Aviation Products 4" tailwheel assy. ?

I need a new tailwheel assy. Currently have a 6" wheel. My 4 has short gear.....thinking about a 4" vs a 6" assy from Aircraft Products.....anyone used one? Thx in advance for all input.

Good idea, same here. How about one that locks from the cockpit?

Tim

I have quite a bit of experience with both the 4 and 6 inch AP tailwheels on my last airplane, and I also have several hundred hours with a locking tailwheel of my own design that happens to use a AP 4 inch tire on my Rocket. The 6 inch rides smoother over contrete joints and surface irregularities, but I can discern no advantage beyond that. The RV series really does not need much help to go straight anyway, so I guess it's up to you. Do you need the slight reduction in weight or increased deck angle that is offered with the smaller unit? One advantage to the AP products is that you can fit one of your choice, then simply swap out forks and tires if you want to try something different.

My thoughts are the 4" with my short gear would give a similar clearance to a 4 with long gear/6" wheel. Either would work fine as I never fly off of grass or rarely on rough surfaces....the extra 2" clearance in my case would seem to be Like getting free insurance.......

Will it fit.

Does anyone know whether the 4 inch wheel will fit onto the fully swivelling axle supplied by Van's?

4" Tailwheel

I had a 4" tailwheel on my RV6 vans tailwheel assembly when I bought it. Not sure of the brand but as long as the axle diameter is correct, it will work. The biggest problem is the lack of clearance due to the poor design of the vans tailwheel fork, I put on a Bell tailwheel fork and have no issues with clearance with a 4" tailwheel.

autoglide said:

My thoughts are the 4" with my short gear would give a similar clearance to a 4 with long gear/6" wheel. Either would work fine as I never fly off of grass or rarely on rough surfaces....the extra 2" clearance in my case would seem to be Like getting free insurance.......

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Actually, I used a variety of grass strips with the Rocket on both of my recent trips to Florida/Bahamas. The 4 inch unit worked fine even FULLY loaded, though I suspect it was more of a skid than a wheel much of the time. I also fly off hard dirt on occasion.

One thing to keep in mind however, is the possibility of snagging the tailwheel in something solid while taxiing. The Vans fork is very succeptable to this and even moreso if you put a small tire on it. If you snag something hard enough you can rip the attach bulkhead out of the fuselage and I understand that is not easy to fix.

My design addresses this by incorporating a "ramp" shape. Theoretically, I if I run over something the wheel won't clear, it will simply slide up the ramp and clear without ripping the bulkhead out.

We have a 4" tire, made by Dayton Murdock. It was originally intended for the Sonex guys, but was quickly adopted by some RV racing guys.

It looks great and, as I said, other RVers have used it. To our knowledge, without difficulties.

http://www.flyboyaccessories.com/4-inch-Lightweight-Tailwheel-Tire-p/1003.htm

I understand wanting to change the deck angle of the short legged RV-4s as I had one years ago. However, keep in mind that going from a 6" diameter to a 4" diameter is only a 1" drop. That's hardly a big change, but a change nonetheless.

If you're all in, also consider changing the main tires to the biggest diameter that you can fit in your wheel pants. Take a look at retreads, which might be larger diameter, and also other sizes too. Have fun!