The International Cessna 170 Association

I want to purchase a new tail wheel tire and Tube. C170 B sn 26433 - Scott 3200 assmbly.
What is best?

I have the new 2017 Aircraft Spruce catalog and the Cessna IPC.

IPC calls for 8.00 x 300

A,S. catalog carefully list 25 parts related to SCOTT 3200 tail wheel. Gives P.N. and price, however when it comes to the most likely part to be replaced [ TIRE] it is silent. Why would you not list the most replaced part in the assembly?

I phoned AS - they are very busy and rushed - do your research first always then phone.

They are calling out a 2.80 x 250 x 4" tire 06-8000 at 47.95 and a tube 06-08101 at 21.80 each.

IPC advises 8.00 x 3.00 - technician respectfully but curtly admonished " go look at what's installed on airplane"

Who to believe?

Where to Purchase new tire and tube?

regards

Grady,
You're studying this way too closely. 99% of us have the undocumented installation of the Scott pneumatic tailwheel assembly and now we find that we've all got the incorrect tire and tube installed! The standard tire on the Scott 3200 is a 280/250-4 tire. In addition to A/C Spruce, Desser is a popular source for tires. Cheng Shin and Carlisle both manufacture 8 X 3.00 tires for lawn equipment. From what I've read they are only rated for around 120 lbs.

Grady, this is what my Scott 3200 uses, click on the photo and you will be able to read the size.

Aerospace habor freight have a great range and good prices. Always replace the tube when fitting a new tire . My tail wheel has been on a number of years and many landings in all sort of conditions . I keep it at the correct pressure and well greased . Admittly keep,a spare under the back seat but never had to use it in 8 years .

ghostflyer wrote:Aerospace habor freight have a great range and good prices. Always replace the tube when fitting a new tire . My tail wheel has been on a number of years and many landings in all sort of conditions . I keep it at the correct pressure and well greased . Admittly keep,a spare under the back seat but never had to use it in 8 years .

Whats the use in replacing the tube when replacing the tire with HF bleep on aircraft. Seriously?

Grady, the Scott 3200 tail wheel assembly uses a Scott 2600 tire, tube and hub assembly, which uses a 2.80/2.50 x 4 4 ply tire and tube (using the tire and tube designation shown in the Aircraft Spruce catalog and on their website). So if you buy from Aircraft Spruce, buy a 2.80/2.50 x 4 4 ply tire and tube and you will be all set. That's what I bought about a year and a half ago as spares for the tail wheel on my plane and they are correct.

I would definitely not use HF tires. They are garbage, made from cheap "rubber" that decomposes and causes the tires to delaminate. That smell they give off is the smell of the rubber coming apart. If you've ever been in a HF store you know that stink. HF isn't the only offender, Northern Tool is just as bad, as are the other many internet vendors.

I do equipment maintenance for a large high school marching band. Between the wheeled instruments and transportation carts that's a lot of wheels, and the one hard rule I've learned from bitter experience is NO WHEELS OR TIRES FROM HF. The money saved up front is consumed many times over with early replacement and unscheduled maintenance. That's especially not what you want on a tailwheel.

Here's a typical failure of a HF tire. I have this picture in my band equipment maintenance manual as an example of the trouble you're buying with HF tires. It's a 2.50-4 tire, the size that fits a Scott 3200.

Never had a problem with my tail wheel but do keep it at the correct pressure . I land on salt surfaces , concrete , gravel ,sand and it keeps going but the tread is getting thin . It's about 8 years old . And its 4 ply and made of nylon . I know of others that use this band and no reports of issues . Some time ago we had a run of bad tires from a company called STA , that's why we went to this company plus availability was a issue also.

It was with tongue in cheek that I suggested using the correct size tire - 8.00 X 3 - which apparently is still made for lawn equipment. As the discussion has moved to using "unapproved" tires I was curious as to what the FAA standards are for tailwheel tires. Tires must meet the requirements ofbut I didn't realize that this TSO specifically excludes tailwheel tires. I'm curious why tailwheels would be exempt. Does the FAA feel that the failure of the tailwheel tire is not a safety of flight issue or is it more an issue of economics? Would no one go to the trouble of producing a tailwheel for such a small market if it had to conform with TSO requirements? How does an FAA inspector doing a ramp check or an IA doing an annual determine if the tailwheel is "legal"? Without TSO markings on the side it seems to me the onus is on the owner/operator to insure the tire is safe to install.

