Flat-free glider tail dolly wheel

Just finished this conversion.
Found a flat-free wheel and tire at the local Tractor Supply Co (tractorsupply dot com). SKU 3553230 "Never Flat Tire, 8 inch". It's rated for 220lb / 100kg and has a 2.50x4 tire. It's soft enough to provide some shock absorption.
But that wheel has 5/8" bearings, and the bearings are offset to one side for installation on the end of an axle.
That can be fixed with two 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD brass bushings (the ones I found were 1 1/4" long) and a third brass bushing 5/8" ID, 1" long as a spacer to the other side of the caster fork. Your caster may require a 1/2" flat washer on the opposite side to the bushing. All available from True Value Hardware, bushings $2.40 each. A 3" brass bushing from McMaster-Carr is a better way to go but $10.50. Another method, 1/2" bearings to replace the 5/8" in the wheel are about $4.00 each, still requiring a 1" spacer.
_ My total cost was about $23.00.
It's "hecho en chine" but haven't found a domestic 2.50x4 "flat free" yet. Anything wider won't fit the standard tail dolly casters. If anyone finds a more appropriate wheel, please inform.
Jim

On Thursday, September 25, 2014 4:27:35 PM UTC-6, JS wrote:
Just finished this conversion.

Found a flat-free wheel and tire at the local Tractor Supply Co (tractorsupply dot com). SKU 3553230 "Never Flat Tire, 8 inch". It's rated for 220lb / 100kg and has a 2.50x4 tire. It's soft enough to provide some shock absorption.

But that wheel has 5/8" bearings, and the bearings are offset to one side for installation on the end of an axle.

That can be fixed with two 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD brass bushings (the ones I found were 1 1/4" long) and a third brass bushing 5/8" ID, 1" long as a spacer to the other side of the caster fork. Your caster may require a 1/2" flat washer on the opposite side to the bushing. All available from True Value Hardware, bushings $2.40 each. A 3" brass bushing from McMaster-Carr is a better way to go but $10.50. Another method, 1/2" bearings to replace the 5/8" in the wheel are about $4.00 each, still requiring a 1" spacer.

_ My total cost was about $23.00.

It's "hecho en chine" but haven't found a domestic 2.50x4 "flat free" yet.. Anything wider won't fit the standard tail dolly casters. If anyone finds a more appropriate wheel, please inform.

Jim

Hospital gurney wheel from eBay ~ $10. 10" forged aluminum disk wheel, airless soft urethane 'tire' and incredibly smooth, free running bearings. Fits tail dolly perfectly. Only downside is it's slightly heavier than the OEM wheel.

On Thu, 25 Sep 2014 15:27:31 -0700 (PDT), JS
wrote:

Just finished this conversion.
Found a flat-free wheel and tire at the local Tractor Supply Co (tractorsupply dot com).
SKU 3553230 "Never Flat Tire, 8 inch". It's rated for 220lb / 100kg and has a 2.50x4 tire.
It's soft enough to provide some shock absorption.
....
detailed text deleted

Here is another approach to this problem. I posted a brief summary on
r.a.s. 3 years ago, but here is a somewhat more detailed note I put
together for a fellow club member 2 years ago.

===================
Several years ago I got tired of continually having to pump up the
pneumatic tail dolly wheel for my Ventus. I ended up replacing the
inner tube with a solid rubber inner tube replacement sold under
the name "No-Mor Flats". I got my tubes from Cyclo Manufacturing in
Denver, CO. While they no longer appear to be in business, a
quick google check shows a number of alternate sources for the No-Mor
Flats tubes. E.g.,
http://www.amazon.com/Bell-No-Mor-Fl.../dp/B001UGAJYA., or
http://www.noflattires.net/cart.php?...ategory_id=117

http://www.toolboxsupply.com/product...x?sku=10698202

Looks like Bell may have bought out the manufacturer.

I used a 20" x 2" version that No-Mor Flats termed a "20B7". This
tube is for a larger 20" wheel so I had to measure the circumference
of my tail dolly wheel and cut the continuous No-Mor Flats solid tube
to a shorter length to fit inside the tire. It took a little trial and
error (cut oversize first) but a couple of iterations got it
right. I just butted the ends together inside the tire. While these
are obviously intended to be used in a continuous configuration, I
have not noticed any problem with the joint in the dolly tail wheel.
It might be worse in a tail wheel with higher speeds, but I figure
it's worth a try versus the hour or so it takes to drop the tail
wheel, reair, and reinsert with it's 4 shims that seem take a dozen
tries to get in place.

More details, cost is around $23. The actual diameter of this
tube is 1.625" (41.3mm), and the weight of a 39 inch length is 1.5 lbs
(99 cm, 0.68 kg).

No problems in over 4 years with the tail dolly, no flat spots.
Maybe a little heaver than a pneumatic tube, but well worth the
avoidance of flat tires and continual repumping.

After several years of success with the tail dolly, I followed the
same procedure on the pneumatic tail wheel of my Ventus cT

No problems once installed, though the 20" x 2" model I used (20B7)
was about the same size as the fully inflated pneumatic tube, which
made installation of the wheel shims a challenge in the confined space
of the tail wheel well.

