The 4* 60 calls for 3 1/4" wheels and I bought Dave Brown's Lite Flite wheels. My plane is about 99% ready for covering so for grins I installed the supplied landing gear, those 3 1/4" wheels and checked the props ground clearance with level fuse. I have about 2 1/4" of ground clearance with the 14" prop. So with a 15" prop I should have a 1 3/4" before "KnicksVille".

I just checked the clearance on my LT-40 with a Magnum .52 FS, 12x5 prop and a landing gear lift kit and I have a 1 3/8" of GC which has been working great. 3 weeks and I havent changed a prop yet over the standard LG. I also added Du-bro low bounce wheels. I know they are heavy, but they definitly help.

From what I have read here thanks to you RCU guys is, the 4* 60 builds tail heavy. I have heard/read of guys having to add 10 oz. to the nose of the plane. In my demented thought process, I'm thinking of rather than adding lead, adding a much stronger, less flexy composite LG and Low Bounce wheels to the front end. Maybe raise the front end another half inch.

Of course that brings up two other issues. With raising the front end, that lowers the rear end and that transistion from tail dragging to level, will be more extreem. I don't know if thats a real problem or not, but I have also read that when using the Sullivan tail wheel, the rear sits a little high anyway and guys bend the wire to lower it. May be a wash.

The second issue will be added weight and a less "forgiving" landing gear. Hard landings with stiff LG will transfer more of the load to the air frame since the stiffer LG isn't absorbing as much shock as the original design was ment to. (As if that was the intention of the designer and not the bean counter who selected lower cost hardware.) (And not that Ill be having any hard landings with my 3 months of experiance. lol) Ill have to beef up the LG mounting area and most likely that will add more weight and transfer the load up and down the fuse which may need more attention.

Am I crazy? Any thoughts?

Thanks.