Towing the aircraft

[james_layman]

I have a unique problem!

I share a hanger and for both of us to fit in the confined space I have to tow my A/C backwards into the hanger and up a ramp to provide an additional 4" for my hanger partner. He got a EuroFox with a 3 blade prop. So his prop gets in the way.

Thought about putting the tow straps around both struts. But that is a major hassle. Does anyone see any problem putting the strap around the tail wheel? Oh ya I have to use an electric motor to pull the A/C up the 4" ramp.

Jim Layman
N9534A

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I'd probably attach the tow cable to the tail wheel assembly as you describe.

[wa4jr]

My solution is a bit more complex, but the outcome is worth the hassle. I don't like yanking on the tailwheel, nor the tail or struts....so I just designed and welded up a nice folding tow bar for the main gear. Just think of the letter "Y". The tops of the "Y" attach to the tow lugs on the main gear and the bottom attaches to my garden tractor with a trailer ball mount. I motor my plane in and out of the hangar without pulling or pulling on anything. The "Y" folds into a straight line with small wheels on the end so I can position the bar when folded. Some scrap 1.5" 11ga steel tube and an afternoon with the MIG welder is all it took

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Well that is not all it took John. You are fortunate to have towing lugs on the main gear which are an L-19 part if I remember correctly.

Most of us don't have these towing lugs on our 170s.

Some time ago George arranged for a deal for these as well as the L-19 tail wheel bolt with the tie down ring from a supplier. I'm sure he'll tell the story but i remember it didn't go that smoothly but I believe worked out in the end.

Any you can do a search here for the source of these lugs or I'm sure someone will chime in with the story.

[Watkinsnv]

I got mine thanks george The rear eye bolt and main tow fittings are even installed Now I just need to make that Y tow bar and swipe my neighbor's garden tractor. but we don't have many or much use for those tractors out here in NV. Although my dad has one with a snow blower attachment on it that works great up at Incline Village (Lake Tahoe) I've had my eye on a couple of airport tugs from time to time. I just need to close the deal. When an Airlines pulls out of an airport or finally gets some new tugs they don't like to pay to have them moved around the country. I have done GSE work for most of the airlines and have to drive them around alot to work on the aircraft. You wouldn't believe where you can get to with a belt loader on an airliner or corperate aircraft. Sorry got off track I guess I'm really waiting for a tug. Lance

[wa4jr]

I got my lugs and tailwheel eye bolt via the great George deal a couple of years ago. Right now I can't remember where I got them from though, but I think it was a company near Greenwood MS...that rebuilds L-19s and Stearmans. I use an old Bolens garden tractor that I got for free, rebuilt the old Techumseh single cyclinder 18 HP engine, and have had a good time with it. The hydro transmission in the Bolens is nice and smooth so there is no clutch shudder or jerky starts to to bounce my airplane around

[170C]

I too got my tow lugs & tailwheel bolt with George's help. None are yet installed although I am now in annual inspection, I might install the tail bolt. The idea of a towbar using the main gear is interesting. Some 40 years ago, while in college, I worked as a lineman at the local FBO (Abilene Flite) at the Abilene Municipal Airport (ABI). We had tugs and quite a few tailwheel planes based there (those Twin Beech's were a _ _ _ _ _ to move around ) and most were in community hangars. We typically had to move 1-3 other planes to get the one out that the owner wanted (Murphy's Law). As I remember we didn't have as much control of where the wing tips, horizontal, etc were at any given time as we might have had with a non towbar arrangement. My hangar is 40 feet wide. Not a lot of room for error when pulling out or pulling it in the hangar. If I had a large hangar I think the towbar would be great, but with close tolerances I have some doubts about not incurring hangar rash with a garden tractor/towbar.

[hilltop170]

we didn't have as much control of where the wing tips, horizontal, etc were at any given time as we might have had with a non towbar arrangement. My hangar is 40 feet wide. Not a lot of room for error when pulling out or pulling it in the hangar. If I had a large hangar I think the towbar would be great, but with close tolerances I have some doubts about not incurring hangar rash with a garden tractor/towbar.

I agree with Pokey.

I like to have control of the tail when maneuvering in tight spots and the front tow bar is not precise enough for me plus all the extra hardware to deal with.

My solution to this has been to use a 110v winch in the back center of the hangar with a remote switch I can carry in my hand. The winch cable has a 10 foot "Y" built into the end with a hook at each end of the Y that hooks into the tow lug on each main gear. Then I can push the winch button with one hand and steer the tail with the BAS pull handle with the other hand and have total control of the process.

If pushing the plane around by yourself, BAS tail pull handles give the best control but you don't have maximum pulling power because you're twisted around and can grab them with only one hand.

If using a tail dragger dragger, you have absolute control plus maximum pulling power because you grab it with both hands and have a straight pull that you can really lean in to.

Pushing or pulling the 170 up an incline by yourself is no fun, even as light as they are. I always try to find someone to go flying with me. First it's always better to have company and the extra pushing power really comes in handy going back into the hangar.

You're not going to hurt the 170 by pulling on the tailwheel on pavement or packed gravel/dirt/grass. It's ok to pull by the tailwheel unless the main tires are buried in mud, the plane is loaded over gross, and you've got a vehicle hooked to it. Use some common sense and you won't have a problem

[blueldr]

To pull my plane back into the hangar, I use a hangar mounted winch from the Chinese Tool Store connected to the eye bolt on the tail wheel, and I steer it with the tail dragger tow bar.

The winch operates on 120V. power. I replaced the stock cable with about sixty feet of 1/8th inch cable with a snap hook on the end. The twelve foot control cable to operate the winch was lengthened by splicing in about fifty five feet of four conductor SJ cable. This enables me to operate the winch while steering the tail wheel on the way in.

Sometimes I wonder what the poor folks do.

[johneeb]

Does this picture make any sense to you guys? Remember it was a Christmas gift and the one pant is off because the wind that day was from the right.

This rig suits me real well, being lazy I do not have to get off the tractor to hook or un-hook from the tail wheel. If the tractor were any bigger the whole rig would not fit in the hangar and I would have to disconnect the tractor to close the hangar door.

[wa4jr]

I agree that towing with a towbar on the main gear takes some getting used to...not as easy as a training wheel airplane...but then our birds take more attention while taxing as well. After getting used to my main gear tow bar, I'd never go back to honking on the tail unless it was an emergency. My hangar door is down to a shade under 40 feet now that I have a hydraulic door installed. The first time I went real slow with the tractor, but now that I can see where the tires track on a successful pullout, I just go for that mark again, not worrying too much about the wings as my hangar has yet to develop a drinking habit that would lead it to moving around while I'm gone My plan is to get some yellow paint and install lead-in marks. Tire tracking yellow paint and wings are safe

[GAHorn]

Does this picture make any sense to you guys? Remember it was a Christmas gift and the one pant is off waiting for a new brake cylinder.

Pretty nice Christmas Gift! (But I hate it when gifts require assembly. Also, I'd ditch the toy tractor and get a real towbar for the new gift.)

On a more serious note, ... the tailwheel is not the sturdiest place to manuever that 2000 lb airplane from. The stresses imparted to that expensive tailwheel bracket to shove that 2000 lbs around are larger than one might think. Careful of those expensive tail feathers if it comes loose with any momentum. (And I'd really be nervous if pushing from that angle. The main gear tow lugs are a military and the mfr's. official answer to towing tailwheel airplanes.