Auto Launching: Truck types, etc

On Jul 19, 8:19*am, Andy wrote:

For lake bed launches the popular wisdom seemed to be that the best
truck was one that was rented

Second that. Auto towing is very rough on the tow vehicle - so much
so that long ago I refused to use my personal vehicle for the
purpose. Back in the '60's we used muscle cars which for whatever
reason couldn't be licensed for highway use. You may find in the long
run, a winch will be cheaper to operate.

With only 3900 feet, you wouldn't get enough height with a straight
auto tow to make it worthwhile. The tow vehicle's accelerate-stop
distance plus rope length eats up too much runway.

With a pulley you can do much better but you'll still need a robust
tow vehicle with both very good acceleration and very good pulling
ability. If you're launching heavy two seaters, the ultimate limit
will be tow vehicle traction.

Auto tow is best suited for low elevations (there are density altitude
issues) and light gliders.