Bedliner on bushwheels

[Allparg]

I have read it has been used, anyone with first hand experience? I will be based at a paved airport now and trying to decide how to address the wear situation that will occur....
Thx,
Ap

[Mog]

I hear it peels quickly. Unless you are at a towered field just use the grass next to the runway. I fly out of tons of traditional airports and almost never use the asphalt. And many rural towered fields will look the other way if you use the grass so long as you tell them rather than ask them. But if they insist you use the pavement then you should abide.

All that said, just grab some 8.5’s if your that concerned about tire wear. The advantages are pretty significant including much higher IAS. That’s all assuming you don’t really need bush tires. Let’s face it, most of us don’t need them.

[andy]

Montana Maule can weigh in on this. He told me that he tried coating his bushwheels but it became brittle in cold weather and came off the tires. I agree with Mog. Most GA non-towered airports have grass beside the hard surfaced runway. Mine does. The only time I'm on pavement is taxiing to and from the grass. You do have to watch out for obstacles like VASIs, PAPIs, signs and runway edge lights. Not all small airports cut their grass regularly and some of them only cut a narrow strip beside the runway edge lights. There's an ultralight hang glider business at mine and they only use the grass so the airport keeps the grass in good shape. The most wear on your bush wheels occurs if you land on pavement or spin the airplane on pavement because it affects a small area on the tire. Mine have been on since 2016 and they're still in good shape with no cord showing. I occasionally have to land on pavement but most of the time it's grass. You'll have a hard time getting cleared to land or takeoff beside the paved runway at a tower controlled airport since this is a non-movement area for ATC. Helicopters do it sometimes but not airplanes. I think it makes it harder for ATC to sequence aircraft. Any controllers on the forum want to weigh in?

My next pair of 31" bush wheels will be with the heavy duty tread option offered by Airframes Alaska for $200 more: https://www.airframesalaska.com/31-Alas ... 1136.r.htm. Mog is correct that most of us in the Lower 48 don't really need bush wheels since we don't regularly land on back country airstrips, beaches, brush fields or gravel bars. If you don't operate on those kinds of surfaces, then drag, weight, wear and cost are factors that favor 8.50s. However, I really like the forgiving nature of tundra tires that soften the impact of bumpy grass strips or brush fields with their underlying ruts, holes, rocks, stumps, bumps and bruises. They take a lot of the beating off the main gear hardware even for NAS bolts. I think tundra tires are mandatory if you're going to land on back country airstrips.

[Trevtt600]

I have successfully coated my 31s with herculiner the past 3 years. Here is the difference I think. They are on my J3; it only 1100lbs fully loaded. I have had zero pealing, and each time lasted about 125 hours (mostly grass; probably 80/20). It all comes down to the preparation. I wash with soap and water 2 or 3 times, then wipe down with Xylene until my white rags stay white when I get done wiping. Then I brush on 2 coats and let dry for a week.

I am not sure how well this will hold up to a 2300 to 2700lbs airplane. My thoughts would be not as well, although I have a buddy who does it on his 170 tires, and has had good luck.

Trever
1975 M5-210C

[Allparg]

Found a ton of info with a google search ... yes towered yes long taxi’s. Anybody had good luck with the gy 26’s?

[Dale Smith]

I have been running the 26" Good years for a little over a year now. They were a used set that came off of my buddies huskie. I am running them because of the fact that I am based at a towered airport and grass is not an option. They seem to be holding up good so far. Just remember to put slippage marks on them and check them every once in a while being as it is possible to spin them and tear a valve stem. In the year that I have been running them I have not had them slip and I run 15psi. if you would like me to send you the field approval that I have for them send me a PM with email and I will send it over.

[Allparg]

Thx Dale, thats what i was hoping to hear.... Would u happen to have a pic? Pretty certain now this is the direction i need to go.... Cant bear the thought of trashing a new set of bw’s....

[Dale Smith]

I do! I just have to figure out how to post it... The 26 GY are only a couple inches taller than 8.50's and are smaller than the ABI 26's....

I will work on the pic...

[Dale Smith]

Hopefully you can open this...

[GPOregon]

Flexane 80 is the ticket

[montana maule]

In my experience the Goodyears were 1/2 the price and lasted at least four times as long. Now the tire and tube are about 85% of the 26" AB tires but they will still outlast most anything I've run. I have also used different bedlinens. Herculiner works well and lasts me most of the summer.

[whittakerw]

I also hear Flexane works really well, but make sure that you remove anything from the tire such as patches and the primer seems to be a good thing to use.