horsa glider wheel?

[rice241]

I have a friend who have this wheel, he thinks that it is a wheel of horsa glider, what do you think about it?

 

 

 

Brand: Firestone Size: 6.00-6; total diameter: 44cm; flange thickness: 17cm. In a rectangle printed USAN 10-42. (Sky champion) an inflation valve and a nipple on one side, wooden rims and inner bearing needle.

 

 

 

best regards

 

 

 

[Gregory]

Neither from Horsa, nor from Hotspur. Also green color that can be seen is not the RAF type Dark Green but classic USAAF Olive Drab.

 

Sources of below information:

• A.P.2097-A8B-P.N. Pilot's Notes for Horsa I Glider, 2nd Edition

• A.P.2092A Pilot's Notes for Hotspur I and II

[General Apathy]

Hi rice241, interesting wheel and the painted o.d. wooden hub, sorry I can't help you on the identification, I will be watching your post though to see if it's identified by someone. :think:

 

My apologies for adding the following to your post.

 

 

Hi Gregory, I have tried about three times to send you a message, it comes back as your forum inbox is full, I will keep trying to see if you make some space.

 

Cheers Lewis

[Gregory]

Hi rice241, interesting wheel and the painted o.d. wooden hub, sorry I can't help you on the identification, I will be watching your post though to see if it's identified by someone. :think:

That's right but... I would not be so sure if it is from any aerial craft. In my opinion it is necessary to check also various carts, wheeled machines, trailers, trolleys etc.

[Steve B.]

That looks more like a grease fitting than an inflation fitting. I would not be surprised to find out that it is a solid rubber tire.

[benguttery]

This could be a tail wheel. It would be on something small like a liaison aircraft. It is too small to be a PT-19 or AT-6.

[APO472]

It very well be a "tug" wheel off of a tug or fork lift. These type wheels are still around in the States these days depending in the equipment manufacturer. I agree with Steve that it might be solid and not inflated.

[Allan H.]

I'm going with aircraft tail wheel. The hub of ths wheel appears to be made of wood and reinforced with metal. The center hole in the wheel also makes me think that the wheel will roll freely, so I would not expect it to be mounted on a motorized vehicle. The fact that the tire has a rounded tread face makes it clear to me that it is NOT a forklift tire.

 

As the tire and wheel are too robust to be used on a wheelbarrow, I would have to conclude that it is an aircraft tire.

 

Allan

[Dave]

Doing a google search, the P-39 used the Firestone Sky Champion for the tail wheel, though I don't know what size they used. Also, the L-4 used a Firestone Sky Champion (size 6x2) as did the other "L" birds.

 

Hope that helps

 

Dave

[hbtcoveralls]

Doing a google search, the P-39 used the Firestone Sky Champion for the tail wheel, though I don't know what size they used. Also, the L-4 used a Firestone Sky Champion (size 6x2) as did the other "L" birds.

 

Hope that helps

 

Dave

 

Um Dave, I think the P-39s all had nose wheels and no tail wheel.

T. Bowers

[Dave]

Um Dave, I think the P-39s all had nose wheels and no tail wheel.

T. Bowers

 

 

You're right, my bad. I saw one described on google as a P-39 tail wheel and typed without thinking.

 

Now, with that, do you have anything constructive to add?

 

Dave

[hbtcoveralls]

You're right, my bad. I saw one described on google as a P-39 tail wheel and typed without thinking.

 

Now, with that, do you have anything constructive to add?

 

Dave

 

 

I checked Jay Wisler's cataolg ( sells warbird parts out of Tampa FL ) and although he lists NOS rubber for most of the WWII aircraft , this size isn't listed. I checked with the websites for most of the other warbird parts houses I've used and they also didn't have a tire this size listed as a tail wheel with a wooden hub. I too am thinking tail wheel, but so far none of the Aircraft parts books I have show a wooden hub specifically. In the photo there are no parts numbers so this makes it even harder to pin down. It looks solid, not inflatable so we can rule out main gear or nose gear which were always inflatable. The "Sky Champion" was a common aircraft tire make of the time , both civilian and military. Notice also that it is not made from synthetic rubber since there is no "S" or red dot marking.

