Source for tail wheels

[Simon]

Last winter I had the tail skid of my Mini Nimbus replaced with a tailwheel
unit supplied by Schempp. It used a rollerblade (?) wheel with a solid
polyurethane tyre on a plastic hub with two ball-bearings.

After ten landings the hub was cracked and shedding parts and essentially
wrecked

I manged to find a replacement unit with a lightweight aluminium hub which
appears to be holding up well.

Trouble is, I found it in the trash can of a sports shop and no one could
tell me the source.

Anyone out there know where to purchase rollerblade/microscooter wheels with
metal hubs - I'd sure like to have a spare.

[01-- Zero One]

Do what I did... go to a local shop that specializes in rollerblades or
skateboards. Find the pimplefaced 14 year old kid that is working there
and explain what you are looking for. Tell him that you need it for
your glider and the parameters that you need: size, weight, acceleration
to about 50 mph instantly. After he says "Cool", "Far out", "Sweet",
"Tight", "Bad enough", or whatever the current lingo is, you will know
that you found the correct person to help you. He will know
_everything_ that is available and will know where to find it. Chances
are that he will have a couple of slightly used ones sitting in the back
that he will give you for nothing... maybe even press a couple of
super-duper high speed bearings into them for you.

BTW, acetone will take the psychedelic colors or flames off the side of
the wheels... if you want to remove them! :-)

Larry

"Simon" <simonchangetoatsymbolleswaddells.ch> wrote in message
news:simonchangetoatsymbolleswaddells.ch:

> Last winter I had the tail skid of my Mini Nimbus replaced with a tailwheel
> unit supplied by Schempp. It used a rollerblade (?) wheel with a solid
> polyurethane tyre on a plastic hub with two ball-bearings.
>
> After ten landings the hub was cracked and shedding parts and essentially
> wrecked
>
> I manged to find a replacement unit with a lightweight aluminium hub which
> appears to be holding up well.
>
> Trouble is, I found it in the trash can of a sports shop and no one could
> tell me the source.
>
> Anyone out there know where to purchase rollerblade/microscooter wheels with
> metal hubs - I'd sure like to have a spare.

[[email protected]]

Or just go to any large sports store, and look in the rollerblade
section. They will have a variety of replacement wheels, bearings,
axles for sale. I went for the biggest rollerblade wheel I could find,
and the hardest (it is designed for street hockey, I think). The ones
I got came with nice sealed bearings and screw-in axles, all I had to
do was open up the axle bolt holes in my tailskid (just enough to
remove the threads) and the new wheel fit perfectly after I cobbled up
a couple of small bushings.

These wheels lasted several seasons in the desert with little damage -
while the previous softer rollerblade wheels I used "chunked" pretty
badly after one season.

Plus they are a nice orange color that matches the hi-vis trim on my
glider!

66

[Simon]

I've visited plenty of these stores (in as much as that is possible in
Switzerland!) but all the new wheels I've found have plastic hubs - I'm
looking for rmetal. I found one used metal one - with a hard rubber tyre
but no maker's mark - which is doing fine so far.

Plastic didn't last a season last year


> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Or just go to any large sports store, and look in the rollerblade
> section. They will have a variety of replacement wheels, bearings,
> axles for sale. I went for the biggest rollerblade wheel I could find,
> and the hardest (it is designed for street hockey, I think). The ones
> I got came with nice sealed bearings and screw-in axles, all I had to
> do was open up the axle bolt holes in my tailskid (just enough to
> remove the threads) and the new wheel fit perfectly after I cobbled up
> a couple of small bushings.
>
> These wheels lasted several seasons in the desert with little damage -
> while the previous softer rollerblade wheels I used "chunked" pretty
> badly after one season.
>
> Plus they are a nice orange color that matches the hi-vis trim on my
> glider!
>
> 66
>

[[email protected]]

Or you may end up doing what I did.

After two seasons of struggling with that tiny gottverdampten
rollerskate wheel at the tail of my LS-4 during which I aborted a
number of launches because the wheel got twisted and steered me off the
runway, I installed a full-sized tail wheel in a nicely faired cowling.


