gear and tires

[fly dakota]

have a 1950 170A 180 Ly convertion been takeing lessons learning to fly it. taking ground schools trying to learn every thing i can about flying this plane.have a rw at my home but its on an alfalfa field and it is ruff. have 180 legs to put on it got the stc for this but wondering about tires. my cousin has 31s on his cub and keeps telling me 26" tire will make landing on this surface a lot better. any input would be appriceated.(this is a fun plane to learn how to fly in)

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Hard to say what you need without seeing the field. But I'd think about using 8:00 x6 which requires no STC or field approval before spending big bucks on those big 26s and trying to get approval for them.

[cessna170bdriver]

Compare the cost of having the field graded and/or rolled vs the cost of the 26" tires. I don't know what you'll find for sure, but I have a suspicion...

[krines]

I land in the alfalfa often with 8.0X6 and 180 legs no p ponk. The field often has cows in it who leave foot prints in the mud that harden when it drys out. It can be rough at times but works fine. Steve

[Jr.CubBuilder]

I have a 52B with the 180 Lyc. also on 180 gear with 800X6s, it works on rough fields and seems to be a good compromise for me as I frequently go from pavement to dirt. Those big tires weigh a lot and they drag a lot in the air, if you need them then more power to you, but they are a lot of money and weight just hanging down there.

[GAHorn]

.... Those big tires weigh a lot and they drag a lot in the air, if you need them then more power to you, ....

Pardon the PUN..

[Harold Holiman]

I had 800 x 6 tires on my 180 and often landed on rough and unimproved fields ie;farm fields, and never had any problem.

Harold

[Blue4]

Most 170 drivers here in Alaska run 8.50s or larger, primarily for off-airport work. I am in the minority because I have 8.00s, but that's only until I swap my gear legs for porkchops. I'm sure someone here will say otherwise if its so, but to my knowledge there is no STC for 8.50 tires. I don't believe there is one for the 26" Goodyears, either. The Alaskan Bushwheels all come with STCs, but you're looking at thousands of dollars. That means a field approval process for the 8.50s or 26" Goodyears. Slow and painful.

East of the river the Dakotas are pretty flat! I would think you could do ok on 8.00s, if that's not already what you're running. If not, I say 8.00s are cheap so try them first! One of the joys of aircraft ownership is people coming out of the woodwork telling you how to spend your money on this or that improvement.

[flat country pilot]

Alfalfa fields are the ruffest thanks to the rodents. I know there is a lot of farm equipment in and around De Lacs.
So get some help. Don't work the ground up because it will get lumpy. But some one there must have a little box grader you could use or rent to knock down the badger holes. Then, with all the peas and lentils grown there, some farmer has a land roller you could take over the field or ask him to do it. Trade him use of the roller for a crop tour from the air this summer.

I think the Bushwheels would be great but will not smooth out those mounds of soil your fighting. It's one thing to fly a cub in and out of there cause there expendable. But a 170 is not

Just my little opinion, but I think you will be happier fixing the field and flying the plane right now. Buy tires later.

Bill

[BeeMan]

One big tire option that hasn't been mentioned is the Gar-Aero Tundra Tire now marketed by Floats Alaska. My 170B sits on 8.50x10s in the summer; also has double-puck Clevelands per the STC requirements. Also has C180 gear legs and Pponk gear beef-up kit. She's not pretty or fast but handles the gravel bars. The Gar-Aero conversion isn't as forgiving as the Alaska Bushwheels in the rough stuff but it also doesn't cost as much and the tire tolerates asphalt better. Check it out at http://www.alaskatundratires.com/press.html if you must have big tires.

Cheers, Bill