Pneumatic tail wheel

[peter anson]

I have been using a pneumatic tail wheel for about 10 years now, and supplying the little 6 x 1.25" wheels for nearly as long, but a recent inquiry by an RV flyer prompted me to look at the possibility of something a bit heavier duty. It turns out that there are people even more adventurous than those who fly homemade aircraft and that one of their activities is riding off-road electric skateboards. Some of these contraptions use 6 x 2" wheels which happen to be a handy size for an aircraft tail wheel. Here's the trial wheel fitted to my Sonex.

I am presently trying this out to check tyre life.

Peter

[Murray Parr]

How do they compare with weight? I love how light your tail wheels are, but I would give a small weight penalty for more durability, currently, I have 28 landings on mine (mostly pavement) and the tread is getting thin. Not sure how thin I can let it get before replacing it.

[WaiexB22]

What is the width? Would these fit the sonex bracket for a 6 inch tailwheel?

[peter anson]

In answer to Murray's question: It depends; the first one I bought was only slightly heavier than the wheels I supply but the ones I have bought since are heavier and I haven't been able to get the same brand tyre again. Even with the heavier tyre they are only about 140 grams (5 oz) heavier. With the 6 x 1.25" tyres, I normally get about 80 landings on the soft grey tyres I supply and up to 140+ landings on the harder electric scooter tyres. About 80 to 90% of my landings are on sealed runways.

The 6 x 2" tyres are actually a little narrower than 2", about 46mm when inflated, but the diameter is 160mm (6.3") inflated so I don't think they will fit the Sonex 6" tail wheel bracket.

Peter

[WaiexB22]

https://metro-board.com/collections/whe ... 5961231559

I found this. It's a little smaller and looks like it may fit the sonex bracket. It's rated for 40 mph and very highly rated amongst the skating community. I may order one.