• If You Are Having Trouble Logging In with Your Old Username and Password, Please use this Forgot Your Password link to get re-established.
  • Hey! Be sure to login or register!

Skywagon Tires

26" Goodyears or 26, 29, and 31" Bushwheels. If you're game for 10" wheels you can do 850x10 and 29x11x10 Air Hawks. I haven't kept up with what Aero Classics has going for Bushwheel imitations.
 
Any feedback on the choices from people who know them. I want to be able to land on the occasional gravel bar but don't need to do 6 inch logs or rocks. I am leaning toward the 26 inch
 
What about pavement? Bushwheels don't last long on pavement. 26" Goodyears are better for wear but have a smaller contact patch and are pretty stiff so lack the radial Bushwheel flotation on soft ground. Air Hawks are a decent compromise and you can buy adapters to install them on 6" wheels. 850x10s are known as 26" and have a wider tread than Goodyears. 29x11x10s are bigger in every way if you need bigger. Both wear well on pavement and are pretty good in the soft stuff but aren't as soft as Bushwheels. Pros and cons.

http://www.supercub.org/forum/showt...ks-on-a-180&highlight=bushwheels+AirHawks+180
 
Last edited:
Eddie,

I've run 8.50's, 26" Goodyears & 29" Bushwheels (Heavy Tread) on my 185's. 26" Goodyears are a little bigger then 8.50x6 and wear extremely well on pavement (gravel) and don't reduce cruise speed as compared to 8.50x6's. But they are tubed so can't be let down a lot without bead locking the tire which isn't strictly approved. And the rubber itself is quite stiff which is why they wear so well. You'll need a field approval for 26" Goodyears. 29 inch heavy tread bushwheels will last a decently long time including with some pavement landings as long as you never pivot on the tire. Even pivoting on grass will burn through to the cords in short order. 29's will cut about 15 mph off your cruise speed (at least it did my IO520D 86" 2-blade Mac - my new 185 with a IO550D and a 88" 3-blade Mac only lost about 8 mph). With this new 185 I strongly considered 26" Bushwheels to save some cruise speed but know of no one who could provide speed data, plus the 550 with the 88" drags the plane around better, and since I'll use it a bunch up here in Alaska I thought I'd suck it up and stick with 29's. BTW, 31's can't be used on 185E or 185F as these planes gross weights are too high.
 
I run 29x11x10" 4 ply tires on my 185 and ran then on my 180. I fly off both gravel and concrete and just bus gravel and they work very well. I've not had a wear problem at all with them. On the 180 I ran GarAero adapters and the 185 I run the 10x10's from ABW. With the GA's I ran 12-15 psi for fear of spinning the rim/tire and cutting the valve stem. With the 10-10's I've talked to guys that will run 5psi and they say OK . I haven't done this so second hand infro.. I run 12-15 on them. They are the best for me. Also run the wide fork with the glider tire on the tail as I sank the narrow wheel a few times and is a job getting a wagon unstuck alone. The glider tire does the trick and wears much better than the BBW.
I've found I like the stiff sidewall on mountain strips because the a lumpy and tend to bounce the plane around and the wagon gear is soft in its self. I ran 8.50x 6's before and they weren't enough for where I fly but might be fine for you. I never really did speed checks, sometimes better to not know,lol. As for wt. doesn't seem to matter in a wagon, I don't think I've ever been at gross wt. because it's always flown off!;-)
 
Brand new prop on that new-to-you 180? The tailwheel may be more important than the mains, depending on the surfaces you operate from. Skinny tailwheels on soft ground require lots of throttle to taxi the plane. Lots of throttle will provide prop dings and sand blasted leading edges, which are very easy to see on a brand new prop. It's that same old big tire question I've mentioned before. Go push the plane around on the surfaces you expect to operate from. Figure out what you need to make it roll easier.

FWIW, sitting empty your tail will weigh close to 200#. Loaded to 2800# that weight will be near 550#. Put a skinny little wheel on a wheel barrow and drag it around at 550#. That'll explain why you'll see pictures of the mains barely leaving a track while wide tailwheels are digging trenches.