To me it seemed that the six ply tailwheel tire from Desser that I linked to above was the best tire one could install, 6 plys being stronger than 4 plys. However, this AOPA article suggests that is not necessarily the case.

Finally, here is an interesting tire alternative for the Scott 3200 that is discussed on the Husky forum. Thompson Aircraft Repair sells it.

Dave, I think I see the cause of your problem with HF tire de-laminating, you are diligently putting the recommended 35psi in the tire and the tire sidewall says max 30psi. Or maybe you have been landing on highways.

Thank you for commenting
This has been educational.

I need to make notes in my IPC

Pg 154 Fig 94 Tire, tube and wheel should be labeled as a SCOTT 2600 Tire and wheel assembly

pg 155 Parts list for SCOTT 3200 Tailwheel Assembly items 94 - 04420110-29 Tire should be corrected to 2.80 x 250 4
as IPC incorrectly list 8 x 3.00 .

Will I be correct in noting that Cessna 170 B originally factory listed w single fork solid tire tailwheel assembly but most C170s delivered w Scott 3200 Tailwheel assembly, without factory documentation?

n2582d wrote:It was with tongue in cheek that I suggested using the correct size tire - 8.00 X 3 - which apparently is still made for lawn equipment. As the discussion has moved to using "unapproved" tires I was curious as to what the FAA standards are for tailwheel tires. Tires must meet the requirements of TSO C62e but I didn't realize that this TSO specifically excludes tailwheel tires. I'm curious why tailwheels would be exempt. Does the FAA feel that the failure of the tailwheel tire is not a safety of flight issue or is it more an issue of economics? ....

It might be worthwhile to remember that CONVENTIONAL landing gear aircraft entered the marketplace using tail SKIDS!

Clyde Cessna pioneered and introduced the idea of using WHEELS on the tail in order to avoid damaging his cow pastures while practicing landings.

True story.

The TSO for tires is for MAIN landing gear.

There is NO APPROVAL BASIS for inner tubes. The original specification was an Air Force Mil-Spec which was discontinued and declared OBSOLETE around 1962.
So for tubes.... YOU are the final inspector. (I recommend genuine BUTYL rubber for tubes. Plasticized rubber such as often found in cheap imports often hardens and fails quickly.)

The Scott 3200 was an optional tailwheel from the factory. No telling how many 170s where delivered with the 3200 or the specified 3-24B. An interesting bit of info is that Cessna did not have the 3200 approved, Scott did. And most often over looked is that 95% of the 3200s installed on 170s are not correctly installed per Scott Bulletin I-168 which is the approve method per the TCDS. The picture in the IPC of the Scott 3200 installation does not follow the Scott instructions.

As a point of interest on tail wheel approval, on a J3 Cub, which is certified under CAR-4, the tail wheel assembly is specified specifically as not a certified part and therefor can be any wheel assembly you choose or no assembly at all. Still most Cub owners don't stray far from the Scott 2000, 3-24B or the hard tired Maule SFSA.

I use McCreary tires and tubes. As said, the correct size for the 3200 is 280-250-4 4-ply. Considering the damage that could be done if a tire blows at touch down, I think good tires are worth it. I do keep a spare tire and tube in the baggage compartment, as tail wheel tires are hard to find at most airports.
On the other subject, I wouldn't use ANYTHING from Harbor Freight on my plane. It's all junk to IMHO.

Chief Aircraft has them too: http://www.chiefaircraft.com/catalogsea ... wheel+tire

johneeb wrote:Dave, I think I see the cause of your problem with HF tire de-laminating, you are diligently putting the recommended 35psi in the tire and the tire sidewall says max 30psi. Or maybe you have been landing on highways.

Thanks, John. Must be the highways I land on. I knew if I described the problem here, someone would know the answer!