What makes a tube an aircraft tube? I ordered tubes from an aircraft supply and ended up with trailer tubes. I'll be sending them back, but now I'm curious. I can't find any specs on tubes to be able to compare load capacities.
Trailers might have an impact when they hit a bump, but they probably don't see the same shock as a hard landing.
How much of a difference is there in roadworthy tubes and aircraft tubes? Is it just the certification?
For light aircraft its mostly just the certification, but aircraft use different size tires than most over the road applications. And most cars do not use tubes any more. Also the aircraft wheels often use a different valve stem configuration; example a right angle bend up between the two wheel halves.
The tires take most of the abuse. Simplistically speaking, the tubes just keep the air in.
Desser has a good web site with lots of info and has good prices if you have not done business with them.
Best of luck,
Wes
N78PS
Last edited by WLIU; 06-08-2012 at 06:23 PM.
Buy the Michelin AirStop tubes. They don't leak.
Most of my tractor tires take tubes, about all that is available now is Chinese crap that may or may not hold air, I use a lot of the green goo. I bought some tubes for one of my old cars a few years back from Kanter, they were still USA made & held air.
The last tailwheel tube I got was Chinese. I called the supplier and they said they're all Chinese now. I wondered about FAA/PMA approval, but was told that didn't cover tubes. It's working OK, but I still worry. Also, what else do we get that is Chinese, and we don't even know?Originally Posted by Mike Switzer
Take a close look at American flags on July 4th , especially the small ones. They are almost all "made in China" and some even in Vietnam. No bull, no joke, you can have some vet of the Nam war being honored on the 4th, and the flags there are made in Nam.
I think there is still one American company that makes the larger flags, but not the ones sold at conveniience stores.
And if you want to write something to protest this trend, pull out your Apple computer, which is the result of American genius, well , that and all the working innards that are made in China.
Comparing these tubes with an Aero Classic leak stop tube, it's obvious that the Aero Classic is a much heavier tube. The certified tube is definitely made to a higher standard. I forgot where it was made, but it wasn't the US, and it wasn't China, might have been Taiwan.
FWIW, the tubes I took out were made in the USA circa 1987. I'm sure there were several tire changes without new tubes. I wanted to be sure to change to the leak guard tubes with the tire change because they are very hard to get an air chuck on with wheel pants installed.
Sad and totally true!
I get my tubes from Tractor Supply. They fit lawn tractors.
Lawn Tractors, funny.Interestingly, Tractor Supply doesn't carry tubes for real tractors. My smallest tractor is a Farmall Cub that we use to cultivate the sweet corn patch.
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