Old tailwheel threads and changing attitudes. It took awhile but I did an about face regarding the BBW on a Skywagon. Works great.
http://www.supercub.org/forum/showthread.php?27523-180-tailwheel
http://www.supercub.org/forum/showthread.php?48286-Cessna-180-Tailwheel-Possibilities
 
Last edited:
Eddie,

My thought is you might want to wear out a set of 8:50's (or two) as you really get to know your Wagon, then toss some fertilizer on the next set so they properly grow up. Personally I haven't done anything truly off airport with mine other than a lot of grass runways and beside (where I know the airport) a few soy bean fields and some dirt/gravel strips but 8.50's did well at places like Sulphur Creek, and Landmark. Where it is remotely soft and even at JC it takes a good bit of IO520 noise to taxi on a small tailwheel especially when they were watering. I had about 1100 hours of Super Cub time when I bought my 180 and thought how difficult can this big beast really be? Well, let me tell you I really gave that first set of tires a work out (I blamed the kryptonite runway coating at Tulsa Riverside for eating them but in reality...) and we not long ago put the 3rd set on since I've owned 36Kilo but I think those ought to last a good while now...

Kirby
 
Last edited:
Eddie, the last four posts above are pure gold.

Let me add a few "nuggets"

If you will be on lumps like real tundra hummocks, the Desser 31" tires work a full hand above Airhawk 29x11-10's on Gar Aeros or 10x10 ABI hardware. The taller tire and sidewall flex allows that, yet with no sidehilling issues as Algonquin feared above. I have run Airhawks and Desser 31's at 9 psi without spinning on rim. Both were glued to the rim in the vertical portion of the tire rim interface. All on early 180's at 2950 gross weight and also empty.

8.50-10's on Gar Aeros have spun a bit at 12 psi on me, not sure why. Poor glue job??? All these setups have been with max performance braking for many ops cycles.

8.50x6 work just fine on hard surfaces with some roughness, but beat the airplane unless you have early gear legs, which are a good choice for a light airplane.

wide tailwheel fork is important for float!

I lost 11 mph going from 8.0x6 and stock tailwheel to Airhawks and wide tailfork with glider rib on my 185.

Desser 31" on 10x10 ABI field approval is in the mix for my 185 and should be complete before I leave Anc for flying season in Katmai Park, where tundra ops are what I subject my bird to on days off.

For my money, 29" Alaskan Bushwheels or Baby Bushwheel handmade tires won't do. I have run them a little and been around them, but never saw them doing what I do every day off with Desser or Airhawk and glider rib. Also, sidehill with 29" Bushwheels on a heavy plane seems scary. One sourdough told me "...oh, you are GONNA THINK it will roll off the rim!...". Yep, I think it will.
 
Bushwheels can roll on flat ground, too. Every piece of equipment has it's limitations. And sometimes stupid pilots exceed them!


IMG_0152.JPG


Dave, are your Dessers on ABW 10" wheels? Those wheels are said to have better beads than the old adapters. Supposed to eliminate the tire slip?


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0152.JPG
    IMG_0152.JPG
    491.6 KB · Views: 532
Last edited:
SB. Not yet. once the FA comes through I will mount my 31 Dessers on 10x10 ABI and head out.

The Dessers and Gar Aeros were FA'ed on my 180. A wonderful combo if a guy already had Gars, but the ABI 10x10's were love at first sight for me.

I asked several of the Airframes guys about "ghetto" tubeless with the ABI 10x10 and got something like "...tubeless compatible rims have a bead lock profile lacking on the 10x10..."

Well, we talked about FatBike rims for mountain bikes and the ghetto tubeless setups I have accomplished at very low pressures (4.5 psi), but I am not willing to do that yet on an airplane.

a recent FA for Dessers and Schneider adapters was accomplished on a buddies 180 and we used the screws into the bead of the tire per Schneiders common practice. I think tubeless on those could be kloodged together fine and secure with the screws
 
Do you have to change the calipers with the 10 inch? I think yes. It comes with the rotor, does it not?


