Best Power Tug for an M20K

[PeteMc]

I did a search for "tug" and was surprised not to get a single result.  So... What the general consensus on the overall "best" power tug for a 231 K?   

Is there much additional wear & tear on the nose wheel using the ones that you press down the drum onto the wheel to move it.  A lot appear to be a modification of a power drill, any issues with torque or the motors burning out after a few years?  There's an ever so slight rise for drainage and then the usual tracks for the hangar doors, but no major hill to push up.  So I'm *assuming* most of them should work fine, but I want to make sure there aren't horror stories about certain brands.

I've also seen one of the little skids that looks like it came out of the robot wars and it seemed to work really well.  Just don't think I want to spend $4-5K for a tug!

 

[Schllc]

There doesn’t appear to be a lot of options between the sidewinder type tug and a real expensive one. 
The gasoline ones are the only other option.  Best thing to do is to just troll the airport bulletin board, and find someone who is getting out of aviation.  
I managed to get a 40k tug for my Aerostar for 2k.  
the sidewinder that uses friction on the front wheel doesn’t work great,  but it does the job, I don’t think it would have any effect on the longevity of the tire. 

[Marc_B]

I have a robotow and it’s okay. Any snow or ice leads to an ice slick on the roller and it’s worthless. But easy to use under normal circumstances. Also can fold up if bringing in the car or plane. I hear others like the sidewinder better but robo was cheaper. 
certainly agree with @Schllc that a local second hand option may be best, most cost effective option if available. 
Best tow of all is hangar buddies to share a cold one with after Mooney is pushed in and put to bed!

[Ragsf15e]

My IA uses these for cirrus and they work well. Looks like it could work for a Mooney but I’m not sure? They are probably crap in snow like most others, but the KSFF snow plow guys are usually really good and I haven’t had many issues with snow other than shoveling 6” in front of my hangar.

https://www.aviationconsumer.com/accessories/best-tugs-sophisticated-towing/

[DonMuncy]

I agree that most any tug is pretty worthless in snow and ice. The ones I make (see my gallery) work well, but they are not really portable.

[PeteMc]

Thanks ALL!  You've confirmed that there's no leader out there.  My plan was to see if I find anything posted for sale in the area, so I'll stick with that as my primary plan.  And unless I knew the person, I'm not going to get something to ship in where it would be a royal pain to try and get my money back if it didn't work.

[Z W]

I got a Redline Sidewinder maybe 6 months ago.  It does the trick for a K very well.  It takes a little technique to keep it from rubbing / spinning on the nose tire when going up into the hangar, just have to press down a little harder and carry a little speed, but easy once you figure it out.  I could see it wearing the nose tire a little faster if you use it carelessly and let the drive spindle spin against the tire, but haven't had it long enough to tell if it will otherwise.  It's much nicer to use when the plane is full of fuel than pushing by hand.  Also nice and slow and easy to control.

I picked it because you can easily throw it in the back of the plane and take it with you, but I have not actually had a reason to do that yet.  I think you'd need to buy a BestTug or similar to do much better.

We also have an old Craftsman lawnmower in the hangar that I setup to pull the plane, but it is enough hassle and noise that I never really use it.  It's also a little light and the front wheels like to try to pop up off the ground when pushing the plane uphill.  Needs some weight plates added to be really useful.  And it's a belt-driven unit, not hydrostatic, so it tends to be jumpy on the clutch which doesn't feel great.

 

[kris_adams]

sidewinder here too for many years.  No problem going up small inclines.  Some hangars have a "lip" for the door and I have to help push there just a bit.  Also struggles a bit if ramp is wet.  Overall very happy with it.

[joepilotmooney]

We're really happy with our Redline Sidewinder too. Have had for a year now. Not cheap, about 2K. A little aukward and unwieldy to get the spindle into the Mooney nose gear, but doable. WE use it everytime to put our J in and out of hangar. Would recommend.

