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Matco Tailwheels?

Philly5G

Registered User
England
Has anyone tried one of the 8” pneumatic tyre, double strut Matco Tailwheels on their Cub? Successful or otherwise if yes?

Same question on their wheel/brake combos, my 12 still has the bag brakes and I’d LOVE an affordable disc upgrade route :)

Thanks!!


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We had a fat Matco on a Legend Cub. It was great on grass and dirt, but we couldn't get it to not shimmy on pavement.
 
Has anyone tried one of the 8” pneumatic tyre, double strut Matco Tailwheels on their Cub? Successful or otherwise if yes?

Same question on their wheel/brake combos, my 12 still has the bag brakes and I’d LOVE an affordable disc upgrade route :)

Thanks!!
You can’t go wrong with Matco products! Their 8” tailwheel wheel and steering mechanism works great on a RANS S-7S. Not a cub like you’re asking about, however, it’s close lol.
 
It was pretty bad, but only on pavement. Never figured out why. It's on a shelf now.
 
We had a fat Matco on a Legend Cub. It was great on grass and dirt, but we couldn't get it to not shimmy on pavement.

A guy on my airport owned a Legend Cub for a while, it had a Matco tailwheel.
I don't recall hearing anything either good or bad about how it worked,
but IMHO it just looked cheesy. Really cheesy.
I'd have swapped it out for one of those API tailwheels, or maybe an inflatable Maule.
 
I thought Legend came with an API 6131?

Glenn

API 6131 is an option for me I guess and pretty inexpensive. I’ve currently got a pretty tired Scott 2000 and really like the chunky look and perceived ride quality of the Scott/ABI 3200, although obviously relatively expensive. The 2000 and similar just look a bit spindly on the 12 I think?


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A guy on my airport owned a Legend Cub for a while, it had a Matco tailwheel.
I don't recall hearing anything either good or bad about how it worked,
but IMHO it just looked cheesy. Really cheesy.
I'd have swapped it out for one of those API tailwheels, or maybe an inflatable Maule.

Good point on the API, see my last post for detail :)


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First Legends used the solid Maule. Later ones used the solid Matco. It was better. I had the Maule and my buddy had the Matco. I flew both, mostly off hard surfaces. No issues with shimmy. These were the original AL3 planes. The Super Legends must use something more robust.

Rich
 
Well now. My cheesy ol Matco tailwheel works great and looks good too! Would imagine a fat a$$ tailwheel might behave kinda weird on pavement. Maybe. Better then a half a change something else was at play.
 
Well now. My cheesy ol Matco tailwheel works great and looks good too! Would imagine a fat a$$ tailwheel might behave kinda weird on pavement. Maybe. Better then a half a change something else was at play.
Very possible, I just couldn't get it to work. I figured it was something about the flat, wide lawn tractor tire that didn't like pavement.
 
“Real cheesy” lol!

Buy an API....Then MAKE IT CHESSY ! :lol:



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We had a fat Matco on a Legend Cub. It was great on grass and dirt, but we couldn't get it to not shimmy on pavement.
I watched a guy land a Mackey Cub at McCall a couple years ago (with a Matco) and that thing was doing 360's.
 
The API solid molded tire is as soft as a properly inflated 3200 tire. I machined a few to fit on a Scott 2000 and the 501 Lang, add the hubcap and nobody can tell the difference. Makes them ride like a Caddy, smoooooooooooooth.







Glenn
 
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Which part was doing said “360s” lol! If it was “the plane” he needs a look at Trent Palmer’s most recent YouTube on ground loops. Was a good refresher for me anyway. Gotta love this “good accurate info” lol!
Keep er comin!
 
I love that lathe. 9” South Bend? I use Maules on both Cubs, but am ready to try an API.

There are two secrets to shimmy - well, three:

1. Kingpin absolutely vertical under normal load.
2. Friction damping between kingpin and bearing
3. Forget about big fat tires. They are horrible on pavement, unless you have a locking mechanism. The 2:80x2:50x4 tire is ok if kept above 50 psi.
 
API 6131 is an option for me I guess and pretty inexpensive. I’ve currently got a pretty tired Scott 2000 and really like the chunky look and perceived ride quality of the Scott/ABI 3200, although obviously relatively expensive. The 2000 and similar just look a bit spindly on the 12 I think?


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We recommend that or the baby bush tail wheel only for the most rugged back country. As mentioned it can be pretty grabby on asphalt. Further it does change your AOA.


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We recommend that or the baby bush tail wheel only for the most rugged back country. As mentioned it can be pretty grabby on asphalt. Further it does change your AOA.

Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app

Thanks Mark, do you mean you only recommend the API 6131 for only the most rugged back country? I'm basically looking for a beefier and well handling (across all surfaces except gravel bars etc!!) tailwheel for my PA-12, as all the others I see seem to have the Scott/ABI 3200 and the tired Scott 2000 mine came with has been workaround repaired. I operate from grass 95% of the time and need my tarmac/pavement handling to be good when I venture on to it :)
 
Just bought this on craigslist for $50. needs a new tire, what size axel is that wheel from API?

That's a non-swiveling tailwheel.
It looks cool but IMHO it'd be less than satisfactory for actual use on an airplane.
Think how often you swivel your t/w around when ground handling or when maneuvering around in tight quarters.
 
Well now. My cheesy ol Matco tailwheel works great and looks good too! Would imagine a fat a$$ tailwheel might behave kinda weird on pavement. Maybe. Better then a half a change something else was at play.

Sorry if my "cheesy" comment about Matco t/w offended you.
I just checked the Matco website--
the dual-fork models look better, but I still don't care for the looks of the single fork version.

 
I watched a guy land a Mackey Cub at McCall a couple years ago (with a Matco) and that thing was doing 360's.

I've seen the 360'ing tailwheel thing before.
First time was on a Seabee, the tailwheel whirled around like a dervish.
Amazingly, it didn't seem to affect the behavior of the airplane, whereas a shimmy generally does.
Seen the whirling t/w phenomenon a few times since then--
it never fails to amaze me.
 
Just bought this on craigslist for $50. needs a new tire, what size axel is that wheel from API?

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The tires they sell for that size fits Scott 2000, 3000, Heath, Lang TWs. Very hard rubber and last a hundred years. The API tire is molded to an Alum hub with a grease fitting. It used a flanged step bearing. I think it's .500" shaft size. The tire rubber is similar to the superball balls we had years ago. You can take the unit and drop it and it will bounce back up after hitting the floor. Spruce sells the whole tire/hub with bearings for around $40. Easy to modify if you want to play around. You can buy better quality bearings on the same page cheap.



Glenn
 
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