So lets look at this by a process of basic elimination. The tire is probably too large to be an L-bird tail wheel. Right size for the main, but not solid not grooved and on a wooden hub so, probably not an L-bird. Fighter tail wheels are a possibility, but again the wooden hub doesn't seem correct from what I remember on P-40(used a larger wheel) or P-47. The AT-6 used a 12 1/2"X4 1/2" and the date on the tire is too early for the P-51. So lets think light transport aircraft. Think Cessna Bamboo bomber, or Norseman, C-60, AT-11 or maybe CG-4 tail. The wheel and tire is way too small and light for heavy transport/ bombers including C-47, C-46 and B-17. So there is my thought, but until I can pin down the type and style of tail wheel in use I just can't be certain.

T. Bowers

[Dave]

I checked Jay Wisler's cataolg ( sells warbird parts out of Tampa FL ) and although he lists NOS rubber for most of the WWII aircraft , this size isn't listed. I checked with the websites for most of the other warbird parts houses I've used and they also didn't have a tire this size listed as a tail wheel with a wooden hub. I too am thinking tail wheel, but so far none of the Aircraft parts books I have show a wooden hub specifically. In the photo there are no parts numbers so this makes it even harder to pin down. It looks solid, not inflatable so we can rule out main gear or nose gear which were always inflatable. The "Sky Champion" was a common aircraft tire make of the time , both civilian and military. Notice also that it is not made from synthetic rubber since there is no "S" or red dot marking.

So lets look at this by a process of basic elimination. The tire is probably too large to be an L-bird tail wheel. Right size for the main, but not solid not grooved and on a wooden hub so, probably not an L-bird. Fighter tail wheels are a possibility, but again the wooden hub doesn't seem correct from what I remember on P-40(used a larger wheel) or P-47. The AT-6 used a 12 1/2"X4 1/2" and the date on the tire is too early for the P-51. So lets think light transport aircraft. Think Cessna Bamboo bomber, or Norseman, C-60, AT-11 or maybe CG-4 tail. The wheel and tire is way too small and light for heavy transport/ bombers including C-47, C-46 and B-17. So there is my thought, but until I can pin down the type and style of tail wheel in use I just can't be certain.

T. Bowers

 

T-

 

Great post. It's inflatable....I do agree with your assessment about the wooden hub though...nothing I've run into before on "big" planes. I am leaning towards an "L" bird...it reminds me of what I learned to fly with out in the cornfields of Delaware!

 

Dave

[Gregory]

...or maybe CG-4 tail.

I would eliminate CG-4A tail wheel.

[Gregory]

I would eliminate also the L-Birds because the wheel is too large. Piper L-4 tail wheel tire has 4.5 x 6/18in (114.3 x 59.3mm).

[hbtcoveralls]

Okay, new tack, I still found nothing to apply it to an aircraft, but here is what I did find. Army Motors Volume 3 Number 11 November 1943 Page 329...

"A NEW TRAILER WHEEL"

The rubber shortage rears it ugly head again in the appearance of a new ersatz caster wheel for the 1-ton and 250-gallon, 2 Wheel trailers. The new wheel (right) is all steel and replaces the tire and tube formerly used. It can be installed without making any changes in the present spindle and fork..... The article then goes on to say "since you wont be getting replacement tires and tubes for your portable grease dispensers and air compressors, and these use the same tire and tubes the trailers use, replace the trailer tires with the steel wheels and save the rubber goods for the compressors and dispensers.

 

I'm thinking that what we have here is a wheel for either the early 1-ton trailer or one of the afformentioned compressors and/or grease dispensers. Wont be sure until I find the photos

Tom Bowers

[rice241]

thank you very much for your research and observations

 

yes,the tire is inflatable

[hbtcoveralls]

HI Guys,

Chad (33rd signal) over on the "military vehicles" discussions of the USMF found a photo and a link that seems to show this wheel in use on a Ben Hur 1-ton trailer.

http://cckw.org/ben_hur_parts.htm

Thanks guys

Tom Bowers