T3 Tailwheel

[Timberwolf]

For all of those out there tired of messing with tailwheel springs every year or landing off airport, there has been a new product that has come to market. For me, the tailwheel has always been the weak link in the suspension of the Rebel. The spring gear and bushwheels soak up just about anything, but ask anyone who lands off airport in the rough stuff (and is responsible for their own mx) that it's advisable to keep the tailwheel up and out of the rough spots. The T3 has completely changed that for me. Aside from never having to take the spring pack off an re arch to get rid of the shimmy, I won't have to worry about it cracking again or worry about walking the tail to keep it up.

I have no affiliation with the makers of the T3 other than the fact that as soon as I saw it, I wanted one. Anything I can do to keep stress off the airframe makes me happy. I debated on making my own, but for as cheap as they are, I had to just order one and see if the hype was worth it.

In this process, one of the two flawed areas of the Rebel design needed some attention. The lower mounting bracket of the rudder was loose and it was obvious it needed some attention. In order to access the area, I had to cut out a section at the bottom of the tail cone so I could get a wrench in to access the nuts. I welded up a new bracket in order to stabilize it further up the post. ST-26 really needs to run all the way down to the bottom to stabilize ST-27 as that area takes a lot of force from turning the tailwheel. But that aside, the install went pretty easy. The T3 was designed with super cubs in mind. For the Rebel, we still have to find a way to support the horizontal stab supports. For the horizontal stab supports I used 1/8'x1.5" hot rolled flat plate. I traced the basic shape then cut them out with the plasma and ground everything smooth. I cut a piece of the flat plate 5" wide then welded it to the existing mount that had come with the tailwheel. I then drilled my holes to accommodate. The 2 bolts that hold the plates need to be replaced to accommodate the additional width. I believe they are 3", but would need to check to be sure. The front mount was turned around the other way from how it came and seemed to bolt up just fine with no other issues

For about $5 in steel and a little bit of effort any builder could easily fab up the supports. I painted it, bolted it together and have been flying the crap out of it. The whole assembly weighed 3.75 lbs. I gained/lost nothing on weight, but eased the stress on the airframe tremendously. When the wheel plants it stays there. No bounce. Plus, the shock is easily adjustable. For larger aircraft, you have the option of doing just air shocks, or the coilovers. The coilovers get the nod for less maintenance. I would be happy to discuss any particulars or answer any questions on these. It's good to see someone innovating on such an old outdated design.

[schaumr]

Timberwolf,
Can you provide some close-up photos of this installation?
Thanks,

Rob

[Expatnz]

Who is selling them? Where did you get it?

[schaumr]

Follow this link (or copy/paste into another browser window)

http://www.airframesalaska.com/T3-Tailw ... s/1899.htm

[Timberwolf]

Well looks like in the last few weeks that airframes Alaska has picked up the tail wheel. I got mine directly from Dan, the designer. After speaking with Dan we decided to go with the LSA tailwheel. It seems to be the perfect setup and there's plenty of adjustment for the spring. If anyone wants to see something in particular I can get more pictures next time I'm at the hangar.

[schaumr]

Thanks for the additional photo Timberwolf!

I think we're all mostly interested in close-up shots of the areas on the Rebel you had to modify to accept the T3.
You were kind enough to provide a verbal description of the steps, but as the say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Thanks in advance,
Rob

[Timberwolf]

Luckily, no areas on the rebel itself were modified. I just took care of some other items that needed cleaned up and attention while I was back there working. I basically built a bracket that bolts to the tailwheel only to support the horizontal stab. If desired, I could switch back to the old leaf spring...but I have no desire for that. Hopefully these help paint the picture a bit more. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the brackets prior to bolting on

[ratc]

Just back from looking at other projects!

Shortly to pick up where I left off with "Upgrades" to the Rebel.
Any further developments/observations for those using the T3 Tailwheel?
What tyre are you using?

Thanks as ever,

Ratc