Pneumatic Tailwheel Tube Specification

Owing to a suddenly flat tailwheel during an otherwise fly able weekend...

Can anyone advise the type of inner tube used in the Vans pneumatic tailwheel (RV-6). Are these typically procured locally or sourced from aeronautical vendors?

Thanks,

Didn't know the offered a pneumatic tail wheel. I would suggest a better route would be to swap it out for one of the many available solid tires.

Been inspecting RVs since the late 80's. Never seen a pneumatic tailwheel on one. Must be something someone has done independently.

The only pneumatic tailwheel tire that will fit a -6 that I know of is the Matco unit like I have on my -6.

Heinrich

Solid Rubber Tailwheel

Mel said:

Been inspecting RVs since the late 80's. Never seen a pneumatic tailwheel on one. Must be something someone has done independently.

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Thanks guys. Solid rubber tire on order.

Make sure you have the spacers if you don't already.

Rob Erdos said:

Thanks guys. Solid rubber tire on order.

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I?ve got a Van?s solid tire tailwheel assembly you can use until your new one arrives. The bearings are in poor shape, but it?ll get your through a few hours.

We need a better tire compound

We have two of these Matco pneumatic tailwheels on our RV's in BC. They look great and ride great but we won't travel with them as they seem to go flat quite easily. The price is very reasonable for rubber but I would rather pay a premium to have a reliable tire. I always keep mine inflated to 50 psi but still seems to go flat easily. Also if your landings aren't perfectly straight the tread seems to wear at an incredibly fast rate. I flew a new tire to Reno for the air races and had to land at KRNO with a 20 knot 90ish degree cross/tailwind and the tire looked almost half worn out from that 5 or 6 landing trip. I now have Dayton Murdoch's wheel/tire combo ( http://djmmfg.com/tailwheel.aspx )which also looks great and I am very happy with. If anyone knows of a better tire available that would fit it would be a nice option. The tire is 6" outside diameter and about 3.5" wide. I have an extra tube for the poster but I am not sure I could get it to you fast enough to be useful. The tubes are available at Matco or Spruce.

You have two tail wheels on your RV Jeremy? I thought you got rid of your training wheels a long time ago.

Kind Offer

Kevin Horton said:

I?ve got a Van?s solid tire tailwheel assembly you can use until your new one arrives. The bearings are in poor shape, but it?ll get your through a few hours.

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Thanks, Kevin! I'm off on business travel tomorrow for two weeks, so my chance for a quick swap of the tailwheel has passed. The solid Van's tire should be waiting when I return.

Order a DJM tailwheel, like this. They seem to hold up very well.