Desser Tires & Grove Wheels/Brake

[THEAirplanegirl]

Hi! It's me again

I am looking at going with the Desser 27.5x10-8 4 Ply Aero Classic Tundra Tires along with the Grove G-8 Series Wheels & Brakes for my M-4 project. I know they are both FAA-TSO certified, but state that certified aircraft still need a field approval which shouldn't be an issue. Just curious if anyone has used this set-up on their Maule. I did a lot of reading and it seems the majority of customers of the Desser tires say they hold up a lot longer and better on asphalt than the AK bushwheels. This aircraft will call home to an asphalt airport and will also visit others quite frequently...

[Dale Smith]

I do not have the Desser tires, but I am running the 26" Good years for the same reason of longevity on asphalt. Send me an email and I can send you the Field approval for the good years on an M-5 if you are interested. I know its not what you are looking for, but it is an option.

[Andy Young]

I hate to say it, but don’t underestimate the need for a field approval. Many FSDOs just flat won’t do them these days. Some of the ones that do require extensive engineering data. In many cases, hiring a DER is required. Sometimes you can get by with a DAR. And sometimes, with the right FSDO and airworthiness inspector, you can indeed get it done relatively easily, with just the submissions from an IA.

My guess (and it’s only that) is that the wheels will be more of an issue than the tires.

[Dale Smith]

Andy, I Agree. It really depends on the people that you can work with. I have an IA that is willing to help put the paperwork through. The person on the other end of that paperwork can make it easy or difficult. The good year tires were difficult even with submitting 3 other field approvals for the same thing, and the page out of the parts book that showed Maules approval to run all the ABI tires at are larger. I ended up going to engineering and we had to prove the max torque of the backing plate bolts to get it approve. I went in with a field approval for the Sky Sensor to go with the sky beacon so that i had the same lights, strobes, and ADSB into a device. I had that approved and back the same day..... All about the people that you deal with....