alpinelakespilot2000
Well Known Member
Can I get away with using an all-metal locknut on the axel bolt of my Van's tailwheel?
Based on previous threads, I think I know the answer to my question, but I'm not sure. In order to make my towbar better fit over my tailwheel bolt I'd really like to use a all-metal locknut rather than a castle nut/cotter pin combination. (The cotter pin makes getting the towbar on and off more difficult). However, with a Van's tailwheel, torquing down on the castle nut compresses the bearings and makes the wheel hard to turn. Thus it requires backing off a bit on the torque. Even backed off, the metal lock nut is still really hard to turn, and unlikely to come off, but I'm pretty sure standard acceptable practice is only to use a castle nut/cotter pin here, right?
Based on previous threads, I think I know the answer to my question, but I'm not sure. In order to make my towbar better fit over my tailwheel bolt I'd really like to use a all-metal locknut rather than a castle nut/cotter pin combination. (The cotter pin makes getting the towbar on and off more difficult). However, with a Van's tailwheel, torquing down on the castle nut compresses the bearings and makes the wheel hard to turn. Thus it requires backing off a bit on the torque. Even backed off, the metal lock nut is still really hard to turn, and unlikely to come off, but I'm pretty sure standard acceptable practice is only to use a castle nut/cotter pin here, right?