Tailwheel conversion
 

I have done a search and can't find exactly what I am looking for.
I want to make my SIG Kadet Senior into a tail dragger.
How do I go about making it....

Is there anything on the market I can get ?????

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

You need to glue a 2 or 3" long piece of 1/8" lite ply matching the width of the rear section. A local hobby shop like Hobby Haven
should have a DuBro or Sullivan tail wheel kit for either 40 or 60 size. It comes with a plastic mounting base and wire to be bent to enter the hinge area of the rudder. Correct dia wheel will have to be bought separately.

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

HuskerBoy
is this what I need ????
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...p?&I=LXD851&P=

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

Ya, that part will work. I am not sure if it is ideal, might be a bit big, but it should work.

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

That's the one. I couldn't find it when I looked earlier.
On a couple of my profile planes, I've also used a simple wire tail skid with a 'J' bend that contacts the ground.
That Kadet is so lite in the tail and large rudder that the skid would probably work.

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

This is a photo I couldn't post earlier.

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

The tail wheel setup I like is the sulivan
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...p?&I=LXFV46&P=

It won't work with your rudder though. There is a spring the couples the rudder to the tail wheel, but your rudder is ahead and above the horz stab, so there isn't a good way to couple the rudder to the tail wheel. You need to set up a secondary push rod, or pull/pull for the tail wheel. I've got an old Quickee 500 that has a rudder like yours, and the guy I got it from had an L shapped rod that the short leg went into the rudder and the long leg went through the bottom of the fuselage. He made an aluminum coupler that the tail wheel attached to. It is really a lousy setup. The whole support for the tail wheel is the rudder hinges. The coupling will not hold tigh to the rod and almost every landing requires straightening the tail wheel again. I broke the fire wall out a month or so back, so I haven't really engineered a fix yet. Maybe some one else has a good idea that we can both use.

Don

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

Check these out instead [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVPROFIL=++&FVSEARCH=LXLGN7&FVPROFIL=++&s earch=Go]CLICK ME![/link]

Not only are they extremely cheap, but they are very easy to retrofit onto an existing plane.

There is little force exterted on the rudder, and the wire acts as a spring to prevent damage.

You can also adjust the tracking by bending the trailing wire when you are at the field.

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

Hi to everyone "
I guess I would like to go with a setup that would put less stress on the rudder.
On a pull pull ,do you have to put on an extra servo ??? I rather not ,but I can if I have to.
OPJOSE seems to me the way to go, can you post me a picture of your setup.

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

I converted a Kadet Senorita (same plane but sized for a .25 engine) to a tailwheel design. I used a secondary pushrod to control the tailwheel. One servo controlled both rudder and tailwheel. The tailwheel control horn was on the opposite side as the rudder control horn so I put the tailwheel pushrod on the opposite side of the servo arm. I used Sulivan Gold-N-Rod for both rudder and tailwheel on this plane to simplify the construction. Things can really get crowded in the tail cone with three balsa pushrods.

P.S. It worked flawlessly!

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

If you can get the cables cleanly to the tail wheel from the rudder servo, and the servo has a wheel or two arms, you can use the same servo. you could also run a second pushrod for stearing, simular to the way the nose wheel stears. Just keep your arms, both on the servo and on the wheel and rudder on the same side, so the movement is the same as the rudder. You could use an antenna wire tube with a fine music wire for a push-rod, or use a cable pushrod setup. You want to keep the weight low. You could carefully solder a brass horn on the brass hub of the Sullivan tail wheel. Use a z bend in the wire there, and then use an ez link on the rudder servo. Humm, that may be the answer for my Quickee 500. I'll have to take another look at that.

Unless there is a method I don't know of, or I am seeing the rudder in a different light that the photo shows, you will not be able to use a rudder to tail wheel connection for stearing.

Don

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

I have a Hobbico Superstar .60 that I am converting to a tail dragger. I am going to use a steerable tail wheel bracket. I have had it in my parts container for a long time, so I'm not sure who made it. The Superstar has a rudder that does not extend below the elevator, so piggy backing the tail steering to the rudder was not an option. The rudder push rod is on the opposite side of the plane from the tail wheel horn, so I can use both side of the servo arm in the plane.

RE: Tailwheel conversion
 

Well,, I'm getting closer to understanding how its done.
How does the little rod that holds the wheel, get set into the rudder ???
I'm 100 miles round trip from my LHS, I need to know these things before
I head out.
So far as the Sig Kadet photo I posted,nothing has been epoxy on yet.
The main frame has not been covered either. I want to make sure everything is
right before I cover it up.
Pictures will help