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Tailwheel spring broke!

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Nick(at)Scholtes1.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:49 pm Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

Guys,



I was pushing my KitFox into the hangar this evening, with the wings 

folded, which puts more weight on the back end, and there is a bump 

going into the hangar.  When the tailwheel hit the bump, the spring 

broke!  BANG!!!  It fell quick and loud, and with all that weight on the 

back end, caused significant damage to the bottom of the rudder.



Question 1:  Is it common for a tailwheel spring to break?  I've never 

heard of it happening before......



Question 2:  Anybody got or know where I can get a replacement spring?  

I bought the airplane so I don't have a clue as to where to get a part 

like that.  It's a 1 1/4" spring, and a Maule solid tailwheel.



Thanks!



Nick Scholtes

marin

Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 16
Location: Stanwood WA

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:53 pm Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

I had a spring break on my Merlin GT just after I bought it and

purchased it through Aircraft Spruce. The one that broke was over ten

years old. Do not know if that made a different or not. It broke on

landing and I to took out the rudder and had to do some straightening

and recovering.



Marin Streeter

--

_________________
Marin

Michel

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:28 pm Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

Nick, like Marin, I broke my model 3 tailwheel spring last summer when 

landing. It ended in a slow 270 degrees ground loop. The single blade 

spring had more than 900 landings when it happened. I have now two 

blades, which I was told I should have had from the beginning. I got 

one from Lowell and the other one was given to me earlier by another 

member of this list but I forgot who. But I think you can get those 

from Aircraft Spruce, isn't it? Not sure.

I also had to do some repairs to the rudder that suffered cosmetic 

damages.



Cheers,

Michel



do not archive

_________________
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200

davef(at)cfisher.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:05 am Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

Nick,



I bought the new 3 leaf spring from John McBean last year and it still 

hanging on wall in shop.   Mine broke on landing and I just made a new one 

from 1 3/4 " leafs I had here. I just grind it narrower where the clamp is 

at rear and drill a hole where the bolt is.   I can take a picture if you 

like.   I have 200 hours on this tailspring since I  made it.  I usually buy 

a complete trailer spring from a local supplier and cut it up for 

tailsprings.  I think i get about 6 or 8 tailsprings out of a set for 20$ 

but you gotta bend,grind and drill them. It not hard to work with like some 

would think.



a Spring shop "might" be able to help you  BUT  1 1/4 " is hard to come by. 

One place that might have that width is a Mennonite buggy shop.



If and when if breaks I will likely  trry the New one that I bought from 

John.



All these movies have that tail spring I made on it  http://www.cfisher.com

Dave

---

Fox5flyer
Guest

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:45 am Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

Lots of 'em have broken Nick.  There was even a case of an aluminum one

breaking reported here.  Check with John McBean at www.kifoxaircraft.com  to

see what he's supplying these days.  Obviously the originals had poor

temper.  Make sure you get the two-leaf design.  The three-leaf might be too

stiff for you.

Deke



---

dosmythe(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:14 am Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

Nick,

    I guess you've already seen that tailsprings do break.  I once quickly 

made a hanger dolly as seen in the attachment and it turned out to work 

pretty well.  It's about 2' square at the bottom for stability and 6" square 

at the top.  The tailspring fuselage bolt sits in a little padded pocket on 

the top center and has a strap to secure it to the dolly.  The castors are 

full swivel type.  I had 4 on hand that were only a couple inches in dia. 

They don't work too well over larger bumps.  Larger wheels would probably be 

required especially trying to pull over grass or gravel.

    If you make something of this nature, you would sit the tailwheel on the 

dolly before you fold wings.  If the dolly is high enough (as mine is), 

folding the wings is much easier since they are level.  You can pull the 

pins and the wings just sit there.

    I never did think it was a good idea to let the plane sit on the spring 

with wings folded and moving it that way (as you know) is probably a worse 

idea.



Sorry about your damage

Don Smythe

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Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:42 am Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

Hi Nick-

I had the original 2-leaf spring break on my IV while taxiing on  

rough grass. I was lucky enough to have a replacement main leaf at  

home, which I replaced, then ordered the newer 3-leaf spring from  

John McBean, and installed it. The newer spring is much better, in  

that it has 2 main leafs...the chances of both of them breaking at  

the same time is practically nil. I got lucky with my break, in that  

very little fabric damage was done when it happened...just a minor  

cut right where the fabric contacts the rudder structure, underneath.  

Get the spring from John...you'll be happy you did. And while you're  

at it, get a Homebuilder's Special tailwheel from Aircraft  

Spruce...lighter and softer than the Maule.



