Does this count as tailwheel time?

[Zac Weidner]

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Landed from a day trip today with the family aboard and had a flat nose tire when it came down.

Decided not to chance taxing in and hitting the prop with the reduced clearance. Came to the house, got a heavy steel weight tied the tail down enough to raise the rim off the ground, and very slowly taxiied in. I probably got 20 minutes of “tailwheel” time. It technically a wheel, and I’m sure it probably rolled at least a few times.
Thankfully got to the hangar with nothing damaged and thankfully it was at home on the grass.

On a separate note, this is the 3rd tube we’ve had fail on landing in several years. Are the tubes that poor of quality or what is going on do you all think? I’d have to look back to see what brand the tubes were for sure.

[Jim]

Hi,

What is going wrong with the tubes? Not something obvious like chafe abrasions, a sheered of valve stem or Chinese rubber tube?

[Will K]

You got an STC for that mod? -jk looks like a creative way to taxi it back to the hangar for sure.

[Steve Pierce]

Adapt and overcome, I love it. No idea on the tube issue. My only issue has been when I pinched one recently on assembly. Hadn't done that is years.

Did have a Cub Crafters NX Cub in the shop for condition inspection just before Oshkosh. We pushed it out, cleaned the engine and ran the engine and then pushed it back in the hangar. I was installing the cowl when my daughter noticed the nose wheel tire was low. Tried putting air in the tire and I could hear and feel it escaping through the wheel. Pulled the wheel apart and there was a 6" slice in the tube. Further investigation revealed a mesquite thorn imbedded in the tire and that is where the split propagated from. It was a Goodyear no leak 800x6 tube that cost $125. It had a white film inside that I guess is the no leak seal. Funny thing is it sat in the hangar for a week or more and never leaked until we moved it outside.

[mmoyle]

Perhaps…a wrinkle in the tube causing the leak? It’s a good practice to fully inflate the tire and tube and then remove the valve stem to deflate and relax the tube, then reinstall the valve stem and inflate the tube to the desired pressure. The practice is intended to remove wrinkles from the tube.


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[Subsonic]

What Mark said! And, use talcum powder. Don't breathe it. But wrinkles and pinches and folds can be the death of an otherwise good tube. Talc lets the tube move. Multiple inflation / deflation cycles help it to settle properly without wrinkles.

[Steve Pierce]

It will be obvious if there was a fold when you remove it. Curious to see what you find.

[Pacer42Z]

When I install tires I insert the tube into the tire and then inflate the tube with just a couple of PSI to make sure there are no wrinkles. I think it is also less likely to pinch the tube when installing the wheel halves.

Juergen
Pacer N3342Z

[Zac Weidner]

I forgot to take a picture, but it did look like it was likely a fold on the side of the tube. It looks kind of dried out on a strip about 1/2” wide up one side. And it has a pinhole in the middle of it.
I’m just surprised it lasted 13 years of flying and over 1000 hours before causing a problem.