Have lately seen a few people running chainless. There is even a tailwheel you can buy that's meant to be run that way. I think Swingle made a video about it.

Is this a thing now? Few taildraggers I've flown steered for beans without differential braking anyway. I guess if you can eliminate shimmy without the chains, what's the point, right? Fewer complications?

Curious what you tailwheel pilots think. Thanks.

Treefeller wrote:Have lately seen a few people running chainless. There is even a tailwheel you can buy that's meant to be run that way. I think Swingle made a video about it.

Is this a thing now? Few taildraggers I've flown steered for beans without differential braking anyway. I guess if you can eliminate shimmy without the chains, what's the point, right? Fewer complications?

Curious what you tailwheel pilots think. Thanks.

I just got educated about this from Wup, Brian, and the other good folks at Alaska Bushwheel. If I'm remembering correctly, I was told that to run chainless, you want a free castoring tailwheel. Doing so you don't have the TW locked for landing, but I don't think that helps a lot anyway. There sure is a lot less to hang-up, etc without the chains. I agree with what your saying about brakes and steering. On mine, the only thing the chains really accomplish is to unlock the tailwheel when maneuvering on the ground, anyway.

It's like power steering for your rudder when on the ground and running low pressure in a big footprint tire. Also takes some stress off of the tail when swinging the tail around in big rock by not having to unlock the tailwheel.

I lit a Bushmaster (stretched PA-20 with PA-18 wings) with the tailwheel springs off and it was a handfull for a short period of time. It had a Scott 3200 tailwheel on it.

Also, my C-170 was doing weird stuff when I first bought it. I replaced the tailwheel tire/tube and it was a lot eaiser to land after that. This is just my experience with tailwheels.

byeBill

Are we talking experimental or certified? If certified, the tail wheel steering mechanism is part of required equipment, and removing it would make the aircraft unairworthy.

There are several good reasons most tail wheel airplanes are equipped with either a steerable tail wheel OR a locking tail wheel. In fact, I can't think of a certified airplane that didn't have one or the other.

If your tail wheel is set up Properly, it should not shimmy. If it shimmies, get it fixed.

Try using brakes in a long taxi with a strong crosswind......PITA best case, and if those brakes heat up enough, they're going to fade....and you're screwed.

Some of the folks who are doing a lot of landings on really rough stuff are doing this, but like most things, it'd be a compromise. And if you're doing that, rebuilding the a/c probably doesn't concern you much.

Me, I like steering, and effective steering is quite doable on most airplanes, and there are times when it's a GOOD thing.

MTV

I may have asked before, but don't recall if I got an answer or not. When running with no steering chains, what do you do about the steerable feature of the tailwheel? With a Scoot/ABW 3200, this would be attributed to spring p/n 3222 which snaps into notches in the steering arm assembly p/n 3214 to make the t/w steerable, and is pushed out of those notches by the pawl p/n 3219 to go into free-swivel mode. Is the 3222 spring just removed so the t/w assembly is in free-swivel mode all the time?

I replaced my springs and slacked my chains and solved two problems


I have a 172 with the Bolen TW conversion. The plane came with rudder/tailwheel connection springs that were differrent then the type I had on my PA 22/20 (the inside/outside clothes line hardware rig). I was having trouble with worn bushings where the chain connects to the rudder to the point where the rudder arm hole was being elongated because the spring supplied was a stiff single coil that was set up so it was tight (tension on both springs) when the wheel was centered. There was no real way to prevent the chain from falling off the spring if I were to have slackd the chain a link or two on eaither side so at my last annual I ordered two of the other style (same as on the piper w/Scott 3200) which allows the connecting chains to be just slack (or as slack as you want it to be) when the wheel is centered. The wheel is locked when the wheel is centered so why would the connecting chains need to be tense? Also: When the plane is in flight, there is no reason to have additional tension on the rudder arms, the tailwheel is doing nothing for this mode of the operation of the plane and it seems dumb to wear out rudder parts dragging the tailwheel hardware around with every rudder input

My IA allowed it and we logged it. We tested it out together and it improved the performance of the tailwheel in landings and It improved ground handling manners when taxiing and stopped wearing out tail wheel tires on pavement (I used to see rubber skid marks when turning in front of my hangar on the concrete pad before I slacked the chains and so far the busings are in tact with no elongation.

