LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

After fighting with the nose gear, and getting aggrivated with it, my LT-40 is now a taildragger! It took about 5 hours to convert it over. Used 1/4" ply and blind nuts with nylon bolts for the main gear, and 1/4 ply and 8 x 32 blind nuts for the tail end (I think thats what he used, I had help).

Ask any questions if you have any, had a blast doing the conversion.

below is a pic of it, and if you want to see more, just visit my site, just made a quicky page for more pics at http://richdavis.net/rc

http://richdavis.net/rc/images/tail3.jpg

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

looks great, im in the middle of converting my alpha

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

i think comverting to a tail drager on my alpha is in the near future

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

it was pretty easy to do

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

did u run a pushrod for steering?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Plane looks great, and I think you'll have fun with it as a taildragger.
Dennis-

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

if you looked at the pictures on the website I gave in my initial post, you will see the added nyrod.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Rich your conversion looks great. I have contemplating the same thing for my Lt-40, since I have a Cub almost ready to go and would like a tail dragger trainer. Two questions, How far ahead did you move the gear and what kind of after market products did you use?
Steve

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Steve,
You want the wheels to sit under the leading edge of the wing on a tail dragger. Too far forward and it won't want to turn on the ground, too far back and it'll be all over the place (and nosing over all the time). There's a range though depending on where that front bulkhead (former) is.
Dennis-

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

The person that helped me do it placed the gear. Basically what he told me was, just forward of the leading edge of the wing.

The main gear is the standard dubro and the tail assembly is the Goldberg small tail wheel assembly kit, kit had all the parts for the tail section... wheel, collar, mount, everything.

I just reused my old wheels, but did have to get a new nyrod and axles.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

i plan on doing the same thing as you.... I will need:

-Main landing gear
-Tail landing gear
-Thin plywood for mounting
-Pushrod & pushrod tube

thats seems about it...anything missing?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

blind nuts and accociated hardware for the mounting.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

that doesn't come with the tailgear?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

the carl goldberg gear, yeah

but usually not for the main gear.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

my hobby shop should have different size blindnuts i hope. all this stuff is starting to add up[:@]

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

You can try to buy my nuts and bolts at the hardware store to save some money

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Couldn't you just tie in the tail gear to the rudder so they move together, instead of running another pushrod or am i missing something?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

on the alpha the elevator and rudder are above the fuse so it's not possible.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Conversion looks fine,you'll have a lot of good fun with it.

Some people are talking about steerable tailwheels etc. but I don't really think that the complication is necessary.
I just use a fixed wire tailskid on my scratch built Spacewalker, it turns fine, - didn't have any problems taxying around my lawn, or flying.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

My Falcon 56 plans show the way to be built as either tricycle or taildragger

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Want a quick and easy tail wheel setup for your LT-40 ARF requiring no surgery on the fuselage? Add a free swiveling tailwheel setup. Epoxy a plywood mounting pad for a tail wheel mount on the fuselage below the tail and screw the bracket onto it. The steering wire hole in the mount should be directly under the rudder hinge line, or as close as you can get it. Insert the steering wire into the bracket, drop a wheel collar down over the wire and tighten the screw. Cut the wire off just above the wheel collar. Add a wheel and a retainer, and you're done! As steering comes from the Rudder stick anyway, you will steer via air blasting over the rudder. The rudder deflects, the wheel swivels, and the tail swings around. Its not as quick and precise as a direct connection to the wheel, but it's smoother than a skid. Looks nicer too. I have two panes with them in use and they work great.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Yes, that's the best solution, but I was just being cheap!

The steered wheel is only useful at very slow taxying speeds, it won't be in contact with the ground at any higher speeds. The rudder is the most important cotributor to steering on a taildragger, but as you say, a wheel looks much better than a skid.

However, I believe in having the basics only for learning, looks are totally a waste of time on a trainer and they can be built into the second plane later.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

I don;t quite under stand... pictures would be nice. but if i just mount the tailwheel without it being able to move it should still turn with rudder power?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

The pushrod use wasnt for looks. I learned... learned how to work on an aircraft, how to add strength to the fuse for the addition of items, learned how to set up a nyrod, and now learning techniques for takeoffs and landings using a taildragger to be used on my 2nd plane and beyond.

I would have to argue that what I did was not a "waste of time", but a learning experiance... a very pleasureable one at that.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

The tailwheel can pivot freely through 360 Degrees. It just can't be steered.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

I should be ok without it being steered right guys? it can still pivot all the way around but it just won't be steered...i should be ok right?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Yes, it can swivel and the amount it swivels is determined by how much the rudder wants to turn the plane, so in effect, although it isn't attached to the rudder, it is a slave to the rudder, and will work very well.

