Electric Power Chair Mooney Tug?

[Kevin_]

Has anybody ever used an electric power chair or mobility chair as a Mooney tug? There are lots of used ones locally on FB Marketplace and they're significantly cheaper than dedicated aircraft tugs. These are highly maneuverable and could be rigged to connect to a tow bar. The seated operator will face the plane with the tow limits indicator in sight. The chair pictured has a 300 lb. load limit and weighs 160 lbs itself. My two biggest concerns are: will it have the towing power and traction to pull a Mooney?  Thanks all!

[wombat]

I have strongly considered it and did a few sketches on a design for how it would work.   The biggest problems I faced were:

• How to pick the nose of the plane up without throwing a strap around the nose gear and pulling it up onto the platform.
• How to then swivel the platform the nose wheel is on, while keeping the nose wheel held on.
• How to force the nose wheel back off the platform.

Some things I decided were not problems:

• Load limit of the chair; while the Mooney nose might be heavier, it's unlikely to get as much rough use as a 350# person rolling down a random sidewalk.
• Traction/force/battery power; the Mooney will be on mostly flat ground and it doesn't need to go fast.  I could even give it an assist with my body.  Basically, it'll only ever be easier/better than it is right now with just me pulling it by hand.

[Hank]

@wombat, I think @Kevin_ is planning to use the chair as a motive source attached to a tow bar, not to support the nose wheel of the plane while dragging it out. Kind of like people have posted about using an old riding lawn mower with the deck removed. 

But it will be more complicated to attach the towbar to the chair, especially if it comes out between the operator's feet, as it appears that he has described.

Sounds interesting, though. I'd like to know how it works out, and see the parts he had to fabricate to make it work.

[GeeBee]

Based upon the size of 95% of the people I see riding those things, load is no problem. Good grief! If you're not going to walk....stop eating!

 

[LANCECASPER]

37 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

 If you're not going to walk....stop eating!

Least expensive way to pick up useful load. . Lol

[PaulM]

I tried to use a small mobility scooter, it did not have the torque to move the mooney.  It wasn't even close. 

http://www.electrikmotion.com/citibughelpermain.htm

A full power chair might have more torque, my friend with a power chair isn't near by so I can't ask him to test it out. 

Try and see if they will let you "try" it and see if it can pull with a strap.  "If it will move my plane I will buy it" 

[tmo]

My experience with two different powered wheelchairs was the same as PaulM's - it could somewhat move a C172 on level concrete, but not on grass. I believe they were 2x250W and 24V.

My current attempt is a poor man's B5 clone - 2x 500W@24V DC motors with an integrated 1:6 gearbox with a 13T sprocket turning child ATV wheels with 49T sprockets, attached to a platform; front wheel will be 'loaded' with a winch and the contraption will be RC controlled via an Arduino board with a simple sketch to do the differential turning and so on.

The next one will be a BLDC powered contraption with tracks instead of wheels and a scoop-like mechanism to hold the nosewheel.

[wombat]

What I had been planning was that there is no tow bar, the nose wheel will go up on a platform like the Aircraft caddy: https://www.djproducts.com/product-category/aircraftcaddy/ or the Best Tugs Bravo line: https://www.besttugs.com/bravo

The main difference in what I was planning was that when loaded, the platform the nose wheel was on would rotate so I'd be able to turn the aircraft sharply without exceeding the nose wheel turn limits.    

Loading the nose wheel onto the device makes the traction problem much easier since the tires will have significantly more weight on them and there will not be further rolling resistance from the nose wheel.

[Fly Boomer]

5 hours ago, tmo said:

My experience with two different powered wheelchairs was the same as PaulM's - it could somewhat move a C172 on level concrete, but not on grass. I believe they were 2x250W and 24V.

My current attempt is a poor man's B5 clone - 2x 500W@24V DC motors with an integrated 1:6 gearbox with a 13T sprocket turning child ATV wheels with 49T sprockets, attached to a platform; front wheel will be 'loaded' with a winch and the contraption will be RC controlled via an Arduino board with a simple sketch to do the differential turning and so on.

The next one will be a BLDC powered contraption with tracks instead of wheels and a scoop-like mechanism to hold the nosewheel.

Sounds like you are well on your way toward a sellable product!

[BloodRedSkies]

Find out for us. There are about 5 of those for 150-300 bucks on my market place

[A64Pilot]

I think it would work, heck a drill works and surely those chairs have more torque than a drill? I know a golf cart works, but won’t in soft ground, huge difference in soft ground vs pavement, and I’ve seen golf carts launch and retrieve boats on a boat ramp, but can’t pull my Mooney in soft ground.

Ref loading the nose wheel onto a lazy susan, I was going to fab one for my golf cart, my idea was to chock the mains, then have the lazy susan have a ramp and using the golf cart simply push it under the nose wheel, then strap the nose wheel on.

I know it would work, but ended up buying a Sidewinder as I’m lazy

 

[DonMuncy]

I am sure most of you have seen my tug design in my album by now, but I have never tried to use it on grass.

[PT20J]

Maybe a Segway scooter. Then after parking, you can ride it to town.