Show Your Tug

[MBDiagMan]

I am excited to have gotten a large hangar at the airport 3 miles or so from where I will be living soon.  My planes have been stored in two different hangars, one about 65 miles away and the other about 80 miles away.  I have never stored a plane any closer to home than about a 40 minute drive.  I AM EXCITED!!!

I flew the Mooney to her new home yesterday afternoon in the heat.  It was well over 90 degrees F and extremely high humidity when I got on the ground and was trying to push her uphill into her new domicile.  It almost killed me, and would have, had it not been for a kind soul who stopped to help.  It is apparent that I will need to make a bar and get some sort of contrivance to add some push to the project.

My Cessna is no problem.  It is a feather and very easy to move around by hand.

What do YOU use to move your baby around?

[peevee]

We have a powertow 40 gas, works good.

I have an electric one I built but it'd be tough to get to tx, too big to fit in a Mooney. I'd kind of like it out of the hangar.

[wrench]

Another Mooneyspacer had some plans he shared with us 4 or so years ago. I modified them a bit but the result is below. A search on Mooneyspace might get you the original designers plans. I looked and don't have them any more.

 

[XXX]

+1 for the powertow 40 

[aviatoreb]

2 minutes ago, Chupacabra said:

+1 for the powertow 40 

+1

[Bob_Belville]

[201er]

23 minutes ago, MBDiagMan said:

What do YOU use to move your baby around?

[rbridges]

I have a C model, too.  I have access to a golf cart with a tow bar, but it's not that hard for me to push it in by hand.  Getting over the rails takes a little bit of momentum, but otherwise no biggie.  Fortunately, there is very little grade in front of my hangar, just a few degrees for drainage.

[rbridges]

2 minutes ago, 201er said:

how do you get that guy to come over and pull your plane?  is it something like an uber app?  

[RLCarter]

More of an Ug than a tug, but not real bad, jockeying both the E and the 172 around in a tight hangar will wear you out on 100+ degree days

[Godfather]

The only picture I have of mine is the attachment portion. I modified a snowblower for the unit. 

[peevee]

56 minutes ago, wrench said:

Another Mooneyspacer had some plans he shared with us 4 or so years ago. I modified them a bit but the result is below. A search on Mooneyspace might get you the original designers plans. I looked and don't have them any more.

 

Looks like Don Muncy's design, more or less. I started off with that and redid it to copy the powertow, more or less. Your cable and lock system are well designed.

my only beef is the lack of traction with the narrow tire. I couldn't find a wider driven wheel.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

Another +1 for the PowerTow 40 gas model. Mine's been working like a charm for 15 years.

[orionflt]

I have a power tow but never use it, I find it is quicker and easier just to push it. 

Brian

[thinwing]

This use to be a basic power tow 35...than the frame broke,drive sprocket unweeded and finally engine seized than very hard to start...with parts from power tow and an 10 yr old new ,old stock elec start from jacks small moters,I ended up with this...I used a pelican box and 5000 mah lipo for the elec start...

[Htwjr]

I got really lucky on a hanger with remote control doors front and rear which I absolutely love.  Drive in drive out. 

[Rwsavory]

Currently in training:

[DonMuncy]

MBDiagMan, 

Look at my album for photos my tug. Now you have another reason to come see me at RBD; to look at mine in person.

Don

[Danb]

Powertow 40

[Oldguy]

Got a Powertow 65 on the cheap four years ago. Starts first pull.

[Emmet]

6 hours ago, wrench said:

Another Mooneyspacer had some plans he shared with us 4 or so years ago. I modified them a bit but the result is below. A search on Mooneyspace might get you the original designers plans. I looked and don't have them any more.

 

Looks really nice ! How many teeth do you have on each gear?

[DonMuncy]

He is using an adaptation of my original design. Mine has a 28 tooth drive gear and a 40 tooth driven gear. I do have all the plans for mine, and will gladly share. They are a little voluminous for this forum, but I can email all of them.

[wrench]

15 minutes ago, DonMuncy said:

He is using an adaptation of my original design. Mine has a 28 tooth drive gear and a 40 tooth driven gear. I do have all the plans for mine, and will gladly share. They are a little voluminous for this forum, but I can email all of them.

Yep that is the ratio I used also. I kept the narrow tire to keep the ground pressure higher because the tug is so light. Sometimes I have to push down on the handle to pre-load the tire to keep it from slipping to start the plane rolling. Don, it was your original design you generously supplied me and I worked off of it, thank you again.  
Bill

[Jerry 5TJ]

I have a nose-dragger electric tug.  Bought used and modified to suit my taste. It is 24 volts D.C. from two auto batteries, solar charged. Sure is easy to start: "click"

Edited July 20, 2017 by Jerry 5TJ

[Bob_Belville]

6 hours ago, orionflt said:

I have a power tow but never use it, I find it is quicker and easier just to push it. 

Brian

Me too... 40 years ago.