rocket Link, and Tail Lynx. Here's my take...

Van's chains - These are a non-starter: they rattle, rust, and just plain look bad. They work ok but the fittings tend to wear the holes in the rudder horn and tw bar. With two other options why would anyone be using these?
The Rocket Link - I'll assume it works similarly to the Silver Bullet. I got one of these when they first came out. It was ok, but as others have pointed out it is more sensitive and some might miss the freeplay between the rudder and the tw that is eliminated with this design. Also, at least with the Rocket Link, it was possible to get the arm spun around crossways if you jockeyed the plane a certain way on the ground. Having had this happen once I trained myself to always LOOK at the tw before getting in to start up.
Tail Lynx - This is the pick of the litter as far as I'm concerned. The recommended 3/8" of play the instructions is just right, and the "feel" is excellent. They can't get twisted around backward, they don't rattle at all like the chains, there is virtually no chance of them failing in any way as the single-sided flavors have been known to do, and they are very nice looking.

FWIW,
Click to expand...

They also can be reversed to avoid the springs dragging on the rudder bottom. Super simple, traditional, reliable product invented two hangar doors down from my old home at HIO.
 
tail lynx lite

I just swapped out the chains with swagged cable. Looks great, total investment $10.00. If the weather ever breaks I'll report.
 
randylervold said:
Sounds like I might be one of the only guys who has tried all three: Van's chains, Rocket Link, and Tail Lynx. Here's my take...

Van's chains - These are a non-starter: they rattle, rust, and just plain look bad. They work ok but the fittings tend to wear the holes in the rudder horn and tw bar....
Click to expand...
Rust, well I live in a dry climate, so no factor here. Wear could certainly be a problem without an eyebolt, and it isn't included in the kit, so there is another dollar or so to be invested. I won't address the subjective topic of looks.

But, but, what is this about the rattling? What kind of headset does it take to detect this rattling???
icon10.gif
 
No experience at all here, but I agree the chains look like something off a trailer screen-door. I wonder if there might not be some modern whiz-bang material (kevlar perhaps) that could be used to produce ultra strong, ultra thin cables. I read once that spider silk is about a gazillion times stronger than steel cable. Imagine those tailwheel cables as thin as string! Don't you guys down in Texas got some pretty humongous spiders?! Get on it. :D
 
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