The International Cessna 170 Association

Before I go cutting a Walmart foam tube to wedge it into my tire, I'd go this route

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200473613

With a hand grinder, you can cut the hub flange off to remove the tire easier to you can use your own hub. (Why not make it look legal?)
It's tough to find solid core tires not already mounted on a hub. There are some for electric wheel chairs that are the same size but I doubt they would stand up to the runway. They are non marking...in case you land on a basketball court or something.

Fix-a-flat isn't supposed to be used in tubed tires. In fact, it's supposed to be a road side emergency fix to get you to the tire shop when you don't have a spare. (IMHO) it's just bad form to use that crap in anything except your kid's mini bike tires.

But, any non pneumatic tire that doesn't have to be pressed onto the hub will more than likely spin on the hub when you touch down. Not too many hand trucks are made to hit the ground at 50mph on a regular basis.

(Why not make it look legal?)
Better still, why don't you actually make it legal. Save your worn,but serviceable, tailwheel tire and use it as your emergency spare. Costs even less than a walmart or northern tool tire because it costs nothing to do at your next tire change unless you are like blueldr and just like living life on the edge.

Harbor Freight sells a mounted pneumatic wheel and tire for about four dollars ($4.00). The axle hole is 5/8" diameter and the hub is not centered in the wheel. Cut a piece of the proper length 1/2" copper pipe to bush the 1/2" axle to the 5/8 " hole in the wheel and carry some 5/8" washers for centering the wheel in the fork. Makes a simple and very inexpensive emergency tail wheel and it works great, especially for us guys that "live on the edge".

Copper pipe, NOT TUBING, is 1/2" i.d. and 5/8" o.d. for the axle bushing.

P.S. Those Harbor Freight tires also come in RED rubber and believe me, they're damn fast.

Red is what they use to show that a part is unserviceable or condemned. Green means serviceable, right?

VERY ASTUTE observation

Red ink is not allowed in the logbook by the FAA as it renders the aircraft unairworthy.

I'll be damned if there isn't ONE on every intenet forum.

Just stating the obvious Dick. The red tires aren't fast, You have to be quick with them on your plane not to get caught RED handed with bootleg parts on your plane.

As most of the regular readers of my comments know, I am not exactly a great fan of the federal helping company for airplanes. However, I can't immagine that they would raise too much fuss if someone were to fly out of the Idaho back country with a Harbor Freight tail wheel to get to where they could install one of the real McCoy. I surely have no intention of using one of them as a regular piece of operating equipment.

Red? Looks pink to me. Can you imagine the ribbing one would take showing up at JC with that? But, hey, that might be the ticket to get our wives to fly with us!

The easiest way to get home with a flat tailwheel tire when you don't have a spare is to remove the tube and coil your tiedown rope into the tire until it is full. Then just put it back together and fly home. Works like a charm.

hilltop170 wrote:The easiest way to get home with a flat tailwheel tire when you don't have a spare is to remove the tube and coil your tiedown rope into the tire until it is full. Then just put it back together and fly home. Works like a charm.

Oh Richard, that is solid gold right there!

Thanks.

Gary,
Just looking at that red tire tells you is has to be fast. It is a damn site faster to install it as a spare than trying to break down a wheel and go through whatever has to be done to get going again. Doesen't take as many tools either.
I used my Harbor Freight wheel to come home on from Johnson Creek once, and I loaned it out twice to other guys.

Dick-
That is not a bad idea if you don't mind carrying around the spare. But in 42 years, I have only had one flat tailwheel tire away from home. That red chinese tire would have rotted long ago and I always carry tiedown rope.

Maybe if you were to carry red tie down rope Dick would be happy, somehow I doubt it though.