I used to always carry a spare tailwheel tire, tube, foot-pump, and inner-tube-patch-kit. I carried it for ten years. I did this subsequent to landing at Galveston during an airshow with Jamie, Wendell Wyborny, and Cleo Bickford aboard...and my tailwheel went flat. I've told that story elsewhere...but that experience prompted me to always carry those spares (and a few other things as well.)
About 2 or 3 months ago I removed my baggage bulkhead to inspect the tailcone and failed to place my "spares" back into the bag compartment when I finished. This weekend, while flying without the spares.... of course.... it "happened".
Fellow Member Bob Lavery ("HawkerCFI") brought a foreign (from India) co-worker of ours, "RanJan", to the ranch for a short visit, and we all piled into N146YS to fly them back to Ft Worth Hicks Airport.
It was a spectacular, smooth, sunset-flight which departed at 1730 and landed just as it became dark about 1900. While taxying in to the fuel pumps, the tailwheel went FLAT.
We got the tail up onto a short stepladder and removed the wheel and found a puncture, but we had no repair-kit, my having left it in my hangar back home.
So we went to WalMart. Would you believe they no longer sell decent inner-tube repair kits? They have PLUGS for tubeless tires....and they have liquid aerosol tire-fillers (NO-NO-BAD-BAD)...and in the bicycle section they sell a cheap repair kit which has quarter/coin sized clear cellophane "patches" which are pre-glued (like postage stamps). The material looks like heavy-duty "Scotch-Tape".
AutoZone, O'Reillys and other autoparts stores in the area also no longer carry genuine, quality tube-repair patch kits/materials.... so we used the bycycle kit. (After all.... I only needed to make one flight to get home where I have proper repair materials and also have a NEW tire and innertube in my hangar.)
The flight home was uneventful....until I landed. The tailwheel tire was again FLAT! (That cheap bycycle repair kit is pure JUNK!)
Now the problem is that taxying around on a flat tailwheel tire poses several issues:
1- It will destroy the tire in short order.
2- It will cut/destroy the inner-tube. IF it was repairable...taxying around on it while flat will finish its destruction.
3-That expensive/rare wheel-hub is subject to severe damage, especially on pavement.
4- Manuevering/turning is almost impossible. (If you've never tried it you will have to before you will believe how un-cooperative the airplane is with a flat tailwheel.)
Fortunately most of my taxi-in to my hangar was on grass, because I had no suitable "dolly" to get the airplane the 3,000' or so to the hangar. Once there, I had no way to get the airplane rolled into the hangar and onto it's concrete floor without risking additional damage to the wheel assy. I was contemplating just leaving the airplane out on the grass for the night and deal with it in the morning because it was now 1 AM and I"m a bit fed-up with this tailwheel situation tonight.
Then it HIT me! About two years ago I bought a couple of casters w/pneumatic tires from Pep Boys (bluEldrs favorite airplane parts-house). They had decided to divest themselves of handling cheap chineese junk and sold them for $3 each. (Yep...that's THREE DOLLARS, U.S. money.) I've been keeping them on a shelf in the hangar.
I walked over and measured and ....couldn't believe it! The hub is 3.25" wide...same as the Scott tailwheel..and the tire is a 2.80/2.50 X 4" ....similar to the Scott. All that was necessary was to pull the axle, drop the Scott wheel...and... In about 3 minutes I had that chineese wheel perfectly skewered by the Scott axle. I wheeled the airplane into the hangar and closed the door.
Next day...I returned to the hangar and properly repaired my Scott (by installing a brand new tire/tube.).
But that chineese wheel shore does look convincing don't it, bluEldr? D'ya think it might pass for an "emergency replacement" up in Alaska (where you can almost SEE china?)
Anyways....here's some pics. Northern Tool handles this part but they get full price for it (about $24).
- Here's how it is sold as a caster in chineese tool stores like Northern Tool, etc.
- Camera angle is misleading: Both wheels are same height, although China wheel is slightly more narrow.
- Don't miss this: Scott axle-bolt-head is "locked" by this special washer w/tab which fits into the hole in the fork.
- TIP: Use valve-stem cap which doubles as core-removal tool. Carry extension onboard to ease inflation of tire (standard hose chucks will not fit inside wheel rim.)
- Finished repair! (Just so everyone can relax in the knowledge that the genuine article got re-installed for operation.) LOL