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Experimental Cub: Using the "Bob" tailwheel

Bugs66

Registered User
Spokane WA
There is at least one builder making the "Bob Wheel" for his Cub project.

10220001.jpg


For construction info, see HERE

Use this topic to discuss the building of the wheel. Perhaps we can get together on a "group buy" to have some wheels made up for us? Maybe at least the machine work?

Seems like a great alternative to the Scott 3200 and all the $$$ it takes.
 
using the "Bob" tailwheel

I have a "Bobs" tailwheel on my Bushmaster. Like his airplanes, his design is complicated to build. I modified the design, built it without any machining for about 30 bucks without the wheel. Have been using it for acouple of years on and off airports with no problems.

Don
 
Re: using the "Bob" tailwheel

don d said:
I have a "Bobs" tailwheel on my Bushmaster. Like his airplanes, his design is complicated to build. I modified the design, built it without any machining for about 30 bucks without the wheel. Have been using it for acouple of years on and off airports with no problems.

Don
Don, how did you build the Bob wheel without the machine work? For you guys that want to put a bob wheel on your airplane the wheels are available from B&B aircraft, Gardner,KS(check Trade a plane for #) 20 bucks with bearings. Kevin
 
Looks good to me....

This tailwheel looks great to me, and doesn't appear all that hard to make.
Where can I buy a copy of the plans? If I make one for myself, I'll probably go ahead and make several. Anybody interested?

Mike in NC
 
Plans for the "Bob Wheel" are about $25 and available from

Bob Barrows
R & B Aircraft
2079 Breckingridge Mill Rd.
Fincastle VA 24090

Telephone 540-473-3661

Bob does NOT do email or have a web site, snail mail only.

The plans are done with CAD and very good quality.

The wheel is available from B & B. When I talked to them it was more than $20, but not a deal breaker. It is a Gerdes wheel that was used on the infamous BD5. Wicks also has them, but for more.

Budd Davidson was talking about building these tailwheels in his Bearhawk plant in Mexico. I'll email him and check to see if he has started production.

Frank
 
Re: Looks good to me....

CptKelly said:
This tailwheel looks great to me, and doesn't appear all that hard to make.
Where can I buy a copy of the plans? If I make one for myself, I'll probably go ahead and make several. Anybody interested?

Mike in NC

CptKelly, I would be interested. Keep me posted!

Bugs
 
Re: Looks good to me....

CptKelly said:
This tailwheel looks great to me, and doesn't appear all that hard to make.
Where can I buy a copy of the plans? If I make one for myself, I'll probably go ahead and make several. Anybody interested?

Mike in NC
While they dont appear "all that hard to make" I have ten hours in mine and its not done yet, the machine work for the main body is the hold up, Im not a good enough machinist to do that work even though I have the lathe and milling machine that will do it. The forks are 1"x.049 tubing that are ovalized and bowed then sliced down the middle, (I used a cutoff wheel) then material removed and then welded back together to taper the fork. I used my sheetmetal rolls to both ovalize and bow the tubing in a few passes. I may have misqouted the price of the wheel as my brother lives close to B&B aircraft and he got me a pair of the wheels recently and Danny(the owner) always loves "cash in fist" I think this wheel is a viable alternative for guy's building in the exp. catagory, the CAD drawings are very good and even have the whole unit depicted in full scale. I think Frank T might have posted the wrong number for B&B 913-884-5930 Gardner,KS
 
The tail wheel yoke looks a little wimpy. and what do you do if you break something out in the bush where do you get a replacement part. Everybody has scott tail pieces.
 
I got an email back from Budd Davisson and he has not gone into production of the "Bob Wheel" yet.

Frank
 
Jerry Gaston said:
The tail wheel yoke looks a little wimpy. and what do you do if you break something out in the bush where do you get a replacement part. Everybody has scott tail pieces.

This is my vote for the Alaska answer. OOOOOPs I will be on floats this week. Doesn't matter. Woooooooooohooooooooooooooo.
 
Received plans.......

Yesterday, I received the plans to the "Bob" tailwheel. I will now obtain the materials to build a few, and jump on it, in between building my quanset hangar. I'll let you know of my problems.
How many out there might want one?

Mike in NC
 
Re: Received plans.......

CptKelly said:
Yesterday, I received the plans to the "Bob" tailwheel. I will now obtain the materials to build a few, and jump on it, in between building my quanset hangar. I'll let you know of my problems.
How many out there might want one?

Mike in NC

I am interested. What kind of price have you figured? Are you building per plan? Looking forward to seeing photos and more information.

Bugs
 
Don't know.....

Guys,
I do not know what the cost will be, and I'm not soliciting any "business" either. I plan to build..... maybe ten tailwheels. When I'm finished, I'll let you guys know what it costs to build it. Ok?

Mike
 
Re: Don't know.....

