Powered Tug for 750 Series?

by John Austin

Jan 13

My hangar ramp has a slight slope for drainage and I'm thinking I'm getting to the point where I'd like a tug to push it back into the hangar ... couldn't possibly be related to age! LOL!  I especially note the effort required when the tanks are full!

I've got a 750 STOL with the aluminum curved fork.  The nosegear leg/fork mount has the slot that lets you drop in a lightweight towbar:

I run the standard 800 series tire on the nosegear.  The "slot" does not allow for any sort of positive locking of the towbar to the nosegear.  In anticipation that I might eventually get a powered tug, I do have, but have not installed, the Skytek adapter:

This adapter for the 701/750 series allows the use of a clamping-type towbar without having to drill the nosegear leg.  I believe you can either use it as-is or insert a bolt with washers or bushings to enlarge the length or diameter of the lugs where the towbar would clamp onto.

Just wondering if anyone has used any of the lightweight, electric powered towbars - some use a rechargeable drill for power - and have found it to work well?

Thanks,

John

N750A

  • up

    John Austin

    Well, no one replied on the towbar so I went ahead and bit the bullet on a Minimax electric towbar.  Brandon at Minimax said that my 750 STOL with the Skytek adapter (link in first post) would work well with their towbar intended for Cessna tricycle gear aircraft.  He said the fork locking mechanism that clamps onto the adapter would be a bit custom, but apparently they do this all the time and it was no additional charge.  He also said he thought a bit more length to the Skytek 3" tube where the fork locking mechanism clamps would make for a more secure attachment, so he's sending an AN6 bolt to insert in the Skytek adapter tube.  The head of the bolt and the nut on the other end will in effect provide longer lugs so that they fit more deeply into the sockets/hubs on the locking mechanism.

    I also ordered the optional "Speedy Mover" which is basically just a set of casters so you can quickly roll the tug when not attached so you don't have to electrically drive it and also the optional "remote EASYLock" that let's you latch/unlatch the fork locking mechanism from the standing position at the tug's handles. I should get the tug in a couple of weeks or so and I'll update then.

    BTW, the Skytek adapter installation was fairly easy.  I just took out the two front AN4-10 bolts on the front of the curved fork mounting plate, ground down the slotted tongue for clearance and touched up the paint, and then bolted the Skytek adapter to one bolt hole and scribed the adapter through the other bolt hole and drilled the hole. (Skytek doesn't drill both holes because of possible variance in builds.) I bolted the adapter back with AN4-11 bolts to account for the additional thickness of the adapter mounting plate. I didn't even have to jack up the nose or remove the fork or tire!  The Skytek adapter blocks access to the slot for the manual towbars I previously have used, but I still have a lightweight Cessna-style collapsing towbar that I used to use on my 206, so I can use that for travel.

    John

    4

    Jan 20

    Load Previous Replies
    • up

      John Austin

      Here's the MiniMax tug with my STOL 750:

      The drill has plenty of torque to move the plane and the variable speed trigger lets you creep the tug when approaching to hook-up to the lugs and backing-out after disconnecting.  I like the extended lever that lets you lock/unlock while standing at the end of the tug, eliminating bending down or ducking under the cowl.  The overall build quality is impressive - pricey, but you get what you pay for!

      John

      yesterday