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**jaredyates** · 08-12-2022, 05:21 PM

Helidesigner has one I believe, and doesn't robcaldwell have a similar but different assembly?

**K44** · 08-12-2022, 06:44 PM

I've run one for a year now LOVE it.

**alaskabearhawk** · 08-12-2022, 07:01 PM

Mike Creek has videos:

T3 Tailwheel Suspension - Initial Bearhawk Trial from Mike Creek on Vimeo

https://player.vimeo.com/video/151982527

T3 Tailwheel Suspension - 2nd Bearhawk Trial from Mike Creek on Vimeo

https://player.vimeo.com/video/152118904

T3 Tailwheel Suspension - Land_TO Mar 16

https://vimeo.com/158973148

This is "T3 Tailwheel Suspension - Land_TO Mar 16" by Mike Creek on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

An alternative to the baby bushwheel tire for under $100

Paul Minelga - Experimental Aircraft Builder's Log

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_log.php?user=yeeeha&project=527&category=3675&log=302335&row=1

homebuilt aircraft, builders log, experimental, experimental aircraft, 51% rule, fifty-one percent rule, 51% percent rule, aircraft homebuilt kit, aircraft homebuilt plan, aircraft composite homebuilt, aircraft experimental homebuilt, aircraft experimental kit

**whee** · 08-12-2022, 08:29 PM

Originally posted by alaskabearhawk View Post

Mike Creek has videos:

T3 Tailwheel Suspension - Initial Bearhawk Trial from Mike Creek on Vimeo

https://player.vimeo.com/video/151982527

T3 Tailwheel Suspension - 2nd Bearhawk Trial from Mike Creek on Vimeo

https://player.vimeo.com/video/152118904

T3 Tailwheel Suspension - Land_TO Mar 16

https://vimeo.com/158973148

This is "T3 Tailwheel Suspension - Land_TO Mar 16" by Mike Creek on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

An alternative to the baby bushwheel tire for under $100

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/displa...g=302335&row=1

Mike removed his and told me the stinger tail spring is a much better solution.

**Nev** · 08-12-2022, 08:30 PM

Originally posted by K44 View Post

I've run one for a year now LOVE it.

Great to hear. What sort of terrain do you typically operate on ?
I'm typically landing on grass. Anything from relatively smooth, to rough backcountry grass, and some gravel bars where it can be anything from small stones to tennis ball sized stones. It's probably the latter that concerns me more.

**alaskabearhawk** · 08-12-2022, 09:07 PM

Whee is correct. I looked back in my emails and found this email I received from Mike almost 3 years ago when I asked him about the T3. I had forgotten all about it:

"The T3 is much better than the leaf spring and the stinger is better than the T3. HOWEVER, is your kit scratch built or kit? A mod is needed for the tail post to use the stinger (round spring) if you have a kit fuselage. Even if a scratch built, you might want to reinforce the tail post with an insert. My tail post cracked at the lower hinge after installing the stinger. If your willing to make the mod, the stinger is great, if not, the T3 is a good option too. I had an early T3 version so the newer ones are likely more dialed in. I used a baby bushwheel from Airframes Alaska with T3."

In essence if you want to run a stinger it is advisable to made the mods he suggested. I did the tailpost reinforcement in a different way.:

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/displa...=288704&row=28

I personally like the suspension aspect of the T3. I hope to give it a try someday!

**robcaldwell** · 08-13-2022, 08:09 AM

I have one. I've been told that side loading will cause them to break. My problem is tailwheel shimmy. I doubt it's the T3 and I have good angle. I have to tighten the compression bolt on the king pin to get the shimmy to stop. But then I can hardly steering the tailwheel. If I could get my shimmy under control, and balance my steering, I could give a better review of the T3. I would also consider the ACME Stinger. https://acmeaerofab.com/stinger/.

**Bcone1381** · 08-13-2022, 01:25 PM

This post of mine has a lot of uncertainty and heresy with no source data. Sorry.....take it with a grain of salt.

There is an article somewhere in the internet that deals with Tailwheel Shimmy in a very methodical way. I cant find it. It listed several things that affected stability of the tail wheel to help really understand shimmy.

King Pin angle was just one variable. Round wheels are unstable, a square wheel helped, and wheels with a Vee or Dual wheels (like what airliners have) naturally improved stability.

I recall that tightening the axle bearing so the wheel has some resistance helped. Free wheeling bearing made it worse....you want some drag to straighten it out I think. I wish I could reference it.

Tire Pressure moves the center of the tailwheels pavement contact point in relation to the king pin. I forget how that effects it. An over inflated wheel might be rounder, and less stable. A flatter tailwheel can spin on the rim and cut the valve off the tube though. Maybe someone here knows where the article is at.

**m.mooney** · 08-14-2022, 11:24 AM

I had Dan build one up for my Patrol’s stinger tail gear and we went back and forth with a couple of iterations before settling on what I’ve got now. He’s since adapted it to the B model stinger as you know and there’s obviously the leaf spring version. I can only speak for the T3 on my Patrol. I’ve never had any shimmy, ever, in 300 plus hours with it on. It soaks up the bumps very well. The geometry of mine limited me to an 8” wheel, which I’m fine with as I don’t land in the soft stuff much at all. On 35s, the resultant aoa with the 8” tw has the airplane doing crazy short takeoffs. I wheel land 99% of the time and try to minimize the time that the tailwheel is on the ground. The airframe is passing inspection thus far, no damage due to unforeseen stress. Fingers crossed. Love the T3.
Mike

**zkelley2** · 08-14-2022, 05:17 PM

I just put one on about a month ago. I had the leaf spring prior. The only downside is you need to modify the rudder steering horn a bit for it to fit. I had bent and re-made the little steel angle bracket so many times that I was working on a improvement for it, which a couple people have posted pictures of here. Once that thing is bent the airplane wont track straight for anything.
Then a friend was like why don't you just hit the easy button and put a t3 on it. So that's what I did. No issues so far. Hopefully it helps the tail post from cracking to.
If you have the stinger, I'd probably just run that until you see a reason to replace it. I don't think you would though.

**Battson** · 08-14-2022, 09:17 PM

Originally posted by robcaldwell View Post

I've been told that side loading will cause them to break.

This has always been my concern.

Aircraft are not the right shape to resist a lot of side loads in the fuselage, at the location of the tailwheel. The tailwheel has to do the work to protect the fuselage. Twisting loads are also a consideration.

With the T3 having absolutely zero ability to twist or flex sideways, as I understand it, they must therefore transfer a lot of force into the fuselage - which has to flex (or bend!) to absorb it.

The tailwheel is a weak point in any aircraft design. I think the T3 probably makes it weaker, in terms of side loading or twisting. But hey - the ride is great

**Helidesigner** · 08-15-2022, 06:54 PM

I replaced the leaf spring with the T3 unit and all my shimmy problems went away. I have al least 350 hours on it and love it. I can land tail low and it soaks it right up. I fly off pavement and grass mostly with a standard width 10 in tail wheel. I used it in Idaho for al least a couple dozen landings and it worked great. I have the shocks at nearly their stiffest setting and it is still much softer than the leaf spring.