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Broken tailwheel linkage

tass

Active Member
After landing today, and wondering why on earth I had gotten so bad at taxiing at the center-line, I noticed my tailwheel linkage had broken.

I have questions for you amazing people:

1. Is this repairable, or does it need to be replaced?

2. It looks like the one sold by JD Air, but they won't be shipping anything until the end of this week (away for Oshkosh). I would ideally have this fixed before flying home from SoCal to Seattle in the next few days. Does anyone else sell this part, or is there something else that will easily fit?


Relevant image:
preview
 
Tailwheel link

That’s a broken link so it doesn’t look repairable. Fortunately Flyboy Accessories sells these with and without the arm. Not sure of the geometry of your existing arm vs what works with the Rocket Steering link so you may want to get it with the arm just in case. FYI- the Flyboy arm is bare steel and will eventually need to be painted/powder coated but you might be able to use yours. If you’re going to replace the link you’ll need a 3/8” socket and wrench. If you’re replacing your arm you’ll also need a 3/4” socket or wrench for the big tailwheel fiber nut on top. You’ll need to jack up the tail so you can do the necessary adjustments to the steering link length. Might be a good time to remove the tailwheel anyway and replace the the spring and locking pin and clean and regrease the tailwheel.

https://flyboyaccessories.com/product/rv-rocket-steering-link

621-CDE1-C-DCC4-444-E-B335-2-F573-A4-E81-D9.png


https://flyboyaccessories.com/product/locking-pin-and-spring

BD396759-1-CC2-4641-BDB3-60080-E8-ACE76.png
 
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After landing today, and wondering why on earth I had gotten so bad at taxiing at the center-line, I noticed my tailwheel linkage had broken.

I have questions for you amazing people:

1. Is this repairable, or does it need to be replaced?

2. It looks like the one sold by JD Air, but they won't be shipping anything until the end of this week (away for Oshkosh). I would ideally have this fixed before flying home from SoCal to Seattle in the next few days. Does anyone else sell this part, or is there something else that will easily fit?


Relevant image:
preview

Totally repairable.

The bent arm is threaded into the body and it can be center drilled and then screw-extracted. You'll need the heat the end with a torch to melt the cyanoacrylate thread locker and then work the screw extractor.

Contact Darwin Barrie of JD Airparts for replacement arm.

B

PM Sent
 
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Tailwheel link

It didn’t look repairable in the picture so I stand corrected by someone smarter than me. Hope you don’t get delayed too long with a lot of folks doing Oshkosh.

The bent arm is threaded into the body and it can be center drilled and then screw-extracted. You'll need the heat the end with a torch to melt the cyanoacrylate thread locker and then work the screw extractor.

Sounds a bit more complicated on the road at a different airport than just replacing the part
 
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Just remove it and fly home.
It will just feel a little loosie goosie...for a few seconds while taxing.
Kind of like it did while landing....
As long as you now know what is happening back there.

or
Splint it....with some safety wire and duct tape.
 
Thanks all for the advice.

Looks like I can get it fixed once I'm home (with a new bent rod, torch and screw extractor) and fly with a free castering tailwheel for the next week or so.

If that fails, I'll pick up a new link from either JD Air or Flyboy Accessories.

Another thing that's bothered me is that the tailwheel is slightly cantered. An A&P who helped with my last inspection mentioned that he has the same link and same problem. Has anyone had any luck with threading the link a little deeper so it can be slightly more adjustable, or some other solution?
 
Be careful

Just remember that when speed slows to the point of no rudder effectiveness on landing, you will only have brakes to steer. We're used to tail wheel steering in that phase keeping us down the centerline. Be ready with brakes.
 
Has anyone had any luck with threading the link a little deeper so it can be slightly more adjustable, or some other solution?

I pulled the whole thing apart, polished off the black oxide from each rod and then I cut about 3/16" off each threaded end and tapped the holes a little deeper.

IIRC Darwin has a shorter length "bent" rod available as well -- just need to inquire.

Brian
 

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Sorry for the delay, been at Oshkosh with limited internet and email capability.

The link is repairable. Please send me an email at [email protected] and we'll get you set up.

The only time these will break is when they assembly hasn't been properly serviced. The tailwheel assembly takes a beating but is the most overlook component on our airplanes.

What occurs is the locking pin locks and due to a burr, coagulated grease or what ever the pin won't retract. So, you land and it does respond properly what do you do? You give it a full boot full of rudder and something is going to give.

I recommend disassembly of the tailwheel components EVERY OIL CHANGE. You've got to let the oil drain and it only take 15 minutes to completely clean, inspect, re grease and reassemble. You will not have tail wheel problems if you follow this.



After landing today, and wondering why on earth I had gotten so bad at taxiing at the center-line, I noticed my tailwheel linkage had broken.

I have questions for you amazing people:

1. Is this repairable, or does it need to be replaced?

2. It looks like the one sold by JD Air, but they won't be shipping anything until the end of this week (away for Oshkosh). I would ideally have this fixed before flying home from SoCal to Seattle in the next few days. Does anyone else sell this part, or is there something else that will easily fit?


Relevant image:
preview
 
That’s a broken link so it doesn’t look repairable. Fortunately Flyboy Accessories sells these with and without the arm. Not sure of the geometry of your existing arm vs what works with the Rocket Steering link so you may want to get it with the arm just in case. FYI- the Flyboy arm is bare steel and will eventually need to be painted/powder coated but you might be able to use yours. If you’re going to replace the link you’ll need a 3/8” socket and wrench. If you’re replacing your arm you’ll also need a 3/4” socket or wrench for the big tailwheel fiber nut on top. You’ll need to jack up the tail so you can do the necessary adjustments to the steering link length. Might be a good time to remove the tailwheel anyway and replace the the spring and locking pin and clean and regrease the tailwheel.

