Scott wrote:
They work nice? I loved the 3200 I had on my old Chief! Maybe it's a
liability issue...if someone groundloops, they'll try to blame it on the
tailwheel A few years ago the 3200 was about $600 new. I could
"consider" that, but not $2000 for one tiny wheel with a swivel on it!

Scott


DonMorrisey wrote:

Scott tailwheels and looked at the Scott 3200, which
I guess is the somewhat equivalent size to the one I have. The cost
however of the Scott tailwheel is $2000. This blows my mind. They
both look very similar. What could possibly make that Scott tailwheel
so expensive?

Thanks. Don...


Liability must be a big part of it. If you are building a
homebuilt and can buy an uncertified tailwheel that works as well, you
avoid the hidden costs.
The Maule steered easier than the Scott but was more prone to
shimmy. To control the shimmy, Scott uses a braking system built into
the swivel that adds friction, making steering stiffer. Their caster
lock works better and more accurately than Maule's and is more enclosed
so it doesn't get jammed up with dirt like Maule's does.
Does that Matco have a castering feature, or is the steering
arm solid with the swivel so that backing up the airplane is a pain?
I had a non-castering tailwheel that I modified to castering.
The locking mechanism is exposed and has to be cleaned, and has a
little slop in it, but that wheel doesn't shimmy. The Scotts we have
here sometimes shimmy and the Maules I used to have did it, too. Any
wear in the swivel bearings will aggravate it, as will weak or
too-flexible tail suspension springs or unbalanced wheels. Shimmy wears
tires out real quick.
If I was building another airplane I would make my own
tailwheel. Someone here on the 'net published plans for a neat one,
easy to make from aluminum angle and so on. Googling this group might
find a reference to it.

Dan