Maule or Matco tailwheel

[109JB]

So I have a flying kitfox with a Matco tailwheel, and a project kitfox with a Maule tailwheel. I'm trying to decide which one to keep on my final airplane. Looking for opinions as to which is best based on perfomance, maintenance, longevity, adjustment etc.

Thanks

[jrthomas]

24247I removed the Maule and replaced it with the Matco WHLT-8L. It's been great. My model 4 kit came with the Maul but I never flew with it. I'm sure it would have done just fine but it had a solid tire and looked about as appealing as a brick. The Matco was a little lighter so that helped with CG. And it's pretty!

[109JB]

Would really like technical opinions, preferably from someone familiar with both. Looks isn't really a factor as far as I'm concerned. I'm more performance oriented.

[jrthomas]

OK. Well I'll try again. I've flown 2 other Kitfoxes both with Maule tailwheels and a couple of Cubs. I really couldn't tell the difference. Since the Maule is solid you'll be able to feel every crack in the pavement. Other than that I don't think I could tell any real difference. They both work the same. If you want to know why I changed mine, I had read that some people believed that the Maule had been known to unlock on landing and had caused accidents. I never had any such problem. I do much prefer the softer tire on the Matco.

[Av8r3400]

Having flown both I wouldn't give $.02 for a Maul tailwheel.

[109JB]

Can you elaborate?

[n85ae]

I have been using a Maule since day one, it's solid, it reliable. I find absolutely none of the complaints
I read about to be true. I would buy another one ... I understand mechanically how it works, and as
far as I'm concerned the only reason there might be a problem is if somebody set it up wrong.

Regards,
Jeff

N85AE, Series 5, IO-240B

[efwd]

Hmm, I like John. He's a digger. Cummon Larry. Let's hear it. ;)

[efwd]

Oh, Jeff I did that.
A matco without firm chains will try to ruin your day. They all would if not rigged correctly.
That was the first thing I noticed in JRthomas Pic below. His are correct. I made the mistake of watching a YouTube video without the understanding all tailwheels are not equal. The A&P in the video was dealing with a Scott tailwheel and Slack is the rule there. I knew I was going to buy the ABI with the T3 in about a year, but I had the cash on hand and bought them on the phone with John McBean after nearly ground looping with my Matco. My fault. That leads me to this question. Are you not considering the ABI tailwheel? I love my set up.

[Av8r3400]

Can you elaborate?

Okay. Here goes...

My first Kitfox had a Maul. As long as I took off the unlocking cam it was fine. As soon as the cam went on, to unlock the wheel to maneuver, or to push the plane into the hangar, it became a nightmare. I played around with it for a couple years trying to make it reliably work. I had it apart so many times to clean, lube, measure for wear, adjust chains, etc. Maybe if the setup of the airframe to wheel was PERFECT it would work better, but perfection was not attainable by me on that plane. The rudder stops were not exactly symmetrical and this caused it to unlock in one direction quicker than the other. This situation, coupled with a slightly sagged spring caused a couple of ground loop situations with that plane. Luckily very slow with no damage. I re-arched the spring to give the wheel a positive camber and that helped some, but the wheel was still twitchy with the unlock.

The Mangy Fox was built with a 8" Matco wheel in mind from the start. The pneumatic tire is far better than the solid rubber for ride and steering. The steering/locking mechanism is far less temperamental. I also set up this plane with adjustable rudder stops to make sure I could tune the tailwheel perfectly. I later added a Grove tail spring and that made this setup perform even better.

[109JB]

Thanks for the explanations. Sounds like the Maule could be a little tricky to adjust. I really haven't taken the Maule apart to see how it works so may do that soon, but I can see how the Matco works and it is pretty simple in its operation. I'll probably go with the Matco once I get to that point.. One slight difficulty I've had with my Matco is it not wanting to unlock for ground handling but I ordered the arms that unlock at lower angle deflection and just have to get them on to try out. Thanks for the responses.

[4Hummer]

8" Wide Matco Single arm Compared to the Maul


24248

Beef
24249

edit: Chains are not yet setup in this picture. just kinda hung in place

[buckchop]

I have a Matco single arm 6" tailwheel id sell for $100 plus u pay shipping,( like the one in Jrthomas pic's)
i bought it from Jim, came off his Christavia kit he bought, never been flow, only taxied around on and i took it off and installed a baby bush wheel for snow floatability and i need a liitle more weight on the tail.

[jrthomas]

[QUOTE=buckchop;90709]I have a Matco single arm 6" tailwheel id sell for $100 plus u pay shipping,( like the one in Jrthomas pic's)
Mine is the 8" model but the 6" should work just fine. And you'll never have a better opportunity at that price. It looks like everyone is either indifferent about the Maule or hates it. If they have an "ugly contest" the Maule wins. If I had it to do over I'd probably buy the 8" wide tire version.

[109JB]

Thanks for the offer and it is a very good deal. I'm sure someone will take you up on it. If I buy I'll wind up buying an 8"

[HighWing]

I have used the Homebuilders single arm 6" tailwheel for many years. I have had no negative experiences with it.

[jrevens]

I like those tailwheels too, Lowell. I used the double fork version on my T-18, but I modified it by milling out the track that the locking key rides in, giving a greater angle of turn before it goes to full-swivel. They are made by Aviation Products in Ojai, CA, and you used to be able to purchase directly from them... not sure if that's still the case. I wanted an 8" wheel for the Kitfox, so went with the light weight double arm Matco. It's worked very well for me.

[Kmcman]

I have a Matco single arm 6" tailwheel id sell for $100 plus u pay shipping,( like the one in Jrthomas pic's)
i bought it from Jim, came off his Christavia kit he bought, never been flow, only taxied around on and i took it off and installed a baby bush wheel for snow floatability and i need a liitle more weight on the tail.

Do you still have the Matco for sale? Looking to replace my Maule Tailwheel.