Opinions on Azusa aluminum wheels/brakes/axles?

Just for the record, I have a set of Azusa wheels and brakes on a clone of a
Kitfox, built as an ultralight (empty wt 254#). The wheels are OK, but the
brakes are not adequate, even at that low weight..


"richard riley" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

I need to buy a set of main wheels for my 4-place composite (2400 lbs
gross) homebuilt, but don't have the experience to make a good
decision. I know that Clevelands are deemed "the best" by many, but
they are horribly expensive. Can they really be worth that much?
Matcos are cheaper; are they as good? And Azusa's are MUCH cheaper
still. Are they any good?

Specifically, I'm looking at the Azusu 6-inch diameter, 4-inch wide
aluminum wheels and brakes. The wheels can (they say) accommodate a
600x6 tire, tho' I'd probably go with a slightly slimmer one. They
look nice in the pictures.

One concern is that the axle is only 3/4 inch, whereas other
manufacturers use 1.5 inch axles in their 600x6 wheels. However, the
specs say that they're good for 3625 lbs per wheel, which is enough
for a max 3G (ouch!) landing (whoops!!) at 2400 gross.

Another concern is braking. How good/bad are the Azusu brakes? I've
seen elsewhere someone mentioning another manufacturer of brakes to
mate with the Azusu wheels, but I've lost that reference now.

Thanks in advance for your opinions/advice.

Greg Reid

It's not that hard to hit 3G's in a bad landing. FAA certification spec
to gear
is 3.8 G's at full gross. I've always seen the Azusa wheels used on
*much*
lighter aircraft, things with half that weight at gross.

The matco brakes/wheels/etc are terrific quality, in many ways better than
the
Clevelands. If you go matco, get the nickel plated disks - the sweaped
area of
the disks doesn't have a problem, but if you just have the iron disks the
rest
of the disk rusts quickly.

Earlier, (Greg Reid) wrote:

...Matcos are cheaper; are they as good?

In my brief experience with the 5" units, they seem to be just as
rugged as the equivalent Cleveland units.

And Azusa's are MUCH cheaper still. Are they any good?

Based on what they're designed for, the economic realities of that
market, and the modest liability risks associated with it, I would
hazard a guess that they're not even close.

Specifically, I'm looking at the Azusu 6-inch diameter, 4-inch wide
aluminum wheels and brakes. The wheels can (they say) accommodate a
600x6 tire, tho' I'd probably go with a slightly slimmer one. They
look nice in the pictures.

Agreed. A nice looking package.

One concern is that the axle is only 3/4 inch, whereas other
manufacturers use 1.5 inch axles in their 600x6 wheels. However, the
specs say that they're good for 3625 lbs per wheel, which is enough
for a max 3G (ouch!) landing (whoops!!) at 2400 gross.

I will take that spec with a huge ol' grain of salt until I see how it
was derived. Looking through the Azusa catalog and the Aircraft Spruce
catalog, I see absolutely no force ratings for any wheels or axles.
Where did that number come from?

Another concern is braking. How good/bad are the Azusu brakes?

Well, let me put it this way: The last time I saw a 2400 lb go-kart,
the brakes at every corner were labeled "Brembo." Definitely out of
Azusa's league.

There are good references and formulae for braking capacity at the
Matco Web site:

http://www.matcomfg.com/

Go there and click "Choosing a wheel."

I've seen elsewhere someone mentioning another
manufacturer of brakes to mate with the Azusu
wheels, but I've lost that reference now.

Almost certainly the Tracy O'Brien units:

http://www.tracyobrien.com/moreinfo.asp?id=46

Note that they work with the Azusa wheels, and are suggested for a max
gross of 1200 lbs, and landing speed of 60 kts.

Thanks, and best regards

Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com

Thanks everyone!

OK, I'm gonna go with the Matco W60 series (6" by 4.375" with 1.25"
axles), which seem appropriate for my aircraft. (I'm already using
Matco master cylinders.) They're a bunch more money than the Azusas,
of course, but I appreciate that this isn't a good place to try saving
money. (I still can't justify the Clevelands, though!)

Regards,
Greg