My fixed skid also works ok. - I learnt to fly with this on my basic contraption! - it's not pretty but it's functional. Alteratively you can have a free swivelling skid.

Go for the wheel if you want something better, just forget about making it steerable, just let it swivel.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Well, you guys motivated me to do that taildragger conversion I had been talking about every since I bought my trainer! Since I'm currently building an Eindecker III as a second plane I thought I'd get a little taildragger experience first.

It was definitely a guerilla conversion and she sure ain't pretty but then who cares what a trainer looks like! First I tore out the bottom balsa and seated a 1/4" ply piece into the fuse walls. Then I drilled and tapped (and thin CA's) the holes for the DuBro main gear. Then covered the construction with that stick on covering tape. Next the tail gear: Epoxied and screwed on a Sullivan tail wheel assembly. I thought about having it freely rotate but that wouldn't be like my Eindecker so I opted to guerilla attach the wheel to the rudder via an extended wire. This meant cutting out a little V in the rudder. No problem.

Anyway, I think my little RCM trainer now looks a bit like a Cub. Heck, who knows, maybe I'll get REALLY motivated an recover it in Yellow (since most of the original covering is peeling off anyway) and ad some wing struts for show!!

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Oh and for all you guys out there that JUST CAN'T STAND an ugly plane: Here's my Eindecker III in it's not-quite-finished state.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

wow! that trainer could use some new covering. nice job on the conversion!

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

There, brand new covering complete! Like my new Cub J-3?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Both my son and I (both newbie pilots) flew our RCM Trainer-to-taildragger conversion today and MAN WAS THAT EVER SWEET!!! It taxied just as well, IF NOT BETTER, than the old nose gear AND I didn't have adjust the dang gear once all day long. What a joy! Landings, if anything, seemed easier AND softer -- the plane just settled right in and almost landed itself. I've had more nose-overs with the nose gear! And of course nothing looks as elegant as the tail gently lifting off before the mains and then that gentle climb out.

I'll probably never fly another nose-gear plane again (unless it's a scale beauty like the P-38). Nose gear is just the biggest pain in the a-- um... neck and I can't understand why I didn't do this conversion MUCH MUCH EARLIER.

Taildraggers RULE!!

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

well after using my recenlty converted alpha into a tail dragger I am working on making the tailwheel steerable. I was all over the feild when taxing today. I've learned my lesson. will post pics of how i hooked it up to steer after supper.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Here's the simple steering I'm using. Just run a wire to the rudder edge then CA and tape in place. Works fine. Why do to the trouble of connecting to the servo?

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

my rudder does not run staight up and down, its on a slope (its an alpha 40). so running a wire to the rudder won't work. I just finished assembling mine. it only took me about an hour.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Look, - just take a little time and you'll master steering with the rudder - You're just about there.!

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Righty, if you look closely at the photo, you'll notice the that wire does not run at a 90 degree angle. My rudder is also on a slant but that creates no problem whatsoever. The wire is like an extension of the trailing edge of the rudder. Note the wire does not attached to the bottom of the rudder as many tail wheel assemblies suggest but rather is attached to the trailing edge. I'm sure this (or some slight varient) would work. It took me about 10 minutes to do (counting the figuring it all out).

A sorry to say, Willdo, but steering with just rudder is simply not possible until you reach a certain speed. Or have an incredibly powerful engine that sends a ton of prop wash over the rudder. Of course if you set your plane pointing straight down the runway you will after a bit of a (basically uncontrolled) running start be able steer with the rudder. But if you want to be able to set the plane down and then taxi into position you HAVE to have a steerable wheel.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Abufletcher

Well, if you say so my friend. - If I had only known it couldn't be done, I wouldn't have done it and saved myself all that heartache and energy!

Looks like I must have only dreamed of taxiing my plane around the back lawn!
Or maybe I have made a breakthrough, - a world first in taildragger steering technology!

Now where did I put the address of the Guinness Book of Records? ;) :) :D

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

Willdo, I'd love for this to be true. I'm even willing to believe it does work under certain conditions. I'm currently finishing up a more or less non-steerable scale Fokker EIII and would certainly like to be able to taxi it around. However, from nearly everything I hear I will pretty much have to set it down pointing into the wind and do my best just to keep it going straight. Pretty much like the original. I just don't see how the force of the prop wash alone can turn a very slow moving plane.

Do you have something akin to a rear skid or just a non-rotating wheel. I suppose what could be happening is the skid, particularly in grass (not much of that in Southern Cal flying fields), acts as a sort of mini-plow (like the metal plows on many WWI planes) and the force fo the rudder is sufficient to "dig it in" and force the plane's tail in the desired location.

RE: LT-40 taildragger conversion DONE !
 

BTW, here's the rear skid setup I hope will work on my EIII