Extended gear Vs. large wheels

[ep2]

Hi,
My gliding club uses a Super cub for towing.
We purchased a Borer prop., but we can't decide if we should go with extended 3" gear, or with 8.50-6 wheels.
The wheels are cheaper for the short term, but not for the long term.
another consideration is the drag. We think the gear creates less drag than the large wheels.
I would be glad to hear opinions.

Thanks

 

[mike mcs repair]

Hi,
...go with extended 3" gear, or with 8.50-6 wheels..

...less drag .... the large wheels....

 

[Rob]

Go with the one that will be legal with your prop's STC.... each way could be limited or legal, depending on which STC you have and what wheels you would be hanging on the 3" gear...

large?

 

[pfjay52]

My Cub Crafters Borer Prop STC states. 'For proper propeller to ground clearance the aircraft must be equipped with an approved combination of wheels and tires that provides a minimum clearance between the ground and the center of the axle of 9-3/8" , OR, having extended landing gear per STC #SA00411SE installed. so , according to that , you can go either way.
do you really think that drag associated with these items is an issue when hauling a glider ??or is it more a case of getting a committee to agree on something?
personally, i'd go for the tires to get maximum clearance for your buck. if you are operating off grass/dirt strips tire wear is acceptable. of course, the combination of both is the best way.
cheers,
Phil

 

[ep2]

Extended gear

My Cub Crafters Borer Prop STC states. 'For proper propeller to ground clearance the aircraft must be equipped with an approved combination of wheels and tires that provides a minimum clearance between the ground and the center of the axle of 9-3/8" , OR, having extended landing gear per STC #SA00411SE installed. so , according to that , you can go either way.
do you really think that drag associated with these items is an issue when hauling a glider ??or is it more a case of getting a committee to agree on something? personally, i'd go for the tires to get maximum clearance for your buck. if you are operating off grass/dirt strips tire wear is acceptable. of course, the combination of both is the best way.
cheers,
Phil

You actually got it right.... I'm in favour of the wheels, but other people have different opinions, so I'm trying to get some answers..

Thanks Phill

 

[dukeair]

I am building a SC to tow my glider, but am using an 80/38 wood prop on a 160 hp as it is about 20 lbs lighter than the boer. I am also using a 3" extended with 26" Goodyears as they are cheaper will last longer on hard surface and less friction than bushwheels. As I understand there is no clearance requirements for the Sensenich prop.

 

[ep2]

Extended gear

Go with the one that will be legal with your prop's STC.... each way could be limited or legal, depending on which STC you have and what wheels you would be hanging on the 3" gear...

large?

They are both legal. Cub Crafter's STC refer to either extended gear, or 8.50 wheels. My only concern is the drag, I want performance.

 

[PerryB]

Dukeair, with a 160 and an 80x38 Sens., you should have a good towplane.

 

[PerryB]

ep2, If you don't mind paying more for the "cleanest" option, the gear would be the way to go.

 

[scottperry]

I'd go with the extended gear now, and add the wheels when $$$ permits. Eventually it would be nice to have both!

 

[ep2]

Which wheels?

So, the decision was to go for wheels
We ordered a pair of Goodyear wheels. It's 40$ more expensive than Mc-reary for each wheel, but since we work on Asphalt runway, I understood that it's better.
Is it correct that Mcreary have faster wear on hard surface?

 

[Rob]

Re: Extended gear

Go with the one that will be legal with your prop's STC.... each way could be limited or legal, depending on which STC you have and what wheels you would be hanging on the 3" gear...

large?

They are both legal. Cub Crafter's STC refer to either extended gear, or 8.50 wheels. My only concern is the drag, I want performance.

Wasn't sure which STC you had... but that being the case I would have opted for the gear, and kept them covered. Being covered, the 3" extension would have been negligible in the drag dept. Uncovering the gear is where the drag increase shows up, and in a tow bird being covered wouldn't be detrimental...

Take care, Rob

 

[banner tow pilot]

i fly a sc with a 180hp on it with a borer prop pitched to 41". We have the standard gear with the 8.50 on it. makes the plane look a little better with the little bit bigger wheel, not to much performance loss, plus it is a cub, you didnt buy it for speed.

 

[aktango58]

ep2,

if you really want performance, take off the glider hood stuff, put the smallest tire you can find, the shortest gear you can find and a pilot that tips the scales less than 100 lbs....

The long gear takes more energy to get the tail up, and is harder on your gear fittings on hard surface. More arm to torque.

For an improved surface aircraft, tires only.

You talk about Goodyear/Mcreary wheels, do you mean tires? I suspect you have Clevelands on?

One last thought: performance is measured in many ways: distance, fpm, speed etc. Which is it you want to achieve?

If getting a glider up to altitude faster, I would suggest that the tires will actually only give you performance by allowing the long prop. Just because the plane can hop off short with the BIG tires or long gear, having a bird behind sort of adjusts the thinking to a longer term pull. The more you can eliminate weight, the better your performance will be in this case.

 

[ep2]

ep2,

if you really want performance, take off the glider hood stuff, put the smallest tire you can find, the shortest gear you can find and a pilot that tips the scales less than 100 lbs....

The long gear takes more energy to get the tail up, and is harder on your gear fittings on hard surface. More arm to torque.

For an improved surface aircraft, tires only.

You talk about Goodyear/Mcreary wheels, do you mean tires? I suspect you have Clevelands on?

One last thought: performance is measured in many ways: distance, fpm, speed etc. Which is it you want to achieve?

If getting a glider up to altitude faster, I would suggest that the tires will actually only give you performance by allowing the long prop. Just because the plane can hop off short with the BIG tires or long gear, having a bird behind sort of adjusts the thinking to a longer term pull. The more you can eliminate weight, the better your performance will be in this case.

Yes, I meant tires...
The only performance which matters for us is rate of climb. We bought a Borer prop. and the STC requires big tires. We have Cleveland breaks.

Thanks