Aircraft Tugs

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I recently became a first time aircraft owner and I'm quickly realizing
that with the uneven pavement on the ramp to my hanger, and the 2600lb
empty weight of the plane, I'm going to have to resign to getting some
form of aircraft tug.

Looking at the Sporty's catalog, there are two types listed, the
Robotow and the VThrust tugs. Does anyone have any experience with
either of these? My plane is set up for a towbar with pins on either
side that enter both ends of the axle on the nose wheel. Do either of
these fit that type of attachment?

Also, would this type of towbar be a Beechcraft standard fitting? I'm
very familiar with Cessna and Piper towbars and the Pilatus definitely
doesn't fit either of those (I need to go look at a Bonanza nose gear
at the airport tomorrow to see if it resembles mine).

Any feedback on pros or cons of these tugs would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric Bartsch
1959 Pilatus P-3 N848AD

[Kobra]

If the slant is going down out of your hangar I will assume taking the plane
out is easy, but returning it is difficult or impossible?

If this is so buy a winch (remote control) from Ramsey. Worked for me.

Kobra


> wrote in message
ups.com...
>I recently became a first time aircraft owner and I'm quickly realizing
> that with the uneven pavement on the ramp to my hanger, and the 2600lb
> empty weight of the plane, I'm going to have to resign to getting some
> form of aircraft tug.
>
> Looking at the Sporty's catalog, there are two types listed, the
> Robotow and the VThrust tugs. Does anyone have any experience with
> either of these? My plane is set up for a towbar with pins on either
> side that enter both ends of the axle on the nose wheel. Do either of
> these fit that type of attachment?
>
> Also, would this type of towbar be a Beechcraft standard fitting? I'm
> very familiar with Cessna and Piper towbars and the Pilatus definitely
> doesn't fit either of those (I need to go look at a Bonanza nose gear
> at the airport tomorrow to see if it resembles mine).
>
> Any feedback on pros or cons of these tugs would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Eric Bartsch
> 1959 Pilatus P-3 N848AD
>

[Ron Natalie]

wrote:

> Looking at the Sporty's catalog, there are two types listed, the
> Robotow and the VThrust tugs. Does anyone have any experience with
> either of these? My plane is set up for a towbar with pins on either
> side that enter both ends of the axle on the nose wheel. Do either of
> these fit that type of attachment?

I have the VThrust (the kind that uses the drill for the motive force).
It comes with a variety of attachments and also will mount at two
different heights to accomodate both planes. The tow setup for
your plane sounds like my Navion. The mounting setup is easy
to do.

The only real downside, it fits only really one plane at a time. The
lever that releases the tug from the aircraft only opens the thing
enough to clear the fork so you can get it off. You need to use
the wrench to setup the width for any given aircraft. Not a problem
for a single owner.

I use an 18V DeWalt drill on it. It is all I can do pushing on the
wing root to push the plane up the slope in front of our door. The
tug handles it great. The drill has three speed ranges, but I use the
slow one for moving the plane most, the high speed for moving the
unladen tow bar around.

The towbar comes with two different models, one with a steering mode
and one without. I have the steering one, but it's totally
unnecessary in my opinion. It doesn't work well going backwards and
forwards unless you're going to pull the plane around multiple
corners, it's really not necessary. I pull my plane 90 degrees
as it comes out of the hanger, and could easily do it with the
steering locked.

[Denny]

Used the EZ40 for years to move my twin... Recommended by me..

denny

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<<If the slant is going down out of your hangar I will assume taking
the plane
out is easy, but returning it is difficult or impossible?
If this is so buy a winch (remote control) from Ramsey. Worked for me.
>>

That's what I did . . . bought an electric winch for about $50. Mine
is slow--about 6 ft per minute, but I only need it when the ramp is icy
and I can't get traction to push the plane up the very slight incline.

[[email protected]]

I got a used lawn mower (the deck had been removed), welded a ball
hitch on the front, and purchased a tow-bar from wagaero.
Mitch - PA23

[150flivver]

Was this a riding lawn mower?

[Michael R]

I used a robotow cordless for several years.
It's well made and it works well when the pavement is dry, but it is heavy
to carry to the airplane. I did not have the optional wheels.
It operates by spinning the nosewheel, and if it was wet the airplane would
not move without a big push. A solution is to have a can of sand to sprinkle
on the tire.

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Yes, a "Lawn Tractor" to be more correct. A neighbor donated his
non-operating 20 HP TroyBilt (by MTD). I replaced some belts and
pulleys and it was ready for service.

Mitch

[oldie]

http://www.powertow.com/products.html ,the only way to tow.