Broke tail wheel during road transit

19 posts in this topic

Posted

Seems  obvious afterwards.  Avid 4 all tucked up and secure in my trailer for a long drive.  On arrival, tailwheel springs had snapped.

Then, the penny drops.  Weight on tailwheel in normal use - minimal (one man lift).  Weight on tailwheel with wings folded - much, much more.  So, support that sucker if you're going on bumpy roads with the wings folded...

 

Safe drive!  Sam.

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Posted

Sorry to hear that, I just took the measurements and re arched mine also added 4 layers of carbon fiber composite to the bottom.  You have probably seen the posts about Wausau Spring being a good place to get a replacement.  I suspect the the original was nothing more than cold rolled steel.

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Posted (edited)

Misery loves company only on mine it was not the tail-wheel spring, it was the cluster it attaches to that broke off. While being transported on I-80 in Indiana.

20151101_141337.jpg

20160911_151219.jpg

Edited by Dave0415
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Posted

Ouch - but, it does look a bit corroded??!!

Anyone got a picture of 'jig' that they use?  Unsure as to whether I should be supporting the tailend of the fuselage (but with some shock absorption clearly) or the wings (given that the weight problem is caused by the folded wings).

Thanks!  Sam.

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Posted

Living proof that you have to support the tail while trailering.  Although the last picture shows rusted/broken tubes probably before it was trailered.  This is on a Kitfox 4, but I've used the same method on the Avids.  This pic was taken after hauling the plane 1500 miles from Texas to northern Mn on an open trailer.  No damage.  JImChuk

Photo0587.jpg

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Posted

Hi Jim,

Thanks.  Interesting you don't have any shock absorption there - but as it's at the hitch end the tractor will soften out the vertical movement.

I think it is better to support the wings (also takes the strain off the wing attachments) but this is much more complicated to fabricate.

Thanks for that though, very, very useful.

Cheers, Sam.

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Posted

The wings should be supported also, but those supports go from the bottom strut attachment point to the front spar to keep that part of the wing from flopping up and down from the bumps.   You can see the black tube going from just behind the bottom of the door up to the wing in this picture.  JImChuk

Photo0579.jpg

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Posted

hm, hadn't thought of that axis of movement.  More important than the wing tips moving up and down whilst folded?

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Posted (edited)

I am sure that Jim has better photos than I can post - But the tips or now the rear portion of the wings are attached to the fuselage when folded, and the struts are still supporting them - He has much more experience safely transporting Avids and Kitfoxes than me.  (I wrecked mine coming from Alaska!)  EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

hm, hadn't thought of that axis of movement.  More important than the wing tips moving up and down whilst folded?

The wing tips are supported by the struts.  Just like they are in flight.   Wings/struts were designed to take +4 Gs, - 2 Gs or so.  Actually the front of the trailer is being supported with the tow vehicle's suspension as well so the bumps get some what absorbed.  I've towed different Avids and Kitfoxes over 3000 miles without problem.  Used a Buick Lesabre for almost all of those miles.  JImChuk

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Posted

For a little perspective.  My kitfox model 4 tail weighs 35 pounds with wings spread and 175 pounds with wings folded.

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Posted

That'll do it!  Never even crossed my mind - expensive error!

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Posted

Looking again at your picture of the broken cluster, you're probably lucky this happened.  The two longeron tubes look like they were already cracked through and corroded before you started.  I'm guessing it spent significant time outside and the longerons sat filled with water.

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Posted

Looking again at your picture of the broken cluster, you're probably lucky this happened.  The two longeron tubes look like they were already cracked through and corroded before you started.  I'm guessing it spent significant time outside and the longerons sat filled with water.

X2.. those tubes were way far gone before the trip. I hope the rest of the tubes look better than this cluster.

:BC:

 

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Posted

Looking again at your picture of the broken cluster, you're probably lucky this happened.  The two longeron tubes look like they were already cracked through and corroded before you started.  I'm guessing it spent significant time outside and the longerons sat filled with water.

X2.. those tubes were way far gone before the trip. I hope the rest of the tubes look better than this cluster.

:BC:

 

Sounds like a good time to replace everything with the fuselage parts Sioux201 has for sale!  EDMO

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Posted

Looking again at your picture of the broken cluster, you're probably lucky this happened.  The two longeron tubes look like they were already cracked through and corroded before you started.  I'm guessing it spent significant time outside and the longerons sat filled with water.

X2.. those tubes were way far gone before the trip. I hope the rest of the tubes look better than this cluster.

:BC:

 

Sounds like a good time to replace everything with the fuselage parts Sioux201 has for sale!  EDMO

x2 to that, Ed. 

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Posted

On my Catalina, wings folded and 14 Gal of fuel I measured 240 Lbs on the tailwheel.........In the end I made up a fiberglass spring as the steel one was bending. Also lost 1 Lbs doing so,,

Wondering how much the structure can take before something breaks or bends during trailering? anyone in the engineering department??

 

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Posted (edited)

On my Catalina, wings folded and 14 Gal of fuel I measured 240 Lbs on the tailwheel.........In the end I made up a fiberglass spring as the steel one was bending. Also lost 1 Lbs doing so,,

Wondering how much the structure can take before something breaks or bends during trailering? anyone in the engineering department??

 

I'm not an engineer, but not many know much about the Cat - is there a water rudder (ventral fin) or a place to bolt on a towbar underneath?  That would be a place to put some braces for trailering, or block it up and tie it down good to keep the weight and bouncing off of the tailspring.  EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

After building my trailer, and seeing the same problem, I mounted a siccors jake on the ramp and positioned it to lift just at the base of the tail spring, where its bolted to the plane. I stap it down then from an Eye bolt thru thu fuse. Same place as 1Avidflyers picture. Caught this before any issues.

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