> >> | gidday,
> >> | Some time ago I recall advice regarding the replacement, or substitution
> >> of the ply
> >> | inserts in the tailwheel setup due to compression forces squashing the
> >> ply. Is this
> >> | true of the new tailwheel setup, and if so, any advice as to what is a
> >> better
> >> | medium to use? No doubt a metal replacement would be possible, at the
> >> expense
There is another variable in this scenario that affects the tension of the
spring retaining bolt. That is the stiffness of the short length of (4130 I
trust?) steel with a relatively large 5/16" hole reducing its width and
stiffness. I have seen one or two of these bent by the bolt load at the
center. I would prefer to use a larger piece of steel with a small flange
on the forward end to increase bending stiffness. Then teh bolt tension is
spread over the whole of the area of the plywood inserts.
In the event of a large side load, such as the bump during a ground loop,
the bolt will bend and absorb a lot of the energy. (seen that, too) I don't
think there is much problem with the sternpost. I've never seen any damage
in that area. Don't forget though, I haven't seen as many Europas as the
factory have, so a second opinion from Andy and Neville would be most welcome.
Graham
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