Tricycle to taildragger

[Luked 71]

I'm waiting on wing parts right now, so I thought I would work on something else. My Plane has the front mount for the trike gear. Has anyone removed this, and switched it to the tail dragger only style structure? Anything to watch out for? I'm about ready to remove it and put in the proper tubes to replace it, but thought I'd ask first. 

 

Thanks,

Luke D.

[EDMO 1078]

You might want to make sure it is still useable, since there are guys looking for the nose gear and mount.  But, IMO, you are lessening the resale value of your plane for no reason.  Why not kept it convertible?

EDMO

[Av8r3400 1178]

Cutting out the sub assembly is not difficult and will cut unnecessary weight off the front of the plane.  If you are careful and neat while cutting, the sub assembly can be sold to someone who wants it.

 

I don't remember if replacement tubes will be needed to be welded back in or not, but this too would be very easy.

 

I say go for it.

[Luked 71]

I guess I just have a hard time dragging around that extra weight for no other reason than the idea that it might get used some day. For some reason I just don't like it. Call it a personal flaw

 

Not sure if I could get it out of there in a very usable condition. I could try. I'd be happy to document the geometry of the thing, and wall thicknesses though so that someone could re-create it from new tubing though.

 

 

Just for reference, here is a picture of my plane in the front. Sorry I don't have a better picture right now. My daughter recently stepped on my camera, and it doesn't work now. Need to get a new one.

 

 

Here is a picture from a recent thread showing a taildragger.

 

 

 

[marksires 484]

Please save if possible, document if not. I'd be interested in the trigear parts also. Would like to convert my taildragger to trigear. I dont have a grass runway and the taildragger is a real handful.

[Luked 71]

Please save if possible, document if not. I'd be interested in the trigear parts also. Would like to convert my taildragger to trigear. I dont have a grass runway and the taildragger is a real handful.

 

The only trigear parts I have are in the fuselage structure. I don't have any of the parts to the actual gear. I'll try to save it.

[EDMO 1078]

Can you post or PM the inside diameter and wall thickness of the big tube?

Thanks,  Ed

[Luked 71]

Can you post or PM the inside diameter and wall thickness of the big tube?

Thanks,  Ed

 

OD is 1 5/8". Wall thickness looks like .0625". I don't have my digital calipers. Also, the powder coating makes it difficult to know exactly what the original dimensions were. Of course that would make it 1 1/2" ID. Hope that helps. I'm actually measuring all of the other dimensions. I'll try to make up a diagram showing dimensions.

[EDMO 1078]

Thanks Luke,

     A drawing with dimensions would be nice to have in either "Technical" or "Files and Forms".

EDMo

[Luked 71]

Well, that's that. Removing the nose gear structure was very easy. Now it remains to be seen how hard it will be to add some tubes back in. Start to finish was about 20 minutes,and I was taking my time. I used a sawzall, and it worked great. Very little work with the grinder will be needed,and I think the structure is in very usable condition.

The only tubes that are significantly shortened are the cross tube at the base of the socket, and the one from the top of the socket to the top of the seat truss. It's yours to use Mark if you want it. Here are pics. You should be able to remove the stubs left from my cross tubes, and remove a small chunk from the middle of yours. Should fit right in. The one to the seat truss would probably just be easiest to replace.

First cut.














The "after" picture. One other reason I wanted to do this is to add an additional motor mount point at the bottom of the firewall in the center. I noticed that Kitfox does this as well.


Here's the socket structure (3.7 lb. as pictured).

Edited 30 Apr 2014 by Luked