Wheels for flying at grass field?

[frank mccune]

      What is the best wheel to use when flying off of grass fields?  It seems that a large diameter and wide wheel would be preferable. Now that we are flying from grass, planes flipping over on landings are a real threat.

       Suggestions / Comments???



                                                                                                                                                                Tia

[Randy Powell]

Well, generally speaking, the wheels should be further forward than with pavement gear and I've found that larger but narrow wheels work well as they tend to cut through the grass. But wide wheels might be OK if they are big enough. Also depends on how short the grass is cut.

[Ruslan Kurenkov]

Hello Frank !
For flying on the grass, I use wheels of increased diameter and without fairings.  Wheel diameter 2.5 inches.  On asphalt, I use wheels with fairing, the diameter is slightly smaller - 2.25 inches.  Regards.
Ruslan

[Tim Wescott]

I would use the wheels of a steamroller, rolled on the circle off of which you fly.  Then cut the grass short, and voila!

Seriously, What Ruslan and Randy say.  I prefer going with larger, narrower wheels, too, even if it looks a bit odd.  You shouldn't need to do anything with the tailwheel.

And don't fly on the field that Randy flys on -- it has had a taste for stunt landing gear, and once a field has eaten a wheel, it'll never go back to just eating the occasional coin or car key.

[wwwarbird]

 Like Randy mentions above, the wheel position probably matters more than the size. Guessing that it's the Twister project (from your engine question post?) I'd go with anywhere from a 2" to 2-3/4" wheel. I also feel that narrower rather than overly wide is a better choice. You don't have to go searching for pizza cutters though, the Du-Bro foamies (lightweight) or something similar will work just fine.

[Dan McEntee]

   The position of the wheels does matter most. That is why lots of designs show two different gear locations and sometimes lengths, one for pavement and one for grass. As for wheels, if you have plenty of prop clearance, it probably doesn't matter what kind of wheel. But I prefer at least 2 inch diameter as a minimum, and I think wide wheels help in grass as they tend to "float" over the grass and the model rolls and raises the airplane up, helping prop clearance if it happens to be an issue. If your model is tipping over, your wheels are too far rearward.
   Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee

[Frank Imbriaco]

I fly off a bumpy grass field that is leased by my R/C club. I use  2 1/4-2 1/2" thin , light-weight wheels. And I (or Tom L.) cut it  short like every 3rd day. It's a royal p.i.a. to cut it that often.But, the trade -off is that the ship doesn't get damaged. Hint:Wear water-proof shoes in the a.m.- lots of dew.

[john e. holliday]

As I normally fly off grass, I use the next size up on the wheels.  Also flying from a stooge I have a scrap carpet piece that is about 8 foot long I roll out.  I have even used the floor mats out of my Suburbon.

[Brett Buck]

I just use the same wheels and landing gear I use all the rest of the time, no changes. 2.25 Dave Brown "Lectra Lite" wheels, and I expect the same with the Maxx products narrow wheel. Most of our contests are on grass.

The trick, if there is one, is wind placement. You need to take off and land with a significant headwind component, so you can control the airplane right down to zero groundspeed. There is some post on here somewhere that goes into more detail, but that's the gist of it.

    Brett

[FLOYD CARTER]

Most of my planes have 2" wheels, all built when we had asphalt.  Now, our club has a new field of grass.  I still use the same wheels, but landings are not always smooth.  Doesn't matter, since no judges are present.  Contests are usually on pavement, so my wheels are just right for contests.

[Allan Leonard]

Luckily I grew up right across the street from a golf coarse. As kids we never gave grass and wheels a second thought. Unfortunately today the golf coarse and the airport are fenced keeping the kids out.