Lynn

On Apr 5, 2007, at 10:47 PM, Nick Scholtes wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Guys,



 I was pushing my KitFox into the hangar this evening, with the  

 wings folded, which puts more weight on the back end, and there is  

 a bump going into the hangar.  When the tailwheel hit the bump, the  

 spring broke!  BANG!!!  It fell quick and loud, and with all that  

 weight on the back end, caused significant damage to the bottom of  

 the rudder.



 Question 1:  Is it common for a tailwheel spring to break?  I've  

 never heard of it happening before......



 Question 2:  Anybody got or know where I can get a replacement  

 spring?  I bought the airplane so I don't have a clue as to where  

 to get a part like that.  It's a 1 1/4" spring, and a Maule solid  

 tailwheel.



 Thanks!



 Nick Scholtes

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Michel

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:20 am Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

On Apr 6, 2007, at 2:45 PM, Lynn Matteson wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   I had the original 2-leaf spring break on my IV while taxiing on rough 

 grass.


	


Lynn, did both leafs break together and where was the place of 

fracture? Thanks.



Cheers,

Michel



do not archive

_________________
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:25 am Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

No, only the main leaf broke, and it broke right about where the  

"helper" or "booster" leaf ends. So that left me with sort of a  

tailskid of two leafs that kept the rudder off the ground. It still  

got dinged a bit with the tailwheel flopping around, but my speed was  

real slow when it happened, so that helped.

Lynn

do not archive

On Apr 7, 2007, at 10:20 AM, Michel Verheughe wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 On Apr 6, 2007, at 2:45 PM, Lynn Matteson wrote:

> I had the original 2-leaf spring break on my IV while taxiing on  

> rough grass.

 Lynn, did both leafs break together and where was the place of  

 fracture? Thanks.

 Cheers,

 Michel

 do not archive

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

Michel

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 8:59 am Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

On Apr 7, 2007, at 6:26 PM, Lynn Matteson wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   No, only the main leaf broke, and it broke right about where the 

 "helper" or "booster" leaf ends.


	


Hum, it makes sense. Thanks Matt!



Michel



do not archive

_________________
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200

rexinator(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 1:44 pm Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

Has there been a poll concerning tail wheel springs and at what hours 

or landing count they broke? I'm sure it's a preflight item, but has 

anyone found a cracked spring during pre/post flight checks or are they 

not showing signs of impending failure?

 It seems I'm only reading of failures during use and the resulting damage.

Rexinator

Colorado

Lynn Matteson wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 No, only the main leaf broke, and it broke right about where the  

 "helper" or "booster" leaf ends. So that left me with sort of a  

 tailskid of two leafs that kept the rudder off the ground. It still  

 got dinged a bit with the tailwheel flopping around, but my speed was  

 real slow when it happened, so that helped.

 Lynn

 do not archive

 On Apr 7, 2007, at 10:20 AM, Michel Verheughe wrote:

> 

>

> On Apr 6, 2007, at 2:45 PM, Lynn Matteson wrote:

>

>> I had the original 2-leaf spring break on my IV while taxiing on  

>> rough grass.

>

Lynn Matteson

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 2778
Location: Grass Lake, Michigan

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 5:09 pm Post subject: Tailwheel spring broke!

I just did the math, and mine broke at the 587th takeoff/landing  

mark...give or take a couple. : )



Lynn

On Apr 7, 2007, at 5:44 PM, Rexinator wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   



 Has there been a poll concerning tail wheel springs and at what  

 hours or landing count they broke? I'm sure it's a preflight item,  

 but has anyone found a cracked spring during pre/post flight checks  

 or are they not showing signs of impending failure?



 It seems I'm only reading of failures during use and the resulting  

 damage.



 Rexinator

 Colorado



 Lynn Matteson wrote:



> 

>

> No, only the main leaf broke, and it broke right about where the   

> "helper" or "booster" leaf ends. So that left me with sort of a   

> tailskid of two leafs that kept the rudder off the ground. It  

> still  got dinged a bit with the tailwheel flopping around, but my  

> speed was  real slow when it happened, so that helped.

>

> Lynn

> do not archive

>

> On Apr 7, 2007, at 10:20 AM, Michel Verheughe wrote:

>

>> 

>> <michel(at)online.no>

>>

>> On Apr 6, 2007, at 2:45 PM, Lynn Matteson wrote:

>>

>>> I had the original 2-leaf spring break on my IV while taxiing  

>>> on  rough grass.

>>

_________________
Lynn
Kitfox IV-Jabiru 2200
N369LM

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