I forgot to install tail wheel . As I look at this, I realize a simple fix would be to mount as a caster . This will take all shock out of rudder and the large rudder will still have control.
Has anyone tried this?

why can you not install a tailwheel now?

CA  is cured on hinges. and this type of bracket is installed with CA Hinges.

Castoring tail wheels work, but they are sometimes liabilities. They can make your aeroplane's ground handling a tad unruly. Better than nothing, though.

A tailwheel that is free castoring will add considerably to directional instability during takeoff and/or landing. In other words you will making it much harder to control.

If you wish to have a tailwheel that is not steerable with rudder then drip CA in the tailwheel block and make the wheel fixed straight ahead. This will work very well.

Did you know that many full scale heavy taildraggers such as DC-3 and others had tailwheel locks that locked their steerable tailwheels straight ahead for takeoff? Even the Cessna 185 series offered the option of a tailwheel lock.

John[8D]

Install a Sullivan Tailwheel. I mounts on the bottom of the fuselage and has a spring that extends out to the rudder and inserts into the wood on the bottom of the rudder. This will give you a steering tailwheel.

These are the tailwheels that I prefer because the spring isolates the rudder from the tailwheel in case the wheel is jammed or jerked to the sides. It prevents damage to the rudder.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...XFV47&P=ML

Ken</p>

castering tail wheelsare no good...they are unpredictable, especially on asphault try something from here http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...heel&search=Go



if nothing from there works...you are better off just gluing a tail skid

RCKen has the answer.  Thank you.

Better idea:

A whole easy to install tail wheel assembly INCLUDING the aluminum hub wheel for a whopping $2.00/ea from Tower as a spare part....

Does not glue or affix to the rudder, much cheaper & more complete than Sullivan, etc. and looks nice.

Ditto! I personally dont like the tailwheels which glue into the rudder. Feel as if its something you'll have to fix later!

I will third RCKEN, I just installed the bigger version of this on my 27% cap 232 and it works great. It is better than the one that came with the kit.

My favorite setup on grass used to be a caster, but its a nightmare on a hard surface runway !

Well I'll second Opjose just so RCKen doesn't get a swelled head. [Though I shudder at his rudder linkage with the EZ connector - Yikes!]. I have two models with that GP variety tailwheel steering and they work great. Much like the Sullivan except a different mount.

Don't worry Charlie, that quick connector has one on the other side of the rudder as well.

Even if one fails the other will still work the rudder.

It's a PULL-PULL setup with a music wire, so either side can move the rudder.

I've left one loose by accident, and the plane had no problem as the other did the trick.

It has built in redundancy there, to the point that I didn't feel the need to add another collar after the EZ connector.

-

I also go with the Sullivan tailwheels on my planes that need tailwheels. On my planes that have big enough rudders, I just install a fixed wire skid (usually 1/8" wire). I fly off grass, and have no problems with ground handling with the fixed skids.

Good luck

I use mounts now for the tail wheel.

Had the classic rudder mount job on an old Balsa USA Stik. On one takeoff, it lifted off then went into a screaming loop, flew by the club president's head and buried itself in the dirt a yard from his feet. Stress from use had caused the lowest CA hinge on the rudder to break.

Week before, a tailwheel with the same setup had pulled loose and gave one instructor a merry chase down the edge of the flight line as plane castored back and forth.

We passed a club rule next meeting. No more direct connection of tailwheels to the rudder. Springs or shock absorbers required.

Tom

Phew! I'll sleep better tonight. ;-)

Wow I hope that is an Alu. control arm a least. No 3D!!

I've got to agree with RCKen on the Sullivan tail wheel mount.  I've used them on several planes and the make life easy.  I recently acquired a Twist 150 with a Saito 180 for power.  It has a hard link from the rudder to the tail wheel.  I've attempted to fly it just once and it was a near disaster.  Like I've done with all my tail dragger's, I hold some up elevator on roll out until it gets up enough speed for the rudder to have full control.  The Twist was really pulling left on roll out.  I kept putting in a little more right rudder as is gained speed,  Was parallel with the center line but off to the left.  When I let the tail lift, it did an immediate right turn off the runway.  I was so spooked that I haven't taken it out to the field since.  This topic got me to thinking.  Why did this plane act so different than the other eight or so tail draggers I've flown.  The answer, I think, is that with the hard linkage, rudder to tail wheel, either the rudder or the tail wheel has full control.  In my case, when the directional control was handed off to the rudder, it was almost hard right and away I went.  With the Sullivan type spring linkage, it is a compromise, and the hand off is more gentle.  I"m going to make the mod on the Twist, replace the stock with a Sullivan, and see if it is more even tempered on the runway. 

Don

I've installed tail wheels on several already built models. Some were originally nose draggers and some were a replacement of the original tail wheel. One was a conversion from an impossible castering wheel to one that steers

If the design allows, I use the Sullivan as Ken suggested

On the others with a Dubro bracket, I ran a new tailwheel wire up into the hinge line of the rudder. Turn the rudder all the way and with a 90 degree bend in the tail wheel wire, stick it into the rudder with epoxy.

Here's one I added to convert a trike to a tail-dragger. The staple goes up into the rudder and the loop is cushioned with a piece of fuel tube. Worked great.

OK how do you do this if the Hor stab is in the way of the rudder? I installed the Ohio superstar tailwheel on a GP stick. I ran a wire up to the Rudder servo and used a wheel collar to attach it. I guess it will work have yet to put it into action. Wish I had a picture to show what I am trying to say. This was a ARF an I have a limited schedule of time at home.

That is a problem. I havea Quicke 500, the orginal design and the tail wheel on it has to be centered after every flight. It will hold up for take off but not landing. It has some sort of post off the rudder through the fuse to the tail wheel. I am second or third owner, so I'm not sure just how it is set up other than it isn't a very good setup. I've seen a stearing arm on the tail wheel that is a pull pull arangement off the rudder, each arm is spring loaded. The issue though is when you can't get the lines back to the stearing arm on the wheel. Something like you are describing is about you only choice other that a seperate servojust for the tail wheel.

Don

I just extend the steering shaft of the tail wheel up between the vertical fin and the rudder (The hinge line) and with a 90 degree turn in this wire about 3/4 inch long, I stick into a hole in the rudder. So when the rudder turns - the tailwheel turns. The servo turns the rudder.

The tail wheel steering shaft must be centered and in alignment with the rudder hinge line

On a plane with the elevator in the way, I install a piece of 1/8" tubing from the tailwheel bracket and through the elevator to the rudder hinge line. The tailwheel steering wire goes up through this tube. The top of the tube serves as a bearing for the wire before it sticks into the rudder

hey, don't do a free castering tailwheel, i tried that once and strongly advise against it. i have removed the tail before, cut the ca hinges off and reinstall with robart's, they have various sizes all the way down to 1/2 A.