Plans for a small tug/tow device for C172?

Anyone seen any plans for an electric tug for a 172? I can get my
hands on a motor, but not sure how much horsepower it should have, or
really have a plan of attack for putting something together.

Yes, our 172 does need a tug. We just got a new hangar, and you have
to push it up a bit of an incline, and at the same time go over a 3/4"
lip to enter the hangar. Nearly impossible for one pilot to do alone.
We tried pulling the plane in with a block & tackle, but we were
afraid we'd rip the tail tiedown off after one try.

Thanks
DK



"If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten." ---George Carlin

In article ,
wrote:

Anyone seen any plans for an electric tug for a 172? I can get my
hands on a motor, but not sure how much horsepower it should have, or
really have a plan of attack for putting something together.

I don't have any plans, but an old riding lawn mower can be
converted - or even an old snowblower.

fwiw - the 3.5hp Powertow claims to be sufficient for a 172 on level
ground. I have a 4 hp version of the powertow, and it is fine for
my cherokee 140 - plenty of umpf.

--
Bob Noel

In article , DK
wrote:
Yes, our 172 does need a tug. We just got a new hangar, and you have
to push it up a bit of an incline, and at the same time go over a 3/4"
lip to enter the hangar. Nearly impossible for one pilot to do alone.
We tried pulling the plane in with a block & tackle, but we were
afraid we'd rip the tail tiedown off after one try.

Attach a winch to the back wall.
Attach a cable with hook to the tail tiedown.
Pull the airplane back into the hangar.
If using an electric motor, connect a remote control box to the motor.
Use your aircraft's towbar to steer as the winch pulls the aircraft.

Parked my Mooney this way as long as I owned.They make/made a unit or
you can build one pretty easy.

I always put chocks on marks on floor so I wouldn't pull tail back
into the wall of hanger. I only had a couple off feet clearance and
from front of A/C steering with tow bar it was not the easiest to tell
just how far bird was into hanger.

Big John

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 17:52:11 GMT, EDR wrote:

In article , DK
wrote:
Yes, our 172 does need a tug. We just got a new hangar, and you have
to push it up a bit of an incline, and at the same time go over a 3/4"
lip to enter the hangar. Nearly impossible for one pilot to do alone.
We tried pulling the plane in with a block & tackle, but we were
afraid we'd rip the tail tiedown off after one try.

Attach a winch to the back wall.
Attach a cable with hook to the tail tiedown.
Pull the airplane back into the hangar.
If using an electric motor, connect a remote control box to the motor.
Use your aircraft's towbar to steer as the winch pulls the aircraft.

Thanks EDR. We tried the block & tackle, and figured we'd have the
same result with a winch. The problem is mostly due to the small curb
that we have to overcome. After pulling on the rope to the block &
tackle, the tail was wagging so hard that it looked as if the tail
tiedown would pull out.

At least with the block/tackle & a long enough rope, one person could
potentially pull on the rope w/ one hand while steering with the
other. I guess we'll have to concrete in the dip that we have in front
of the curb, but I'm not sure that the FBO would approve.

I think that I can come across an electric motor that we can use, but
not sure what HP rating to get, or exactly how to create a tug from
scratch.

Thanks,
DK




On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 17:52:11 GMT, EDR wrote:

In article , DK
wrote:
Yes, our 172 does need a tug. We just got a new hangar, and you have
to push it up a bit of an incline, and at the same time go over a 3/4"
lip to enter the hangar. Nearly impossible for one pilot to do alone.
We tried pulling the plane in with a block & tackle, but we were
afraid we'd rip the tail tiedown off after one try.

Attach a winch to the back wall.
Attach a cable with hook to the tail tiedown.
Pull the airplane back into the hangar.
If using an electric motor, connect a remote control box to the motor.
Use your aircraft's towbar to steer as the winch pulls the aircraft.


"If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten." ---George Carlin

Thanks Big John,

I saw the device that Sporty's sells. It's pretty salty at around
$1200+. We're not that well-funded! We're going to have to throw
somehting together on our own with an electric motor somehow.

Thanks,
DK


On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 17:41:08 -0600, Big John
wrote:

Parked my Mooney this way as long as I owned.They make/made a unit or
you can build one pretty easy.

I always put chocks on marks on floor so I wouldn't pull tail back
into the wall of hanger. I only had a couple off feet clearance and
from front of A/C steering with tow bar it was not the easiest to tell
just how far bird was into hanger.

Big John

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 17:52:11 GMT, EDR wrote:

In article , DK
wrote:
Yes, our 172 does need a tug. We just got a new hangar, and you have
to push it up a bit of an incline, and at the same time go over a 3/4"
lip to enter the hangar. Nearly impossible for one pilot to do alone.
We tried pulling the plane in with a block & tackle, but we were
afraid we'd rip the tail tiedown off after one try.

Attach a winch to the back wall.
Attach a cable with hook to the tail tiedown.
Pull the airplane back into the hangar.
If using an electric motor, connect a remote control box to the motor.
Use your aircraft's towbar to steer as the winch pulls the aircraft.


"If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten." ---George Carlin

"DK" wrote in message
...
Thanks EDR. We tried the block & tackle, and figured we'd have the
same result with a winch. The problem is mostly due to the small curb
that we have to overcome. After pulling on the rope to the block &
tackle, the tail was wagging so hard that it looked as if the tail
tiedown would pull out.

At least with the block/tackle & a long enough rope, one person could
potentially pull on the rope w/ one hand while steering with the
other. I guess we'll have to concrete in the dip that we have in front
of the curb, but I'm not sure that the FBO would approve.

Thanks,
DK


Lay down a piece of plastic where the curb needs to be filled, and then do
the concrete work It will come up easily, and could even be taken up after
each use
--
Jim in NC