I don't feel the need to unchain the tailwheel, but too much chain influence is no good too.

I've messed with t/w steering chains & springs a lot over the years. I ran compression springs on my 170 for a long time, they worked great even though "everybody" says not to use them. I have tension springs on my 150TD now. I don't trust the little teardrop-shaped connectors commonly used for connecting the chains at either end. I have them only at the aft end of the chains, and have them safety-wired to the chain. I had one unbend itself open somehow & come unhooked-- hence my safety-wiring the pointy end so it can't come off the chain AND so it can't unbend itself. Only takes a few seconds but adds to my peace of mind.

hotrod150 wrote: -- hence my safety-wiring the pointy end so it can't come off the chain AND so it can't unbend itself. Only takes a few seconds but adds to my peace of mind.

X2

Is the 3222 spring just removed so the t/w assembly is in free-swivel mode all the time?

That is my understanding.

Agree with MTV.

I once owned a pretty little Aeronca 7AC Champ with mechanical brakes (i.e. good for little more than trying to hold ship in position for run-up). A tail wheel spring came loose and provided excitement during crosswind landing. Brakes did save the day - - barely.

If you ever lost braking on one side, lack of a steerable tailwheel could be "entertaining".

bumper

Maybe placard the panel:

"tail wheel springs inoperable and removed"

bumper wrote:


If you ever lost braking on one side, lack of a steerable tailwheel could be "entertaining".

bumper

Oh it is... Lost a brake line on the 180 Maule, made a bunch of left turns to get the job done

Most heavy tw aircraft have free castering tail wheels, I can't think of any that don't? Also most ag aircraft

We look after a Percival Provost, typical english aircraft with pneumatic brakes and castering tailwheel.. Modulating valve on the stick and proportioning / steering valve on the rudder, takes some getting used too that's for sure! I'll never complain about heel brakes after that one!

Tail wheel steering is WONDERFUL , except if it *shimmies!

*shimmy - definition of shimmy by the Free Online Dictionary ...
www.thefreedictionary.com/shimmy
Abnormal vibration or wobbling, as of the wheels of an automobile. 2. A dance popular in the 1920s, characterized by rapid shaking of the body. 3. A chemise.

Most of the ag aircraft I see around here have locking tailwheels. Big difference with a lock from a full castering. And, many if not most of the DC-3/C-46, etc type airplanes had locking tailwheels as well.

MTV

MTV
I think I only landed my Beech-18 once without the tail wheel locked!!!
GT

mtv wrote:Most of the ag aircraft I see around here have locking tailwheels. Big difference with a lock from a full castering. And, many if not most of the DC-3/C-46, etc type airplanes had locking tailwheels as well.

MTV

Yeah, you're right but they don't have chains or steering.. A couple I fly have manually locking tw's. Airtractor unlocks with full forward stick, has a cable or rod from an elevator bellcrank to the tw lock..

I actually prefer direct link/torque tube steering. My cassutt had it, and that is what's on my Pitts. There is no spring sloppyness at all. When you need input a little goes a long way fast.you do not have to wait for a reaction.

I have lost a brake line twice, both times due to hitting a dog on the runway and ripping the line off. Kind of why I think people who let their F*CKING dogs run free on airports are total selfish dicks. I like dogs, but not on a runway, along with deer, moose, hogs, large birds, marine mammals, wart hogs, camels, african spur tortoises, donkeys, cows and dipsh!ts on ATV's. Without the tailwheel steering, it would have been a total disaster. One other thing I like about the Schineder Speed kit, is it encloses the brake lines.

I agree with you on the dogs on the airport thing. I am based in an air park, and the way I see it is that if your dog runs through my prop. Then you owe me a new prop and an engine rebuild. There are ADs on sudden stoppage and a dog qualifies. One expensive dog for sure or dog funeral for sure. Please keep all pets under your control at the airport . please.