T3 shock style tailwheel assembly

[little rocket]

Anyone running the T3 shock style tailwheel assembly on their fox,if so what do you think about it.They say they are strong and light so are they built out of aluminum or??
THANKS

[AirFox]

They are awesome. Giant step forward. I would say the impact to the fuselage is reduced by 60%. Now I just need shocks on the mains.

[Slyfox]

love mine, love mine, love mine. message said too short, hahahahaha

[Esser]

They are awesome. Giant step forward. I would say the impact to the fuselage is reduced by 60%. Now I just need shocks on the mains.

Are you going to upgrade Scott?

[AirFox]

I did the T3 last summer. I ordered the Shock Monster this week from Kitfox.

[Slyfox]

15367 this is my setup

[Esser]

Wha tail wheel are you guys running with the T3? I have been strongly recommended to replace my Matco 8” pneumatic...

[AirFox]

I have the ABW 3200. I would look at http://www.tundratailwheel.com/ If I were looking now.

[little rocket]

I read where a pilot loaded heavy in a bearhawk broke the swing arm and they said it was made out of aluminum.Just wondered if the ones for the lighter planes like the fox use an aluminum swing arm and are the side plates also made from aluminum to keep weight down.
Also says the lighter model uses a single shock as shown in the picture of this thread and the shock uses a thousand pound spring.Is that what is on the ones you guys have and are the fox tails heavy enough to work that weight of spring.
All the video I have seen on the cubs ect look amazing how they soak up the bumps.
THANKS

[rosslr]

I also changed to the T3 and concur with the positive comments. I have the same tailwheel as Scott but agree I would change it to the one he shows if starting again - on real soft stuff - like sand, the tail wheel sinks in whereas the 26' Airstreaks have an identical footprint as my friends Super Cub on 32" Bushweels.

[maxpayne]

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/images/editor/insertimage.gif
http://www.teamkitfox.cHow do you post photos? When I go to insert image it wants a ul number , the only thing that shows up is a x

[jrevens]

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/images/editor/insertimage.gif
http://www.teamkitfox.cHow do you post photos? When I go to insert image it wants a ul number , the only thing that shows up is a x

Hi Jared,

When you want to insert a picture, scroll down to where it says “Attach Files” and click on “Manage Attachments”. Then you can click on “Choose File” to browse your computer and find the picture file you want, and then upload it.

[maxpayne]

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/tailwheelThis what I am trying.http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15390&stc=1&d=1522602745

[little rocket]

Interesting!!
Have you considered that you are decreasing your wing angle of attack and that will Increase your take off distance ?

[PaulSS]

That might be relevant if you take-off with the tailwheel on the ground but 99.9% of the time in a tailwheel aircraft you're going to push the stick forward during the take-off run so that you're in a 'level' attitude. In this attitude your angle of incidence will be the same no matter what you tailwheel looks like (assuming the aircraft still sits tail low and it's not a mahoosive leg).

[little rocket]

Height of main gear and/or height of tailwheel determine/limit the angle of attack on the wing during rotation.So in your example with the tail up when you rotate your tailwheel height limits the rotation thus limiting the angle of attack of the wing.
If you leave the tail up on takeoff and don't rotate you will fly off eventually but it will be at a higher airspeed ,thus it will take a longer takeoff run to get it to that airspeed and into the air.
Alot of pilots that are using the T3 setup or some equivalent setup are looking to do some type of off airport flying, which often requires short landings and takeoffs.

[PapuaPilot]

Is it just me or does anybody else think that the tail wheel in the picture isn’t strong enough to handle a hard landing? I am guessing it will bend right behind the shock absorber. There is a reason tailwheel springs are short and beefy.

[PaulSS]

Ahh, I get what you're saying now, LR. Yes, if you've got a 'tall' tailwheel then you'll smack it back down to earth when you rotate and that would, indeed, limit your angle of incidence.

PP, I agree with you. That leg looks exceptionally bendable, especially for someone like me :)

[efwd]

Seems to me it will not be strong enough as well. I wonder what the motivation for this is? Seems if you add a nose wheel you would achieve the same.

[jrevens]

I'd say it depends on if those are spring steel rods, or just 4130 tubing. If tubing, probably easily bent for sure. That's the first thing that came to my mind also, Phil.

[David47]

Is it just me or does anybody else think that the tail wheel in the picture isn’t strong enough to handle a hard landing? I am guessing it will bend right behind the shock absorber. There is a reason tailwheel springs are short and beefy.

Agree. The tubes would need to be spring steel as John said. Depending on CG location, it's a fair bet they'd be bent just from taxiing over rough ground.

[redbowen]

At Scott's recommendation I installed the T3 last fall and for off airport it is a world of difference. It has benefits on all surfaces and I would absolutely recommend this upgrade.

Scott, you going Shock Monster? Dam

[AirFox]

Briain,

Thought I'd give shocks on the Mains a try. I can always go back to my spring gear if I don't like the extra drag from the Shock Monsters. Thanks for the tip on the STOLspeed VG's. I decreased my power off stall speed by 2 to 3 mph. No flap stall decreased by 5. I like the increased stability in slow flight.

Scott

[redbowen]

Scott,

Give a report back on speed penalties with the shock gear if you can. I was definitely impressed with the lack of bounce Trent would have, allowing for better breaking and shorter landings. The price is the tough one. Are you going to stay with the 26" Airstreaks or go to the 29"?

I am glad the VG's worked out for you. Did you place them in about the same position as mine?

[AirFox]

I plan on reporting back the on the drag penalty from the Monster Gear. I placed the VG's at 4% of the cord of the wing not including flaperons. I came up with the 4% based on a tip from Trent. Thanks again Trent if your out there. Thanks again Bryan

[trentp]

Hey Guys, just chiming in here. I like the T3, although I do not "love" it. But I have to say I am not the "standard" customer as I am a little harder on my equipment than most. I have broken mine and it seems permanently bent from it. (that's after breaking my tailwheel springs 2 times before that when still running the leaf springs) Don't get me wrong, its a HUGE upgrade from the leaf spring or grove spring, but the design is not made for any sideloading (which happens all the time when taxiing), and the actual shock they use is really low quality (the one that came with my T3 could be found for $40 on Amazon, that's like worse than the shock on a Walmart mountain bike).

Tony with Shock Monster and TK1 is about to release a tailwheel shock that will be much better designed and much more robust, which I am very excited to try. It will be more expensive but at this point it is worth it to me, many others will probably be fine with the T3. Again, even the T3 is a huge upgrade from the standard springs, a worthwhile investment in protecting your fuselage.

Just my $0.02. Oh and I love the tundra lite tailwheel... I know that was mentioned so I had to throw that out there.

[3 tracks]

Trent
Is the shock that TKI is building replace the shock on the T3? If it does let us know when it becomes available.
Thanks John

[trentp]

Trent
Is the shock that TKI is building replace the shock on the T3? If it does let us know when it becomes available.
Thanks John

No, it is a complete new tailwheel shock assembly. Everyone had been asking Tony for a replacement shock for the T3 but I guess the problem is in the geometry of the T3, so he designed his own system.

[maxpayne]

Seems to me it will not be strong enough as well. I wonder what the motivation for this is? Seems if you add a nose wheel you would achieve the same.

The front of the plane went up 1ft and the aft up 10in, So angle of attack is close to the same. The two tubes could bend, this is mostly a mockup. I can easily put 300lbs on the rear a-arm. The shock is fully adjustable. The tail wheel has 6in of travel. All the comments are my concerns as well, thanks.:)