CptKelly said:
Guys,
I do not know what the cost will be, and I'm not soliciting any "business" either. I plan to build..... maybe ten tailwheels. When I'm finished, I'll let you guys know what it costs to build it. Ok?

Mike

Sounds good, keep us posted.
 
I have a suggestion. The rear of the spring housing looks like it will collect
a lot of mud and crud coming from the tail wheel during off airport operations. What about threading the spring housing for a plug or cap instead of the cotter pin.

Mike
 
I forgot to add I would grind a small flat side on the locking pin apposite the bolt to prevent piston compression in a sealed cylinder.

Mike
 
What's the status on a "group buy" for the machine work, etc. on a Bob Wheel?
Thanks,
Todd
 
Aircraft Spruce sells something that looks kinda similar to the Bob's tailwheel shown above-- it's one of their "homebuilders special tailwheels",heavy duty double fork,6" solid rubber tire. Available for both 1-1/4 & 1-1/2" leaf spring mount, or for a 5/8" stinger. Lists for $278 for all versions in my newest Spruce catalog.
I also saw an ad in the May 2005 "Aviators Bulletin", for a t/w that looks identical to this Spruce t/w. Same mounting options too. Advertised for $240 by Aviation Products Inc in Ojai California 805-646-6042.
Don't know if either one would hold up like a Scott 3200, but with a double-fork, it looks at least as beefy as a (single forked) Maule. And the price is sure right.

Rooster
 
Thanks for the info. I picked up a nice 3200 on Barnstormers a few months ago, but these new options are worth looking into for sure.
 
I was going to do the Bob Wheel, but I picked up a NIB 3200 on Ebay for $350. There are still some deals to be found :)

Frank
 
I was wondering if there were experimental (less expensive) equivalents to the tall (XP Mods) and fat (Alaska Bushwheel) versions of the 3200? Both the XP & ABW t/w's are really expensive, even worse than a stock 3200. I haven't really seen an affordable substitute for the 3200 either, unless one of the two pneumatic Maule t/w's work for you. I'm kinda leery of that single fork.....and a solid rubber tire (like on the double-fork ACS homebuilders special) may not be the best thing going either. What are most experimental Cub guys using for a t/w?

Rooster
 
I have never heard of a Maule single fork actually breaking. I do know that most Maule drivers replace them with a 3200 - I did the same on an old Stinson. The Maule has a tendency to shimmy!

The 3200 will shimmy, too, if worn out or mis-adjusted. Here's how to make your Maule tailwheel stop shimmying - first, select the one with the shimmy damper, and make sure you have enough adjustment to actually put some force on the king post. Then, note that, even with a new bronze bearing insert, there is lots of slop! You must eliminate that slop, somehow.

Every five years or so, I pull the bearing out, heat it up real good, and put some solder in the bore. I use 70/30, but probably any low melting point tin/lead combo will do. Then I ream it out for a very tight fit. Presto- no shimmy. I lubricate, but not often. I did it for a friend's 170 - ended his shimmy, too.

Had a Super Cub with shimmy in crosswinds - all it took was to make sure the axis of rotation was perpendicular to the runway (3200). We used STC pawnee springs.
 
Whats with the price on Scott 3200's. I bought one new from Chief Aircraft in 2002 for the PA-14 and it was $525.00. In 2004 I bought one for the PA-18 and it was $630.00. Now they're up to $819.50. Why has this one part gone up so much? Crash
 
Got bought out by a French company.

Univair price 690 3200 scott tailwheel $1,117.91
 
I broke the axle on a maule single fork solid tailwheel. I like them on light tail draggers not going into rough stuff but they are not made very well in my experience. Scott has gone nuts on their prices. I will keep all my 3200s and keep rebuilding them.

Best solution I know for tailwheel shimmy and it has worked for me on everything from Champs, Huskys, Maules, Super Cubs, Citabria, Cessna 140 on up.

http://www.pierceaero.net/tws.php
 
The axle on a Maule tailwheel is the same size as an AN-6 bolt, and can easily be replaced by a sub-standard strength bolt. Anybody have a fork fail?
 
I think the axle would fail before the fork every time. My axle failed at the fork. Sheared off. It was as it came from Maule. An AN6 bolt would probably have bent before failure. One thing I have noticed about the Maule single fork with the solid wheel is that it always wears the wheel unevenly. I have changed a bunch of those tires for this reason on everything from Champs to Micco SP26. I like the tailwheel but there are things that you must live with.

I have gotten a field approval on a couple of Maules to change over to Scott 3200. One of the Maule Tundra tailwheels failed to lock consistantly and the other was "squirley. Both customers said the tailwheel improved the directional stability on take-off and landing.

I have replaced a lot of 3200s on light airplanes that had problems breaking the 3200 over when turning on the ground. I think each tailwheel has its place but the key to both is proper maintenance.
 
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