My own tailwheel design.

[muleyman78]

Alaskabearhawk, I get and fully agree on where your mind is on replacement parts and even though I won't be flying places as remote as you are regularly I still like the idea of finding parts quickly. Besides the fork on the tailwheel, everything to fix this set up can be bought at Calranch or equivalent places. Even the tire on the tailwheel is from garden equipment.

[alaskabearhawk]

All of which are categorized as”unobtanium” in Alaska. We don’t even have a Harbor Freight. 😆

[svyolo]

So, if it works as designed, buy a spare or two of everything. Just like you do everything else living in Alaska.
I like the basic design a lot. I am building a QB kit now so I am just assembling parts. Down the road, I like your tailwheel and it is in the back of my mind. I hope you share how it works out, good and/or bad.

Appropriate spring/shocks for the weight required are shockingly cheap in other parts of the world, Under 50 dollars. Top of the line maybe 150 dollars. And they work on the back of a motorcycle for 50K miles. No BH tailwheel will ever see 1k miles.

[muleyman78]

Here's the mostly finished design. I just have to run the cable up to the cockpit that locks out the tail.

[Battson]

OK I'll say it - the second damper VASTLY complicates the forces and harmonics in the system, from a Mechanical Engineering point of view.
You'll be truly experimental while you're finding out how it works. Let us know how you get on!