My JD air steering link is repairable. This was a "clean sheet" design with lots of testing to get the proper springs and internal spacing.

Please see my reponse above about servicing.
 
I noticed with these that the steering is quicker to the left than the right.. Is there guidance on what causes this or is it just the way it works?
 
I noticed with these that the steering is quicker to the left than the right.. Is there guidance on what causes this or is it just the way it works?

P-Factor, Torque, Precession, Spiraling Slipstream all work to make the airplane turn faster/easier to the left (https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to...akeoff-to-stay-on-the-centerline-ground-roll/)

(Unless you have contra-rotating engine & propellor; M14P or left handed Lycoming/Conti & propellor, AeroMomentum, etc.)
 
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I've broken several in this manner. It's a weak point in the system. Eventually changed the aft linkage out to a homebrew arrangement.
 
I’ve had two of these break on me over the years. I noticed that my landings got better after the break, when I had nothing installed, waiting for the replacement. I have now transitioned to the screen door springs, hoping for someone to come up with the low profile version of this, which I don’t remember the name of…..
Way better with the two springs in my opinion.
 
P-Factor, Torque, Precession, Spiraling Slipstream all work to make the airplane turn faster/easier to the left (https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to...akeoff-to-stay-on-the-centerline-ground-roll/)

(Unless you have contra-rotating engine & propellor; M14P or left handed Lycoming/Conti & propellor, AeroMomentum, etc.)

I meant that the movement of the rudder to the left, the wheel moves to the left at a faster rate than the rudder. Then when the rudder is moved to the right, the steering link moves the wheel to the right slightly slower.

I’m not talking about the 3 left turning (Yaw) tendencies, or the left (rolling) tendency from torque.
 
Any photos?

Carl
No photo, but I've sketched what I built. Ugly as sin, but it works. Vertical component is a piece of ~7/16 steel tubing. Fastener attaching tubing to spring assembly is an AN hex bolt. Piece attaching tubing to rudder horn/rod end is grade 8 all thread. Make sure the angle between the all thread and the spring assy (in the vertical plane) is appropriate to miss the lower rudder fairing.

Would rather just go back to tail Lynx.
 

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I have broken two of these.
Back to the springs for me!

Scott A. Jordan
80331
N733JJ

Ditto. After my flyboys device broke I determined that the swivel pin was stuck, which resulted in chattering of the tailwheel on landing and overstress on the dampers skinny little arm. I eventually went back to the Vans solid wheel, chains, door springs etc... arrangement.
 
I meant that the movement of the rudder to the left, the wheel moves to the left at a faster rate than the rudder. Then when the rudder is moved to the right, the steering link moves the wheel to the right slightly slower.

I’m not talking about the 3 left turning (Yaw) tendencies, or the left (rolling) tendency from torque.

Ah! I would look at the difference in each spring rates being the cause. If you disassemble the mechanism you'll see two springs that are compressed depending upon the movement of the unbent rod.
 
Design needs improvement, imo. Mine broke (quite easily) after a very brief shimmy on touchdown. Doesn’t take much to break it.

Back to the springs for me too.
 
My guess is that the shimmy is the problem, and we should fix that. I guess the only solution is to bend the tail spring, or replace the attachment pivot with one that has a more steep angle. Not sure if there is one on the market that will replace the standard Van's attachment. Image I found on the Google:

tws.jpg
 
... or replace the attachment pivot with one that has a more steep angle. Not sure if there is one on the market that will replace the standard Van's attachment.

From Darwin, of JD Air Parts, to increase the TW shimmy margin:

https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=204930&highlight=angle

"Our dual bearing yoke for all tailwheel RV's has been modified slightly. Over the past few years I've been studying tailwheel RV's and discovered that the fork shaft on most RV's is not vertical. This includes the stock Van's assembly and other aftermarket units. This appears to be caused by weight on the tail. It is very slight and most will not notice. As a result of the research, we have modified the attachment angle to get the fork shaft vertical. This effort was successful. All yokes from the first of the year have included this modification including those for the RV14."


https://www.jdair.com/dual-bearing-tailwheel-yoke-for-vans-rv-aircraft-not-for-rv14/

61_zoom_1646793813.jpg
 
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Thanks all for the comments, advice, etc. I've emailed JD Air to order some new parts.

I did recently have the tailwheel not always lock in. I cleaned and regreased a couple of months back but my guess is the pin is worn, so I'll be looking at that after I'm back home. This is probably the reason it broke to begin with.

Flying without the link is much harder. I got all kinds of chattering on landing, and had an 11 knot crosswind to taxi through which was literally painful on my feet.
 
From Darwin, of JD Air Parts:

https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=204930&highlight=angle

"Our dual bearing yoke for all tailwheel RV's has been modified slightly. Over the past few years I've been studying tailwheel RV's and discovered that the fork shaft on most RV's is not vertical. This includes the stock Van's assembly and other aftermarket units. This appears to be caused by weight on the tail. It is very slight and most will not notice. As a result of the research, we have modified the attachment angle to get the fork shaft vertical. This effort was successful. All yokes from the first of the year have included this modification including those for the RV14."


https://www.jdair.com/dual-bearing-tailwheel-yoke-for-vans-rv-aircraft-not-for-rv14/

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Looks like a beautiful part, thanks for bringing it to my attention! From what I see in the photos, it still has the "negative" tailwheel castor. There was a question in the thread you linked above about the change in angle, and it wasn't answered yet.

My current plan is to take off the "full swivel tailwheel spring" (FSTS635-1, https://store.vansaircraft.com/full-swivel-tail-spring-fsts635-1.html) and bend it a little. Just gotta find a hydraulic press somewhere.
 
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