Robotow Help

[Cris]

Has anyone had any success modifying an older Robowtow mdl 3002 or maybe 6002 24V to work with a Mooney? This unit was set up for a twim commanche/beechcraft & has been adapted to run on ships power. Robotow does not have an adapter & sells only a special unit for the Mooney but I'd like to modify what I have. I am sure that within this august group some engineering type has had to address this issue. Ideally I'd like to get an adapter of some sort premade but plans will help. Thanks Cris

[Piloto]

Attached are pictures of the Robotow with the Mooney Adapter. Maybe they can help you adapting yours. I also added wheels to mine so I don't have to hand carry it. Good tow, i am happy with mine.

José

 

[Cris]

Jose- I had called Robotow who stated that there was no adapter that could be used with the earlier 6002 mdl. that would work for a Mooney. My only option from them is to buy their new model. However after looking at your pictures & taking some measurements it appears that the piece that attaches to the strut & to your robotow might work with some modifications. I'd also need the connection piece that mates the two piece handle. I'm going to try them again. Nice idea with the wheels. I tried a foldable luggage cart with larger wheels  which works OK but your idea is better.  Thanks Cris 

[Cris]

Jose- I had called Robotow who stated that there was no adapter that could be used with the earlier 6002 mdl. that would work for a Mooney. My only option from them is to buy their new model. However after looking at your pictures & taking some measurements it appears that the piece that attaches to the strut & to your robotow might work with some modifications. I'd also need the connection piece that mates the two piece handle. I'm going to try them again. Nice idea with the wheels. I tried a foldable luggage cart with larger wheels  which works OK but your idea is better.  Thanks Cris 

[thinwing]

yikes guys...after looking at piloto s photos...that thing looks like a back breaker!!!!Glad I own a powertow!!The photo shows a square box that i assume the moter and maybe the battery are located at the end of a long arm.Am I correct in assuming you have to lift this to insert in Mooney nose wheel pivot and that rotate the lock???How much does that thing weigh!!!Who thought up this system???Does it work up hills???/Inquiring minds...kpc

[Bennett]

My guess is that the Robotow weighs about 25 pounds, with battery attached.  Thanks to this forum I have added wheels (like those shown in the photos in this thread), and this works great getting the Robowtow to and from hangar storage and the airplane.  I usally bring out the battery separately as it slips on and off so easily, and when not used, it sits in a charger on a nearby cabinet.  It is not difficule to attach or detatch.  Yes, it runs my aitrplane (M20J) with full fuel up a ramp to my hangar. By the way, there is a handle above the drive wheel that makes handling the thing fairly easy - wheels on bottom / handle on top.

[Piloto]

The battery is attached to the red handle on top. Since it does traction on the nose wheel it is very easy to steer without lifting the big wheel that others have. It is not heavy or hard to attach to the nose wheel. I added the wheels because I am too lazy to carry it around. The handle can be folded for easy storage in the baggage compartment. 

José   

[Cris]

Ok, Just got off the phone with Robotow. Found another person who this time was willing to sell me the adapter like Jose' shows in the pictures. Yikes $190 for a shortened tow bar! Oh well, now I need to figure out that bracket thing which they do not sell. Jose' maybe you could send me the dimensions. & a couple of closeups. Anyone know a cheap fabricator? BTW I think my unit may also weigh 25-30 lbs & that is without a battery. I'll use ships power. Thanks Cris

[Piloto]

Quote: Cris

Ok, Just got off the phone with Robotow. Found another person who this time was willing to sell me the adapter like Jose' shows in the pictures. Yikes $190 for a shortened tow bar! Oh well, now I need to figure out that bracket thing which they do not sell. Jose' maybe you could send me the dimensions. & a couple of closeups. Anyone know a cheap fabricator? BTW I think my unit may also weigh 25-30 lbs & that is without a battery. I'll use ships power. Thanks Cris

[Cris]

Jose' & all- I've added some images of this Robotow. It has removable pegs which presumably will be replaced with the Mooney adapter I've ordered as shown on your picture. I can't imagine it will be an exact fit but I hope to be able to modify it. Now I need to figure out the bracket to allow the angle & to make it bend. The box on the handle is for the original 24V lead acid battery which will be removed leaving just the square handle that can be cut.  Any ideas?

[Cris]

Thought I'd close out this topic with the final outcome on my project for those looking for an inexpensive Robotow. There are many older ones available at modest cost as the 28 V lead acid batteries die & the cost to replace is very high. The problem is that Robotow did not make a Mooney version until recently so the older units are for those "other" planes. First & foremost thanks to Jose' (Piloto) for his assistance with the measurements & pictures of his nice new Robotow. I've attached images to show how this came out. You can compare those with the images I originally posted. First step is a call to the Robotow factory to buy the Mooney adapter. They may tell you it will only fit the current version but it fits the older model perfectly. For those with welding ability you can probably make this up inexpensively but I chose to buy it premade as I don't weld & only paid $40 for my used Robotow. Then I used a hand grinder to cut down the lead acid battery box to about 3 inches so as to have something to hold spare fuses & hex key- not necessary but useful. Next, using the grinder I cut the handle in half close to the motor & ground down the wall of the piece next to the motor to make it easier to fit into the angle bracket. Take apart the red handle & the wires are marked & easily removed. I then had fabricated a 1 1/4" square piece of steel tube welded at a 135 degree angle. As you can see the tube has holes drilled in it so that the steel handle & motor can be easily positioned to extend the arm as required. Again not really necessary once one figures out where it works best but Jose' recommended that I make it a bit longer than the factory Robotow. A trip to the hardware store for a plastic handle wire & connectors is required. I used the electrical pieces from the battery case to enable a plug & socket (within the angle piece) arrangement so that the handle can be removed for travel. It now fits nicely on the baggage floor. There are plugs from radio shack at the other end of the angle bracket in the event I want to remove the angle bracket all together. Finally it is wired to a 15' coiled cigar plug to access the 24 V ships power. The picture showing the wheeled gizmo supporting a Robotow is from someone else's Robotow. I included it to show what the factory thought would be a good way to move this thing. I suspect with the battery pack & dolley it originally weighed close to 60 lbs. Now it is around 35 & could be made lighter with a shorter angle bracket. In my case I started off with a wheeled cart shown in the initial pictures which works great & doubles to move stuff to the airplane. But to travel I wanted more protection so I got a wheeled 22" tool case from Harbor Freight which fits the motor head/adapter part & is great to protect the airframe.  It also matches the A/C paint color BTW- LOL. Total cost was about $275 with the biggest part of the cost being the adapter and angle bracket. I keep this Eagle tied down outside & I have to move it up a serious incline & over a couple of bumps to get it into its assigned parking spot. Full fuel but empty it still weighs 2800+ LBS. It is way beyond my 155 lb frame & even the line men used to run when they saw me come in to park. Now it is a breeze. I also added a Battery Minder since I do have access to ac elec. next to the A/C but moving it 30' or so does not seem to draw much at all from ships power.