Now my glider tracks and handles beautifully. I'm a happy camper.

[[email protected]]

Where did you get the Fairing and wheel? I have an LS-6 and will be
needing to replace my Rollerblade wheel.
Thanks!

Jerz

[[email protected]]

Where did you get the Fairing and wheel? I have an LS-6 and will be
needing to replace my Rollerblade wheel.
Thanks!

Jerz

[Bruce]

wrote:
> Where did you get the Fairing and wheel? I have an LS-6 and will be
> needing to replace my Rollerblade wheel.
> Thanks!
>
> Jerz
>
Not sure what your rules are in your part of th world. Many years ago, when my
Cirrus was new - it's then owner modified the rear fuselage to accept a standard
glider tail wheel.

It is a steel hub 200x50 - as used by the Scheibe gliders. Structurally it is a
cutout under the fin, with what appears to be quite a substantial layer of extra
glass on the fuselage sides, making a pocket for the wheel with vertical sides.
Then a thin curved top to stop the wheel throwing dirt into the fuselage and off
you go. The outsides have aluminium (looks like 2021, 2mm plate) to spread the
load from the axle bolt. Couple of spacers internally to keep the hub centered.

Pictures in the Cirrus album at www.whisperingwings.org.za - I had to repair it
after hitting a lump of velt grass that pushed the mounting up, and made a hole
in the cover.

--
Bruce Greeff
Std Cirrus #57
I'm no-T at the address above.
-+-
\_________0_________/

[[email protected]]

The wheel in my glider's tail skid lasts for many years and is made by
this compay:
http://www.darnell-rose.com/catalog/index.htm

Click on wheels and look for Extra Soft EZ Roll. The wheel on my glider
is marked X-12-R. There are dealers locally or online.

SP


Simon wrote:
> Last winter I had the tail skid of my Mini Nimbus replaced with a
tailwheel
> unit supplied by Schempp. It used a rollerblade (?) wheel with a
solid
> polyurethane tyre on a plastic hub with two ball-bearings.
>
> After ten landings the hub was cracked and shedding parts and
essentially
> wrecked
>
> I manged to find a replacement unit with a lightweight aluminium hub
which
> appears to be holding up well.
>
> Trouble is, I found it in the trash can of a sports shop and no one
could
> tell me the source.
>
> Anyone out there know where to purchase rollerblade/microscooter
wheels with
> metal hubs - I'd sure like to have a spare.

[Eric Greenwell]

wrote:
> The wheel in my glider's tail skid lasts for many years and is made by
> this compay:
> http://www.darnell-rose.com/catalog/index.htm
>
> Click on wheels and look for Extra Soft EZ Roll. The wheel on my glider
> is marked X-12-R. There are dealers locally or online.

The Darnell site doesn't have information on the wheels (amazing, huh?
Just a picture of the wheel), and I couldn't find a site that did. Do
you have an online dealer web site you can give us?

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

[[email protected]]

Simon wrote:
> I've visited plenty of these stores (in as much as that is possible
in
> Switzerland!) but all the new wheels I've found have plastic hubs -
I'm
> looking for rmetal. I found one used metal one - with a hard rubber
tyre
> but no maker's mark - which is doing fine so far.
>
> Plastic didn't last a season last year

Mine have lasted 4 seasons landing on hard dirt and pavement strips,
and I practice low-energy landings (read - tail first). Not sure if
the hubs are metal or plastic (don't have a wheel at hand) but I think
they are metal, with two press-in sealed bearings and a metal axle.

Again, I specifically looked for "hockey" wheels, which are probably
stronger than the average rollerblade wheels.

I now fly off a grass strip, and the wheel/skid combo is still working
great.

Anyway, good luck and happy soaring.

Kirk
66

[[email protected]]

My glider came with a new spare wheel which is now installed but it
should last many seasons. I haven't attempted to purchase a Darnell
wheel but I was planning to use the distributor contact information on
their homepage at http://www.darnell-rose.com/ and go from there.

Steve