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  • Tail Wheel ?

    I have Scott 3200. Will be 85 % asphalt and 15 % dirt. Just read the thread, so can some one comment on safety and performance of the 3200? Running 8.5's. And 22's

  • #2
    Most of my flying experience was in Alaska and I noticed that the 8" Scott tail wheel was the most popular of all. Most of the Cub and C180/185 airplanes had them. I see that 'tundra' tail wheels have become popular lately but we chose an 8" tail wheel for our Patrol.

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    • #3
      I have a 10 inch tail wheel. I like the extra diameter for gravel, grass, and dirt strips.

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      • #4
        I have the set up you have described. I have 36 hours on the bh now. and approx. 40 landings and take offs. All are on asphalt so far. I have the Scott 3200 tail wheel and 8.50 x 6 main tires. The tail wheel works just fine and is impressive the duty load it will work under. This considering the BH, with its significant tail weight, I consider severe duty. Be sure you keep the tail wheel aired up to 60 psi or so to prevent tail wheel tire failures from pinching the tire against the wheel assembly during a rough landing or encounter with a stone on landing. Under inflated tail wheel tires can be a problem. Also, consider the angle of attack of the wing when the main and tail wheel sizes are chosen. Some raise the nose very high and that's a minus in my book. A taller tail wheel tire might help to compensate for the larger main tires and give you better visibility and performance as a result. Since the BH has significant tail wheel weight, considerable HP and speed are required to raise the tail for take off. This is a time of blindness in the forward direction. My experience so far has been the BH takes off best with a tail low (but off the ground) attitude. I hope this helps you to determine the best tire and wheel combination for you.

        I recently had a check out in a Maule M7 in preparation to test fly our new BH. It had 31" tundra tires and a Scott 3200 tail wheel. It flew well enough, but the take off and landing were totally blind until the tail wheel could be lifted off the ground. The Maule has less tail wheel weight than the BH, but until the tail could be lifted, not only could you not see the runway, but you couldn't see the trees at the end of the runway. I was told by the instructor that the landing and takes offs were the same no matter what size tires you had installed. I was told to land tail wheel first and to add power before the mains touched. this was totally foreign to me and a little unnerving when you cannot see in front of you. A learning curve for sure. I have not flown a BH with tundra tires, but I am happy to say the BH with 8.50 x 6 tires and the Scott 3200 tail wheel will work just fine for you.

        Dont get me wrong! I like tundra tires. i have been around them much, but not recently. As an A and P mechanic, I worked on them back when they had separate tubes in them, and not the molded integral tube in the modern tires tires. What and improvement! No more sheared off tube stems, flat tires on landing, and damaged airplanes to repair.

        One more thing. The 8.50 x 6 main tires will handle most anything you will need. That is if you are not landing in very soft dirt. The added benefit of these tires is they are accepting of asphalt or dirt runways, where some of the larger main tires are not. At the strip where I park, many have, "tundra tires." They land on a small gravel strip parallel to the asphalt runway exclusively because of the tundra tires. In addition, they have fabric or wooden tire covers to prevent UV damage to these tundra tires when they are not in use. Another consideration.

        Long winded answer. Hope this helps.

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        • #5
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          • #6
            I had the 3200 on my Pacer, which was pretty tail heavy and landed that thing everywhere. The only trouble I had with it was if I let the tire pressure get low (less than 40 psi or so) it could pinch the tube on landing and I would end up with a flat. Only happened once and after that I was more careful to keep it aired up around 50 psi. The only other issue I had was just due to the tire size landing on a sand beach, the tire sunk into the sand and dragged pretty good. Everyone else in the group at the time was running the baby bushwheel and those just floated on the sand. For my Patrol I went with the Bearhawk tailwheel and got two sizes, I run the small one with 8.50 mains and will put the big one on when I put on the 31" Bushwheels.
            Rollie VanDorn
            Findlay, OH
            Patrol Quick Build

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Rollie View Post
              I had the 3200 on my Pacer, which was pretty tail heavy and landed that thing everywhere. The only trouble I had with it was if I let the tire pressure get low (less than 40 psi or so) it could pinch the tube on landing and I would end up with a flat. Only happened once and after that I was more careful to keep it aired up around 50 psi. The only other issue I had was just due to the tire size landing on a sand beach, the tire sunk into the sand and dragged pretty good. Everyone else in the group.
              That happened to me last winter. Make sure I check it for higher pressure now.
              Christopher Owens
              Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
              Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
              Germantown, Wisconsin, USA

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