Towing Schweizer Gliders with tost rings?

TOST Tow retractor systems are on my website catalog page
http://www.wingsandwheels.com/page31.htm

Hundreds in use!
tim
Please visit the Wings & Wheels website at www.wingsandwheels.com

"bildan" wrote in message
...
On Dec 20, 5:29 am, Tom wrote:
"Some operators thread a tost link and a Schweizer ring on the same
end
of the tow rope. "

Two tow rings on the end of the tow rope makes it heavier, and will
fly lower behind the towplane making it more likely to hit objects on
the ground.

Tom Knauff

There are lots of really neat stuff in the Tost catalog - including a
tow rope retract winch. The late Fred Robinson installed them on his
Pawnees. The resulting increase in operational efficiency from
shorter landings and taxi-backs equaled a third tow plane, he said.

Tost also had a really neat connect/disconnect system which allows
quick change of rings and weak links. This also adds to efficiency in
that the "crawl under and hook-up" protocol can be done before the tug
arrives with the rope snapped onto the weak link/ringset leader in
seconds.

Finally, use only the correct ring/ringset. Any other combination is
a significant risk not worth trying for a bit of convenience.

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On Dec 19, 3:09*pm, " wrote:
I am wondering if anyone has experience both physical and legal in
rigging Schweizer gliders to be towed with tost rings

I have thought about modifiying the moving part of the tow hitch
(making it narrower).

I have also thought about installing tost hitches on the glider.

We waste a lot of time switching the weak link end to end.

Bill Snead

I would not do any filing to change the Schweizer hook. There is an AD
on the hook which specifies certain demensions. I do not think that
"width" was one of the demensions, I would have to check the AD.. but
the size and profiles of the "step" in the hook are specified. If the
hook does not meet the AD specifications, then the hook will not pass
the inspection and cannot be used.

We use a 7/16 3 ply ploy tow rope with eye splices, changing out the
weak link for the proper Schweizer or Tost ring takes seconds. Two eye
splices work wonders for quick change outs.

T

On Dec 20, 8:30*pm, T wrote:
On Dec 19, 3:09*pm, " wrote:

I am wondering if anyone has experience both physical and legal in
rigging Schweizer gliders to be towed with tost rings

I have thought about modifiying the moving part of the tow hitch
(making it narrower).

I have also thought about installing tost hitches on the glider.

We waste a lot of time switching the weak link end to end.

Bill Snead

I would not do any filing to change the Schweizer hook. There is an AD
on the hook which specifies certain demensions. I do not think that
"width" was one of the demensions, I would have to check the AD.. but
the size and profiles of the "step" in the hook are specified. If the
hook does not meet the AD specifications, then the hook will not pass
the inspection and cannot be used.

We use a 7/16 3 ply ploy tow rope with eye splices, changing out the
weak link for the proper Schweizer or Tost ring takes seconds. Two eye
splices work wonders for quick change outs.

Thanks for for informative replies. Putting a Tost ring on a standard Schweizer would not be safe. It would probably jam on to the hitch. It does seem to me, however, that the moving part of the Schweizer hitch could be redesigned to safely accept a tost ring. I would suspect that getting the paper work approved by the FAA would require a major effort. Also, I would think that unless all Schweizers had the redesigned hooks it would cause confusion that might result in more small rings being hooked up to old Schweizer hitchs.

6W