Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Looking for a swiveling tail wheel that will fit a 1 1/2 flat spring for a 4 inch or smaller.

Thanks
Lance

Aviation Products . 1 1/2" for flat spring and 4" wheel .

Rich, does the ap tail wheel have the detent on it?

Thanks Lance

Not sure what you mean by detent ? Attached is a write up about the AP tail wheel from AP . You can order the wheel directly from AP . I think 99% of us replace the "standard" AP wheel bearings with up graded bearings .

I think AP may have been using better bearings for some time now. They look good to me, FWIW.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

Apparently Spruce buys them without the premium bearing installed. They substitute an economy bearing and offer the premium bearing as an upgrade.

Most of the time I'm satisfied with Spruce, but in this case, buy direct.

d

Dick,
I find it a little hard to believe that Aircraft Spruce would do that, or that AP would purposely sell their wheels with a low-quality bearing after the issue was brought to light. I wonder if Spruce may have just had "old" inventory, and offered the upgraded bearings as a service. I could be wrong... a simple phone call to Aviation Products would probably answer the question, before we start accusing anyone.
I have no real proof that AP did indeed start using better bearings at some particular time. I just know that the ones that came on my wheel are fine.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

John.. you are absolutely right. I apologize. I put some "hearsay" out there without verifying the facts.

I was repeating an explanation that I just happened to read on a prominent KR2 builder's log recently. The story was an attempt to explain why Aviation Products only sells their wheels with the premium bearing, while Spruce offers the same wheels with a Standard Bearing installed, but additionally offers the premium bearing as an upgrade.

Since I myself have very few original thoughts, I sometimes repeat other peoples opinions as if they are my own.

D

Dick,
I don't know if I'm right or not. It just doesn't seem like it would be something Aircraft Spruce would do intentionally (order wheels from AP with the cheap bearings on purpose). Perhaps I'm naive. Perhaps Aviation Products offered the wheels to Spruce at a discount, with the old bearings that they had a good supply of & wanted to get rid of. Perhaps the wheels in Spruce's stock are older ones, like I proposed before. Either way, if the wheels that Spruce is selling now still have the cheap bearings, then you are exactly right... buy direct from AP.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

Ordered mine today from ap read that article as well dick, and saw the rusted open bearings seeing it was enough also cheaper then A.S.

Lance

FWIW, AP offers NO discounts nor OEM pricing. Must be old stock.
Cubes

Call Karen at AP products . She is very helpful and will answer all your questions .

I found the KR2 builders website that Dick was referring to, and it sure sounds like the builder did his homework. I must apologize to you Dick, because if what this guy says is true (I believe it probably is) Aircraft Spruce buys the assemblies minus the wheel from AP, and then buys the wheels from some other supplier. These wheels supposedly have NO grease in the bearings, and the KR2 builder said that he questioned Spruce about it and their buyer supposedly said that the wheels meet their specs, and that was the end of it. After reading that & seeing the pictures, I think I'd probably have posted a comment just like yours. Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. I used to sell cabin heat boxes to Spruce and used to correspond & talk to them periodically. The next time I have occasion to do that, I think I'll tell them what I think of this... selling wheels with crappy bearings without grease & no real way to grease them, that are for use on an airplane (or anything for that matter), would cause me to have a little talk with my buyer, if this is true and I were Jim Irwin.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

The (3) 6 inch wheels I have gotten from Spruce all have had the Fred Flintstone bearings in them . As far a no grease , they come with "sealed" bearings ? If you look closely at the so called Zerk fitting , it has no innards . In fact you can see right thru the thing . Seems like a lot of extra work for Spruce to buy just the assembly and then the wheel from another Vendor and then assemble the wheel on site . I guess stranger things have happened in the Aviation World !

why the hell are you on a KRII site?!?


Just kidding, bored, eating lunch, waiting for parts.

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http://www.dixiefriedfabrication.com/