Yes, a retro fit kit is available to adapt your existing tailwheel assembly. Depending on which assembly you have, here are the part numbers: ABI-3200-SD-RFK (standard, straight), ABI-3224A-SD-RFK (heavy duty, bent), ABI-3200B-SD-RFK (S) (Baby Bushwheel, straight), and ABI-3200B-RFK (T) (Baby Bushwheel, bent).
The tailwheel with the integrated anti-shimmy feature is infinitely adjustable. The further you screw the spring load ball plunger down, the more the anti-shimmy resistance. Ideally, you want to screw the spring-loaded ball detent down just far enough to stop any tailwheel shimmy. In most cases, this only produces a very light resistance to the rudder pedal feel, most pilots cannot feel that it is even there.
There are several intentional design improvements on the tailwheel assembly featuring integrated anti-shimmy. The ball detent unit can be replaced by simply unscrewing it and replacing it with a new one if you notice wear or damage. During testing, no failures occurred in the spring-loaded ball plunger. The striker is not only hardened steel but can be rotated to expose a fresh wear surface if a groove becomes worn in one portion of the face. You should never have to replace the striker throughout the life of the tailwheel assembly.
For prevention of shimmy, the bolt-on hydraulic tailwheel shimmy dampener is slightly more refined in feeling compared to the tailwheel assemblies with an integrated mechanical shimmy dampener. While they both accomplish the same goal of reducing or eliminating tailwheel shimmy, the hydraulic version will feel smoother with the tradeoff of more weight and complexity. The 3200-SD tailwheel with the integrated mechanical shimmy dampener will have a barely noticeable mechanical feel in the center of travel but it’s far less complex, smaller, and less expensive.
Tailwheel shimmy has many causes such as tailspring angle/wear, tailwheel condition, and tailwheel tire condition. While the root cause of tailwheel shimmy is complex and ever changing, the McFarlane Alaska tailwheel assemblies with integrated anti-shimmy addresses the symptoms of tailwheel shimmy with several of the design improvements