Dave Calkins said:
SB. Not yet. once the FA comes through I will mount my 31 Dessers on 10x10 ABI and head out.

The Dessers and Gar Aeros were FA'ed on my 180. A wonderful combo if a guy already had Gars, but the ABI 10x10's were love at first sight for me.

I asked several of the Airframes guys about "ghetto" tubeless with the ABI 10x10 and got something like "...tubeless compatible rims have a bead lock profile lacking on the 10x10..."

Well, we talked about FatBike rims for mountain bikes and the ghetto tubeless setups I have accomplished at very low pressures (4.5 psi), but I am not willing to do that yet on an airplane.

a recent FA for Dessers and Schneider adapters was accomplished on a buddies 180 and we used the screws into the bead of the tire per Schneiders common practice. I think tubeless on those could be kloodged together fine and secure with the screws
Click to expand...
 
When I bought my 29x11x10's they didn't have the Dessers, so my input is limited to the older stuff. I think if I was not useing the plane in real rough stuff and flying over ruff terrain that I may have to force land on I'd go back to something like the Goodyear 26's. There is a fellow flying fuel to the mining strips in the AK Range useing the 26's and he does a great job.
 
Rotors included, yes. No change to calipers. Ask here about a tool to install the brake pads. That's a pain in the rear with ABW's 10x10 wheels!
 
Eddie,
Since you are looking at big tires it can be assumed that you are planning on going off roading with your new bird. You should consider the rubber stabilizer leading edge boot to protect the sheet metal. The Cessna version has a thicker leading edge.
 
Dave Calkins said:
I asked several of the Airframes guys about "ghetto" tubeless with the ABI 10x10 and got something like "...tubeless compatible rims have a bead lock profile lacking on the 10x10..."
Click to expand...

simple, add a piece over rim(big PVC? or rubber?), in center of tube to keep beads shoved out
 
Side note stay off the brakes landing on gravel bars or you get to practice riveting those kits on.
 
the same calipers and discs for 10" as for 6" wheels. Good braking power.

However, I taxied a 185 with the Grove 10" wheels and their big discs and calipers amd the effort for the same braking power was easier.

For installing the pads on Gar Aeros or 10x10's, I guess you need to be a dentist or the son of a dentist to get it fast.

If neither of the above, a piece of welding rod with a 1/8" hook on the end and a longish 1/4" bolt with the end pointed like a spitzer bullet make it a straightforward job.

You guys who havent had to install the pads in there dont know what were talking about, do you!? :)
 
stewartb said:
Rotors included, yes. No change to calipers. Ask here about a tool to install the brake pads. That's a pain in the rear with ABW's 10x10 wheels!
Click to expand...

Consider it asked. I need a better answer than I have come up with so far. Just did a set, some times I get along better than other times.
 
I thought the Aero Classic 31" was made to be put on a narrower wheel. Like a 10 x 7 or maybe 6. I have the ABW 10 x 10 with 29 11 10 tires but have wondered about putting the Aero Classic 31's on instead. They would be softer I expect (not as stiff on the sidewall). Anybody have experience with that combo on a Super Cub.
 
Getting the pad behind the rotor and aligning the inner bolt hole is what's hard. Had I kept those wheels I'd have used about a 1/2" scrap of sheet metal, bent a 90* leg, and put a little double stick tape on it to hold and slide the pad into place and start the inner bolt. Enough stick-em to position the pad but not enough to keep from pulling the metal piece out. With a piloted screwdriver tool it'd be simpler, for sure.

Dave, looking forward to a pirep about the Dessers. You're on shaved 29s now? That should make a good comparison.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

1
8" Tailwheel Tire
Replies
0
Views
2K
180_jeff
1
P
Tires for 185
Replies
7
Views
1K
BC12D-4-85
BC12D-4-85
M
Cessna 180 Tailwheel Possibilities
2 3
Replies
78
Views
52K
JohnnyR
J
L
337 for 8.50 6.00 tires for PA-14
Replies
5
Views
3K
Lasater
L
Cardiff Kook
8.50 x 6 vs 8.50 x 10
Replies
21
Views
2K
DENNY
D
Back
Top