Originally Posted by
JohnC
I had a problem with my tail wheel that caused a severe ground loop. I had the 3200 tail wheel with the Pawnee leaf spring. Because the leaf spring is wider than normal, I did not have the 1 1/2" spacer installed. I did install the bushing in the leaf spring 1/2' bolt hole for the AN7 bolt. At the time, I did not realize the bushing was very slightly too long without spacer. This caused the tailwheel head to not seat flush against the leaf spring. With the bolt tightened to specs, this condition was not noticeable. This condition allowed the tailwheel head to rock very slightly left and right on landing. Not noticeable on grass or when the aircraft was lightly loaded. More noticeable on a hard surface and when the plane was heavy. This action slowly stretched the bolt and loosen the tailwheel head allowing the tailwheel to slightly tilt on landing. While making a heavy weight landing on a hard surface, the tailwheel canted and knife edged on the tire. This caused a quick, hard turn. After this, the tailwheel head noticeably loose and the AN7 bolt was stretched. I reassembled the tailwheel with new hardware and noticed the same potential problem, the bushing is very slightly too long. I shorten the bushing and now the leaf springs fit flush in the tailwheel head. I've had no further problems. Also, I found the 4 leaf springs to be too stiff and not at a good tailwheel geometry. I installed a 3 leaf tail spring from Cubcrafters and the aircraft ground handling is much improved. Hope this helps.