Re: Baby Bushwheel tailwheel
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:46 pm
The Baby Bushwheel is about 4 lbs heavier than a Scott 3200 or ABI 3224A, which is what I have. The tire is softer with a much lower inflation pressure. If you operate on hard surfaces, shimmy will be a problem because of the soft tire. Wear will also be a problem. If you operate on soft surfaces, the Baby Bushwheel spreads the weight out more and reduces rut-digging. It also takes some of the shock out of rough surfaces, which reduces the stress on the tail spring, attachment hardware and frame tubes.
As others have said, it depends on how you want to operate. If you plan to mostly operate on hard surfaces, then the cost, wear and shimmy of a Baby Bushwheel are disadvantages. If you plan to do a lot of back country or beach flying and land on rough or soft surfaces, then the Baby Bushwheel is an asset. Some Maule owners don't like to takeoff or land on a grass strip after it's rained because the tail wheel will dig up the soft grass. If it's your grass strip, then you are even more motivated not to do that. The Baby Bushwheel reduces that.
I decided not to replace my ABI 3224A tail wheel with a Baby Bushwheel mainly because of the added cost, weight and shimmy even though I mostly operate on grass. I haven't regretted it. To minimize the potential for the tail wheel to leave a rut in a soft surface, I lift the tail on takeoff as soon as possible and I keep the tail in the air on landing as long as possible. This has that added benefit of reducing the beating on my tail wheel and attached components. That's a serious factor on rough back country airstrips. I had to tighten the tail spring hardware several times during my 2016 Idaho back country trip because of rough airstrips with ruts caused by hundreds of airplanes landing on them.
As others have said, it depends on how you want to operate. If you plan to mostly operate on hard surfaces, then the cost, wear and shimmy of a Baby Bushwheel are disadvantages. If you plan to do a lot of back country or beach flying and land on rough or soft surfaces, then the Baby Bushwheel is an asset. Some Maule owners don't like to takeoff or land on a grass strip after it's rained because the tail wheel will dig up the soft grass. If it's your grass strip, then you are even more motivated not to do that. The Baby Bushwheel reduces that.
I decided not to replace my ABI 3224A tail wheel with a Baby Bushwheel mainly because of the added cost, weight and shimmy even though I mostly operate on grass. I haven't regretted it. To minimize the potential for the tail wheel to leave a rut in a soft surface, I lift the tail on takeoff as soon as possible and I keep the tail in the air on landing as long as possible. This has that added benefit of reducing the beating on my tail wheel and attached components. That's a serious factor on rough back country airstrips. I had to tighten the tail spring hardware several times during my 2016 Idaho back country trip because of rough airstrips with ruts caused by hundreds of airplanes landing on them.