The shocks are alum. or plastic and weigh less than an ounce including the oil in them. The amt. of wire used is actually less than the original LG so the weight is about the same. The front wire swings in the mount and the rear one is fixed, so the wheel swings back and up when shock is compressed. The travel is about 3/4 inch and seems to be enough. They work very well and draw a crowd at the flight line. About 9 Lbs is the limit I think though. I paid about $14 for a set of two shocks. I have not tried to make anything with a steerable front one yet. I have only used this system on trike geared acft. I see no reason it won't work on a tail dragger though. I have only used it on low wing acft. wing mounted gear but I am sure it would work mounted in a fuselage on a high wing plane too.You can e-mail me and I can send you drawings via snail mail if you like. These are fun to make .