little wing
Registered User
Eddie, Many of the guys above have WAY more experience than me but I'll share what I've experienced and some of what they haven't covered.
My 185 has the factory float kit which includes some pretty heavy springs on the rudder, heaviest I've ever felt. The larger 185 dorsal and heavy springs contribute to the leg fatigue mentioned earlier, the lock definitely helps but has limitations on where and how. The rudder is near the same sq/in as the cub with near double the HP and only a little more arm, (length of fuselage), add in the torque and p factor and things start to pile up against your will to travel in a straight line. It's not uncommon at the beginning of a short field T/O to end up with the rudder on the floor for a couple of seconds with only a slight x-wnd, might even include a tap of the downwind brake if gusty. Take offs aren't the real problem because the prop slipstream energizes the rudder. Landings are where things get interesting.
It's not that it runs out of rudder prior to touch down, it's when the tail begins to settle during roll out that is the danger zone. I don't know if it's simply the lack of airspeed, or that the rudder comes out of the clean air as some suggest, but its not until that moment that you'll know if you're asking too much of the airplane and the lock isn't any help until the tail is down with some weight on it. Be ready for the go around!
The only con I can think of comes down to my own stupidity. Once I left the t/w locked while trying to exit the runway and pushed the tire off the rim cutting the tube, the tire pressure was around 40psi and she was heavy. I now run nearer 70 psi and pay a lot more attention to it during pre-flight. Pierce's recommendation of the 6 ply tire was a huge help, and I also carry a spare.
I've intentionally sought the x-wnd limits in both airplanes many times. My experience has been that the cub deals with x-wnd better because rudder is much more responsive. By comparison the 185 rudder feels sorta like pedaling a bicycle under water, not only is it much heavier but big inputs don't have as much effect.
Now for the YMMV disclaimer: 78 A185F, factory float kit, IO-550, Robertson STOL, 88" 3 blade black Mac, EW 2098#, mostly on 8.50s. Realize that many of the 180s and 185s are very different animals from one to another.
While I was transitioning I used it most of the time, nowadays only with high x-wnd. For me, the relatively small weight penalty the lock adds is outshined by adding another tool to the bag.
My 185 has the factory float kit which includes some pretty heavy springs on the rudder, heaviest I've ever felt. The larger 185 dorsal and heavy springs contribute to the leg fatigue mentioned earlier, the lock definitely helps but has limitations on where and how. The rudder is near the same sq/in as the cub with near double the HP and only a little more arm, (length of fuselage), add in the torque and p factor and things start to pile up against your will to travel in a straight line. It's not uncommon at the beginning of a short field T/O to end up with the rudder on the floor for a couple of seconds with only a slight x-wnd, might even include a tap of the downwind brake if gusty. Take offs aren't the real problem because the prop slipstream energizes the rudder. Landings are where things get interesting.
It's not that it runs out of rudder prior to touch down, it's when the tail begins to settle during roll out that is the danger zone. I don't know if it's simply the lack of airspeed, or that the rudder comes out of the clean air as some suggest, but its not until that moment that you'll know if you're asking too much of the airplane and the lock isn't any help until the tail is down with some weight on it. Be ready for the go around!
The only con I can think of comes down to my own stupidity. Once I left the t/w locked while trying to exit the runway and pushed the tire off the rim cutting the tube, the tire pressure was around 40psi and she was heavy. I now run nearer 70 psi and pay a lot more attention to it during pre-flight. Pierce's recommendation of the 6 ply tire was a huge help, and I also carry a spare.
I've intentionally sought the x-wnd limits in both airplanes many times. My experience has been that the cub deals with x-wnd better because rudder is much more responsive. By comparison the 185 rudder feels sorta like pedaling a bicycle under water, not only is it much heavier but big inputs don't have as much effect.
Now for the YMMV disclaimer: 78 A185F, factory float kit, IO-550, Robertson STOL, 88" 3 blade black Mac, EW 2098#, mostly on 8.50s. Realize that many of the 180s and 185s are very different animals from one to another.
While I was transitioning I used it most of the time, nowadays only with high x-wnd. For me, the relatively small weight penalty the lock adds is outshined by adding another tool to the bag.