Max towing weigth for PA-18 150 hp and 180 hp?

Guys

This is not a question about weak links or the capability in practice. We have been towing gliders 600 kg with Super Cub 150/180 for more than 30 years. The problem is that someone recently found a supplement to the Flight Manual stating that the Super Cub is limited to tow gliders 600 kg and now wants us to put a 600 kg limit on all Cubs. (Yes I know..........)

It seems that Piper never delivered a Cub with a tow hook so all installations are done on a National level with National approvals. Do you know of any such approval that you can direct me to? Especially in Europe.

Thanks
Robert

Yet another corollary on Murphies Law:

The authorities will stuff it up in imaginative and contrary ways that
belie rational belief...

The others a
Things will go wrong in the worst possible way
Murphy was an optimist, and
There is always one more idiot than you would have thought possible...

Bruce
On 2012/04/24 8:41 PM, Robert Danewid wrote:
Guys

This is not a question about weak links or the capability in practice. We have been towing gliders600 kg with Super Cub 150/180 for more than 30 years. The problem is that someone recently found a supplement to the Flight Manual stating that the Super Cub is limited to tow gliders600 kg and now wants us to put a 600 kg limit on all Cubs. (Yes I know..........)

It seems that Piper never delivered a Cub with a tow hook so all installations are done on a National level with National approvals. Do you know of any such approval that you can direct me to? Especially in Europe.

Thanks
Robert

--
Bruce Greeff
T59D #1771

Our club operates a PA 180 HP with a four blade prop. Max mass of the
towed glider per flight manual is 620 kg (decreasing with density
altitude). Max mass of the PA during towing operations is 690kg.
I did look it up a couple of weeks ago to know whether it could tow an
ASH25 with two pilots - which it can't.

On Apr 25, 2:39*pm, Bert TW wrote:
Our club operates a PA 180 HP with a four blade prop. Max mass of the
towed glider per flight manual is 620 kg (decreasing with density
altitude). Max mass of the PA during towing operations is 690kg.
I did look it up a couple of weeks ago to know whether it could tow an
ASH25 with two pilots - which it can't.

Oups, forgot - we're in Switzerland.

At 12:40 25 April 2012, Bert TW wrote:
On Apr 25, 2:39=A0pm, Bert TW wrote:
Our club operates a PA 180 HP with a four blade prop. Max mass of the
towed glider per flight manual is 620 kg (decreasing with density
altitude). Max mass of the PA during towing operations is 690kg.
I did look it up a couple of weeks ago to know whether it could tow an
ASH25 with two pilots - which it can't.

Oups, forgot - we're in Switzerland.

In the UK the PA18-150 is cleared to tow up to 2 gliders max combined
weight 1900lb (862kg), and the PA18-180 cleared to tow up to two gliders
max combined weight 2400lb (1088kg). The weak link in the tow rope has to
be maximum 1000lb (454kg) if towing 1 glider, and a maximum of 1300lb
(590kg) if towing two gliders.
This is all on the CAA change sheet No.1, (dated 25 April 1980) to FAA
approved flight manual report 1054, which is the PA18 Super Cub UK manual.

Hope that helps

Dave Bullock