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Electric Powered Towbar

Frankster13

Active Member
Looking for an electric towbar that fits an RV-14A nose gear. Anyone know of something simple and easy? I would prefer to buy one as I already have plenty of "build" projects.
 
What is your criteria?

You need portable? Nose dragger/tail dragger? If it's going to stay in your hangar, this is the most versatile powered tow anything you can get.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AMH6jDYz6uJNCMCB8

Not yet another one use/dedicated use tool. Used ones are cheaper than any other powered device you can get. As a real bonus, it gets me, friends, tools, equipment (the back two seats fold down to make a flat bed), all over the field. One of the best tools I've ever procured. Not starting a debate. Posters like to justify their approaches/purchases. Just another option you may not have though about.
 
Best Tugs Alpha here. My 105 lb wife can now move the airplane in and out of the hangar.
 
I have a Best Tugs Alpha 3 and it gets the job done. Customer service is awesome. I happened to call before they opened one day and Mark Patey answered the phone. Nothing like talking to the owner to get answers!
 
FWIW I use an old riding lawnmower with a front hitch on it. Got the mower for $100, already had the hitch and took the mower deck off for more clearance.

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:cool:
 
I tried both Aircraft technology and Best tug for my 14A. The aircraft technology which is a remote control fits but not with ease. My main use of the tug was to push the plane backward to the hanger and both prove to be difficult and require some back and forth. Going forward is easy.

I am currently pushing it by muscles.
 
I've had a Tow Buddy, a mini max, and now a Best Tugs Alpha 3.
All of them do the job, but with various differences.

One word of warning though: Don't go and test drive a Best Tugs Alpha. If you do, you will buy one. They are not cheap, but they are very nice, and work well with the RV10/RV14A. Once you try one, it will be stuck in your mind forever until you just fork over the money.

I did have to open up the holes slightly around the attach points on my wheel fairings, but otherwise it's a very simple system to operate and connect. It's well built, and it's very fast, which is one of the big reasons I bought one. I recently had to tow my plane a couple hundred yards, back and forth a few times over a few days, and it travels about as fast as you would walk at a fast pace.
 
I bought the Best Tugs A2 for my RV-14A and it works great. In fact, it's the best tug I've ever had - very well-constructed and easy to use. Highly recommended!!

Strictly from a load factor perspective, the A3 is overkill for any RV by well over a thousand pounds. If you also have larger airplanes, though, it's a great single tug to buy.
 
I bought the Best Tugs A2 for my RV-14A and it works great. In fact, it's the best tug I've ever had - very well-constructed and easy to use. Highly recommended!!

Strictly from a load factor perspective, the A3 is overkill for any RV by well over a thousand pounds. If you also have larger airplanes, though, it's a great single tug to buy.

Yes, I should have mentioned this. I got a very good deal on the A3 because one of the holes had been misdrilled and when Mark offered me the tug for basically the cost of the A2, well, the only answer was YES. I called up to order the A2 but this was too good a deal to pass up.
 
I have an uphill grade to the hangar door. Easy to push out but hard to pull back inside. Installed a Harbor Freight wench at rear wall, solved problem.
 
I find the articulation feature impossible to use in reverse with the castering nose wheel, so I just lock it out and pick up the tug and reposition as needed...it is that light.

It does take some practice and some retraining of the muscle memory because you have to pivot the tug handle the opposite direction that you would with a regular tow bar.
The key is to primarily concentrate on steering the nose wheel to the angle you need it to be, to get the radius of turn that you need the airplane to make.

I actually don't think of it as being much different than pushing backwards with a conventional tow bar where you push the airplane and steer the nose wheel to the angle you need by moving the bar. Just in this case the tow bar is also doing the pushing for you.

I think all of our pilots have gotten it figured out and now our pivot is never locked out.

With all of the airplane moving that we do on a regular basis, it makes it so much easier. I only wish we had gotten one a long time ago.
 
Kiljoy, do you have one you like better?

Lynn

Our best tug had a few problems. The massive aluminum blocks had been poorly mounted and a couple of the bolts were cross threaded. I think week 2 they fell out on the ramp and the arms became useless... so they had to send new aluminum blocks. Then the batteries started not charging. That's always fun. We mounted a flashing LED light on the top when the power was on to keep it from getting its battery drained.

For the same price I can get a street legal golf cart and weld on a tow bar attachment to the back.
 
I have used the Power-Tow, all models

the electric model (extension cord) and gasoline model have good push-pull energy --- I am using the battery-powered model for may -6A, on a slight incline. The battery model does not have the energy for the heavier planes if there is much of an incline or a lip on the hangar threshold.

Ron
 
Minimax Tugs

If you're looking for another option, take a look at the Minimax tugs (find it here on our site).

These use off-the-shelf battery-powered drills (included) to power the tug, so initial costs are lower and it's easy to find replacement parts and batteries if you ever need it. Most everything else in the tug is made by Minimax in their shop in Indiana.

They've been rock-solid for us and good people to work with.

PM or email me if I can answer any questions!

[email protected]
 
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