Savannah S Rebuild Blog

[Fat Tire STOL]

Well here's some more detail and pictures of my project. It looks like it has the Carlisle TUNDRA aircraft tires size 8.00 X 6 X 21 on the mains, and Carlisle Turf Glide 8.00 X 6 nose tire, but it's smaller in diameter at about 16" tall.  I am wondering if the nose wheel fork had be changed to a larger fork.  It's 10 1/2" total length,  see picure, and has about 1/2" clearance with the tire described above. also will include some pictures of the panel,. The fuselage has little damage, but both wings need alot of repair,  mostly reskinning, and a few ribs on one wing.

[Kyle Communications]

I think you will find you have the noseleg fork on the wrong way..it needs to be spun 180 deg

[Kyle Communications]

Check out my rebuild on here it may help you although I have done my own strengthening mods in the critical areas

 

[IBob]

Yes, looks like the fork has been changed. And as Mark said (above) it's back to front.

Looks also as though they adjusted the nose leg length by cutting the original tube, fitting a larger dia tube over it, and sticking a couple of bolts through. Can't see what limits nose suspension travel, normally a couple of rubber bumpers bolted through the nose leg, but maybe they're tucked up out of view.

 

Is that fuselage side to the rear of the firewall ripply, or is that just a trick of the light?

 

Dual brakes, long range tanks and standard paint layout....

Factory build?

[Fat Tire STOL]

The fork mat very well be on backwards.  The tube actually snapped off, bounced off the ground and hit under the left wing.  It's just a piece of pipe stuck on there to splice it back in order to transport the wreckage. The nose wheel also hit the fuselage skin at the bottom / aft  of the firewall and made a small ding, I don't think it will be an issue though, mostly cosmetic. There was no damage to the firewall itself. Does anybody know if the nose wheel tire is typical?  It's a carlisle 8.00 X 6 Turf Glide tire.  looking it up it appears to be a garden tractor tire, but by the tread pattern I have see them used on Savannah's before, both as mains and nose wheel.  Anybody?   Thanks for  all of your help, and I hope to get parts from ICP by Jan 1.   Coming to Texas distributor.

[Kyle Communications]

There is a mix and match of tyres people run here. I had 600.6 Condors on mine on all 3 the rebuild I am doing has turfglides all around...the mains will be fine but you do need a wider fork for the turfglides I am sure for the nosewheel

 

[Fat Tire STOL]

Thanks,   The Turf Glide nose wheel is already on the plane,  so the fork must have already been modified.  I think it might be both longer and wider.   Sam

[onetrack]

Sam, just be aware the Carlisle Turf Glide tyre is designed for golf buggies/cars/carts and is rated "NHS" (Non Highway Service), and these tyres have a speed limit rating of around 20mph for most manufacturers.

 

In addition, the tyre carcass on golf buggy tyres is thinner and made from synthetic rubber, rather the high proportion of natural rubber found in "proper" aviation tyres.

 

You can get golf buggy tyres that are DOT-approved for high-speed highway use. But I'm not sure if these are available in 8.00 x 6 size.

 

As always, "you pay your money and you take your chances", if you choose to use tyres on the nosewheel of a light aircraft, that are only designed and rated for low-speed, smooth turf work on golf buggies.

 

However, it does seem that many kit-built aircraft users are getting away with using these tyres on nose wheels. I guess it comes back to the fact that the speed is washing off by the time the nose wheel is in contact with the ground.

 

Takeoff could be where the greatest problem lies - a nosewheel blowout on takeoff could be quite disastrous. And a golf buggy tyre doesn't have the strength to resist the impact from hitting a solid object such as a rock, at say 30-40mph.

 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/537b6326e4b04b1ccbdb1836/t/54c90aece4b089680e9f6145/1422461676123/All+About+Golf+Cart+Tires+and+Wheels.pdf

Edited November 30, 2020 by onetrack

[Fat Tire STOL]

Onetrack,

      I appreciate the insight.  You really have to dig to find the exact specification from most AC tire manufactures. It looks like  Goodyear 7.00 X 6 tire is 18.75" diameter.  If it will fit in my fork it may be a 

better alternative.   What nose wheel tire size are other "Savannah Bush Pilots" running?.  

[Fat Tire STOL]

IBob,

       Yes the AC is dual brake, long range tanks, single "Y"

stick (yuck) and it is factory built. 2015 model with 208 hours TT since new.   I would rather have the tailwheel version, but one of my other 2 partners is apposed.  I'd also like the dual stick conversion, but I can't really 

say I don't like the Y stick since I have never flown one.  Might be OK once you get used to it, but it just seems WEIRD to me.

[IBob]

The vast majority of Savannahs are tricycle undercarriage, and work very well that way. My thought is that while the tailwheel probably has some advantages for specific operators/applications, if it was generally a better configuration there would be more demand.

 

I'm ambivalent about the Y stick: there are many configurations of aircraft controls, and provided they are not uncomfortable, you just get used to them. The Y stick has to be easier to get in and out of, unless you have removable sticks.

 

[Fat Tire STOL]

I guess I'm partial to tailwheels because I have 1200 hours in over 50 type tailwheel aircraft.   They are just fun to fly!   Probably statistically easier to crash or damage (ask any insurance company, but still fun!

I think I'm going to LOVE the Savannah though, specially the STOL performance.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Its not if you ever have a ground loop its WHEN you are going to have a ground loop they all say with TD aircraft 🙂