Bushwheels for 185

[mountainmatt]

mine is a M4 Maule with cont 210 HP IO 360... and I have shaved air hawks 29 11 10's I bought from ABW.... if anyone wants to see what 29 11 10's look like on a 180/185 check the last video posted on the caveman thread by Amacbean.. the two cessnas at caveman hav them...

Hector has 31" bushwheels on his early 180 (the black and red one) and seems to enjoy the heck out of them.

[iceman]

is Hector one of those 2 at caveman in the video.. I was pretty sure the green and aluminum one had 29's...

[Rob]

is Hector one of those 2 at caveman in the video.. I was pretty sure the green and aluminum one had 29's...

I am guessing he's referring to Hector Brown, A&P/IA out of Glenwood. Don't know about now, or then, but do know he did at one point have 31's on his 180 and absolutely loved them.

The deal with 31's vs 29's on a Skywagon is pretty simple, barring the few heavy late model 185's, either is a legal choice. The correct choice all depends on your mission. Buying 31's because you are guessing 'bigger is better' may be a $4K mistake. Buying 29's because someone on the net said they were 'the only way to go for skywagons' may equally be a $4k mistake... Blanket statements about one being superior to the other are as lame as any other blanket statement...

Buying 29's because the 135 guys in AK all fly 29's may be a poor choice if you don't fly at or above gross, because that's all they do....

Fact; 31's absolutely smoke 29's in floatation and cush. But, for that cush you pay in speed, stability & roll (as in side ways), and will not reach the same GW capacity as 29's, (how's that for blanket statements ). Speculation by anyone who hasn't flown both in the make and model discussed, is pure speculation, and worth what you paid for it...

29-11-10's are a complete different animal....

All 3, and a few more live in my hangar, but today my wagon goes back on 8.50's.... because they fit the current mission best!

Take care, Rob

[westerncolorado]

Hey, this is Hector out of Glenwood Springs, CO. Yes I have the 31" bushwheels on my 180. I think they are great and would recomend them. I also have the Gar Aero adapter/ 8.50x10's that I run in the winter time. The 8.50x10's are a great setup that don't seem to slow me down at all. They don't compare to the bushwheels for the off airport stuff though. I have both sets on rims so I can swap them really quick if I have to go to a big airport with lots of asphalt. I've seen a few sets of bushwheels worn out on my customers planes and I want to make mine last.