| Image Comments |
| SteveM | 07-Sep-08 02:00 |
| Here is where the wheel really wants to sit. I guess it is time to grind off all that epoxy and find a way to tilt the brass tubing forward so that the tail wheel will want to rest properly. |
| JohnG. | 07-Sep-08 10:16 |
| Is this tailwheel on backwards...what would it look like if you rotated it 90 degrees??? |
| Barnstormer | 07-Sep-08 13:36 |
| I think you are right Steve, Nice looking work though. |
| SteveM | 07-Sep-08 14:26 |
| John G, not sure what you mean by backwards and a view with it rotated 90 degrees, but if you look at the previous photo you'll see how the wheel should be resting. If I had a better mechanical theory background I could probably describe why the angle of the brass tube is causing the wheel to rotate 180 degrees from where I want it. All I can say for sure is that the brass tube that the wire passes through needs to be vertical or angled slightly towards the front of the plane in order for the wheel to want to rest where it should (I think it is called the rake). |
| JohnG. | 07-Sep-08 15:21 |
| Well, I said 90 but, really meant to say 180..sorry about that...another senior moment!! Just need to keep my mouth shut.....:) |
| Creosotewind | 10-Sep-08 10:44 |
| Steve, do you want the tailwheel to freely rotate? If so, you will probably want the brass sleeve to be perpendicular to the ground. If the sleeve cants forward (currently, it is canted to the back)I think it will still be somewhat unstable as you taxi on the ground. I'll bet a couple of piece of balsa with corresponding holes, attached to the framework will get you what you need. |
| SteveM | 10-Sep-08 13:10 |
| The ideal situation would be to have the sleeve perpendicular when the plane is resting on the ground, which is what I thought I had when I applied the epoxy without really thinking it through properly. But since I could aim for vertical and inadvertently have a slight aft angle yet again, I would rather aim for a slight forward angle. The wheel only has to turn a few degrees in either direction as needed to navigate the runway, so a mild forward angle should not be problematic. |
| Creosotewind | 10-Sep-08 14:47 |
| Before you do anything drastic (X-Acto blade, anyone?) a possible fix as is, would be to cut a notch at the top of the brass sleeve, facing forward. If the wire for the wheel can be easily bent, it could be bent forward, looking like the tiller of a boat with movement restricted by the notch. This could also be done at the bottom with a kink made just above where the tire slips into the sleeve. Just thinkin'. |
