Tailwheel Leaf Spring Advice

[johneeb]

A bit late but if you look closely at your original springs you will see the main and the second longest spring are the same thickness and they are both thicker than the top two. The top two are original thickness. The bottom two are the thickness commonly attributed to an L-19 part. I suspect your old second spring is a broken off old main spring which would account for that ruff end "cut".

Bruce my second spring is thicker then the top two springs and thinner then the main spring. Also like Arish I have (as you can see) Teflon tape between springs and it has stayed in place.

[Onewinglo]

Brad,
My U bolt came from Air Repair. 0642133 for $38.00, Ouch!
JP

[Onewinglo]

Got my new leaf springs installed today!

The old ones... #2 was looking pretty bad.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Got my new leaf springs installed today!

I'd invert the chain links from the way you have them. The nice rounded end with fit nicely around the round spring and the flat of the chain link will hold the clip at the control end nicely together.

If you look close at the Scott install drawing this is the way it is shown.

[Onewinglo]

Thanks Bruce. I'll flip the chains tomorrow.

Got my new leaf springs installed today!

I'd invert the chain links from the way you have them. The nice rounded end with fit nicely around the round spring and the flat of the chain link will hold the clip at the control end nicely together.

IMG_1258.JPG

If you look close at the Scott install drawing this is the way it is shown.

[johneeb]

Looks like the first chance I get I also will reverse my chains.

JP the new set up looks nice, I cannot tell if you chamfered the bottom of the 3rd spring to prevent creating a stress riser in the main spring?

[GAHorn]

Brad,
My U bolt came from Air Repair. 0642133 for $38.00, Ouch!
JP

Try getting it from Cessna: 0642133 -- U-BOLT -- $2,248.00

[Onewinglo]

Looks like the first chance I get I also will reverse my chains.

JP the new set up looks nice, I cannot tell if you chamfered the bottom of the 3rd spring to prevent creating a stress riser in the main spring?

Johneeb,
I put a 1/64" radius on the 3rd spring. It's not much but should be enough.
JP

[johneeb]

JP, good on you, I have no idea how much radius is necessary and certainly some is better then none. I do know that I went through a couple of springs before I learned that I needed to chamfer the edge of the third spring and those main springs were definitely stressed at the point where the third spring end met the main spring, sense I have been chamfering the third spring there is no stress riser being created the paint is not even worn away.

[C170U2]

Onewinglo- If it were me, I would reverse the tie down bolt. You will ding up all the new paint with tie down chains rubbing on it. (Air Repair also told me over the phone to put it in with the ring on the bottom) Your IA might disagree, but I would swap it around.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Onewinglo- If it were me, I would reverse the tie down bolt. You will ding up all the new paint with tie down chains rubbing on it.

The solution of course is don't use chain to tie down.

I believe most, including me, think the ring on the top is much more convenient.

[Onewinglo]

After my tailwheel leaf springs were changed I completed a series of really bad landings - purely for post maintenance testing. Click the link fr a sample...
https://vimeo.com/132775264

JP

[daedaluscan]

I really hate using chains. The idea of any motion ending with a sudden stop seems so wrong. I carry ropes and use them in place of chains provided. Ring on top for me, I crawl around enough looking after the tailwheel anyway.

[GAHorn]

I'm fairly certain George is in the ring on bottom camp so that settles it, right?

Wrong. Not only is mine on TOP.... (because it's much more convenient when tying down using my own stakes during campouts).... but MY choices are usually questionable.

The ring on the bottom better serves established tie downs designed for tricycle geared airplanes. The tailrings on those aircraft are directly beneath the tailcone...in other words, directly in FRONT of where the tailwheel usually sits on a taildragger. When tying down at a public airport I find my tail rope must be taken forward to reach the standard tie down spot. This means my rope (which is always stronger than the string or the degraded poly ropes or chains used at most public airports) must wrap around the tailsprings and greasy-wheel. (I suspect the military L-19 was usually parked or transported using standardized tie downs designed for trikes.

In a perfect world, I think instead of a NUT.... the eyebolt would have an EYE-NUT... so either would be convenient.