[LANCECASPER]

18 hours ago, PeteMc said:

I did a search for "tug" and was surprised not to get a single result.  So... What the general consensus on the overall "best" power tug for a 231 K?   

Is there much additional wear & tear on the nose wheel using the ones that you press down the drum onto the wheel to move it.  A lot appear to be a modification of a power drill, any issues with torque or the motors burning out after a few years?  There's an ever so slight rise for drainage and then the usual tracks for the hangar doors, but no major hill to push up.  So I'm *assuming* most of them should work fine, but I want to make sure there aren't horror stories about certain brands.

I've also seen one of the little skids that looks like it came out of the robot wars and it seemed to work really well.  Just don't think I want to spend $4-5K for a tug!

 

 

I tried a lot of them and many were worthless but the Redline Sidewinder does a great job.

There has been a lot written about them on Mooneyspace:

https://mooneyspace.com/search/?q=sidewinder&quick=1

 

[Tim-37419]

3 hours ago, joepilotmooney said:

We're really happy with our Redline Sidewinder too. Have had for a year now. Not cheap, about 2K. A little aukward and unwieldy to get the spindle into the Mooney nose gear, but doable. WE use it everytime to put our J in and out of hangar. Would recommend.

 

I thought that was just me... sometimes it slides right in, other times not - stop grinning 

 

seriously though, that is the truth. I assumed paint in the strut or similar.

[PeteMc]

2 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

There has been a lot written about them on Mooneyspace:

Interesting.  Not all the posts for Sidewinder had "tug" in it, but I was shocked to see how many did.  So I guess the Search Engine was off on break when I did my search. 

 

[Fly Boomer]

4 minutes ago, PeteMc said:

Interesting.  Not all the posts for Sidewinder had "tug" in it, but I was shocked to see how many did.  So I guess the Search Engine was off on break when I did my search. 

 

The search engine that is internal to the forum is marginal.  Fortunately, you can take advantage of the search engine in your favorite browser by including an extra parameter in your search words like this:

site:mooneyspace.com tug

[Pinecone]

Another satisfied Sidewinder user.  I picked mine up used for a great price.  Actually had it before I had the plane.

I do have to carry some speed to get over the lip, but am considering these. 

https://www.sportys.com/hangar-ramps-set-pack-of-3.html

[PeteMc]

4 hours ago, Fly Boomer said:

site:mooneyspace.com tug

Yea, I should have done that.  Just don't search enough here to remember that I need to do that.  

 

[dkkim73]

I saw this little guy used on the plane I recently bought (owned by the broker) and I thought it was both very slick and very safe in how it worked (little risk of over-torquing the nose wheel): 

https://acairtechnology.com/products/ac-tracktech-t1v2

Doesn't really fit your price criteria new. I think Ray's suggestion of trolling for a used tug is probably best for a low-priced solution. 

I wonder if anyone's rolled their own, now that I think about it...

David

 

[PeteMc]

1 hour ago, dkkim73 said:

I saw this little guy used on the plane I recently bought

A friend of mine has one for his Vision Jet.  It's the one I described as looking like it came from the robot wars the colleges have.

[kortopates]

A friend of mine has one for his Vision Jet.  It's the one I described as looking like it came from the robot wars the colleges have.

i have an Ovation client with one of these - they pretty amazing. The cadillac of tugs for sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GeeBee]

Love my Sidewinder. Powerful, long lasting battery, and I can take it with me every where. You can tow almost a mile on a single charge. Most important, you cannot exceed the tow limits.

[dkkim73]

13 hours ago, PeteMc said:

... It's the one I described as looking like it came from the robot wars the colleges have.

Ah, *those* robot wars. I thought you meant the *coming* robot wars. You know, once They have enough of them in place in our homes, factories, and on the roads.  

[Tom 4536]

I love my Sidewinder! I will be selling it (has a new battery) as soon as Jimmy Garrison sells my 231.