The actual rubber tube from No-Mor Flats varied between 1.65" and
1.75" in diameter.

Side note, the added weight was less than 0.5 lbs (1.735 lbs to 2.220
lbs), resulting in negligible CG shift in my configuration.

Bob

I've just had my tail dolly converted to a flat-free wheel as part of the
package that comes with my new trailer.

http://aero-works.de/index_UK.html

Click on the 'interior' tab to see a converted tail dolly. The added bonus
is that in this installation the tail wheel can be selected to 'castor' and
the belly dolly is 'casterable' also so you can move the fuselage, or fully
rigged glider, around/into the hangar easily.

I also found out that if I select the tail dolly wheel to castor then the
control of the glider, when being towed back to the launch point by the
tractor/quad bike etc, from the wing tip is much improved.

The British Gliding Association is now selling flat-free tail dolly
wheels.

See:

http://www.bgashop.co.uk/index.php?_...&productId=244

for a picture and details of size etc.

Once a helpful club member saw that my tail dolly wheel needed some air as
we were manoeuvring the glider in to the hangar. Quick as a flash he hooked
up the portable air compressor and then just as quick as the tail wheel
went 'BANG!' So I will now be free of that situation happening again.

The old dolly wheel and spare inner have ben donated to the club.
Gavin
Std Cirrus, G-SCNN, #173
SFV Südeifel, Utscheid, Germany

I like Bob's idea of cutting the bicycle material to fit.
This link is currently working:
http://www.amazon.com/Bell-SOLID-NoM...ats+bike+tubes

The BGA wheel also looks good. Most others are meant for use on an interior floor, and won't provide much shock absorption on hard rough ground. Recently thrown two different ones away.
Jim

On Friday, September 26, 2014 4:08:36 AM UTC-7, Gavin Short wrote:

The British Gliding Association is now selling flat-free tail dolly wheels.

http://www.bgashop.co.uk/index.php?_...&productId=244

I had my Antares tail-dolly and wing-tow-dolly tubes filled.

It is very heavy, not cheap, but works great.


Has anyone who has filled their tires/tubes noticed any change in shock absorption afterward? Rougher ride?

On Saturday, September 27, 2014 6:17:03 PM UTC+1, wrote:
I had my Antares tail-dolly and wing-tow-dolly tubes filled.



It is very heavy, not cheap, but works great.





Has anyone who has filled their tires/tubes noticed any change in shock absorption afterward? Rougher ride?

I had a full rubber wheel on the Tail Dolly of my Duo Discus which is actually towed on the Taildolly.Quite bumpy on rough terrain and in certain
situations complete tire rolled off the Taildolly Rim when manouvering at cute angles.

On Saturday, September 27, 2014 10:17:03 AM UTC-7, wrote:
I had my Antares tail-dolly and wing-tow-dolly tubes filled.



It is very heavy, not cheap, but works great.





Has anyone who has filled their tires/tubes noticed any change in shock absorption afterward? Rougher ride?


I filled mine based on a suggestion by someone here on RAS a few years ago. I regret doing so. It is a bumpy ride and the tailwheel is now very heavy.

On Thursday, September 25, 2014 4:27:35 PM UTC-6, JS wrote:
Just finished this conversion.

Found a flat-free wheel and tire at the local Tractor Supply Co (tractorsupply dot com). SKU 3553230 "Never Flat Tire, 8 inch". It's rated for 220lb / 100kg and has a 2.50x4 tire. It's soft enough to provide some shock absorption.

But that wheel has 5/8" bearings, and the bearings are offset to one side for installation on the end of an axle.

That can be fixed with two 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD brass bushings (the ones I found were 1 1/4" long) and a third brass bushing 5/8" ID, 1" long as a spacer to the other side of the caster fork. Your caster may require a 1/2" flat washer on the opposite side to the bushing. All available from True Value Hardware, bushings $2.40 each. A 3" brass bushing from McMaster-Carr is a better way to go but $10.50. Another method, 1/2" bearings to replace the 5/8" in the wheel are about $4.00 each, still requiring a 1" spacer.

_ My total cost was about $23.00.

It's "hecho en chine" but haven't found a domestic 2.50x4 "flat free" yet.. Anything wider won't fit the standard tail dolly casters. If anyone finds a more appropriate wheel, please inform.

Jim

I found a nice castor that fit my set up perfectly at Harbor Freight for about 8 bucks. Flat free, heavy duty, cheap. It has been perfect!

I got some details from my trailer manufacture and supplier of the
flat-free
wheel for the tail wheel from Blickle:

'The reference of the solid wheel is L-VWPP200G and it´s the same as used

by HPH on the tail dollies of the Shark.'

Please ignore the part of my earlier post about the tail dolly making
towing
back to the start more manoeuvrable. Of course all tail dollies caster the

difference was noticeable because of the new bearings allowing the tail
dolly
to caster much more easily that the original dolly.


Gavin
Std Cirrus, G-SCNN, #173
SFV Südeifel, Utscheid, Germany