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Don't quit while you're ahead. JBT is primed and ready to fulfill all your aviation-related machinery needs – not just tugger trailers and pushback tractors. We have the best selection of other airport vehicles and advanced airport equipment, including:
Tug Aircraft
Railing also has a policy of selling each tug fully equipped—no options—because his experience has been that dissatisfied customers are the ones who didn't buy enough tug. Each tug comes with the fork assembly and adapter appropriate to the airplane, a battery, charger, electronic speed control and lights.
The Most Aerotech Equipment Options Around
The electric Tail-Dragger Dragger, model TDE-1, has the same differential for its two-wheel drive system as the electric Nose-Dragger Dragger. It is priced at $2195. Both versions are rated for airplanes up to 5000 pounds "on a flat surface or a rain grade surface with a grade of no more than 1 to 2 percent."
Some tugs lift the nosewheel off of the ground so it is not necessary to pull or tilt the tug to make a turn. Those tugs can allow an exceptionally tight turning circle but can potentially side-load the nosegear if mishandled.
PowerTow's website indicates that a ThunderVolt was hooked up to an 8000-pound load and tested on a 10-degree F day. Pushing, it generated 500 pounds of wheel force and 350 pounds when pulling. They were unable to stall the motor;
the tire would start to slide first. The 24-volt electric Nose-Dragger version, model NDE-1, is priced at $2195 and also advertised for aircraft up to 5000 pounds. It includes the battery and smart charger. We like that it has a twist-grip throttle and that its two driving wheels have a differential, making turning easier.
Battery Life
The general idea of driving a tug remotely is to have the freedom to walk around the aircraft while inching it into tight spaces without needing a wing walker. Ever have the sickening feeling that follows a hangar crunch?
We have, and this technology reduces the risk, but only if you drive it properly. To do that, the remote control needs to be intuitive and simple and based on our use, it is. The lanyard-equipped remote has what's called a Hall effect joystick, which is controlled via sensors rather than with potentiometers.
That means longer life and precise control input. Not surprisingly, gasoline-powered tug makers are very sensitive to the need for reliability and ease of starting in cold weather and they have worked like mad to ensure cold starts—but they candidly admitted that they can't make them as reliable in the cold
as an electric tug. A tug exists to make an aircraft owner's life easier. If the tug won't easily handle your airplane in the conditions peculiar to your hangar environment—including snow and ice—you are not going to be happy and you risk damaging your airplane in a hangar-rash event.
Aircraft Tugs
Aircraft tugs are very much "you get what you pay for" products. We were told a battery for an electric tug (other than the "power drill" tugs) should last for five to seven years although Terry Railing, proprietor of battery-powered tug maker Aero-Tow, told us that he has customers who reported battery
life in excess of 11 years. The 24-volt system moves the airplane via an electric transaxle with differential driving two wheels. Speed is controlled using a thumb throttle. A rear caster balances the unit, so there is no lifting or sliding it sideways when maneuvering an airplane.
The system includes two batteries and an onboard smart charger. The user can affect the tire traction by pushing down on the handle of the tug. We used a PowerTow 40 EZ for eight years to move a Cessna T210 (the tug had been in use for several years before we were involved with it).
We noted that the tire tread finally wore down enough that it would slip on a smooth concrete hangar floor; otherwise it worked well to move the airplane on a sloping ramp and in snow and ice.
Priceless Aviation
Available options include tire chains and headlights. It may have been that moment—after our feet had shot upward from the icy ramp while we were trying to pull the Cheetah out of the hangar and we lay there, watching the nosewheel roll toward our nether regions—that we came to like aircraft tugs
. We think that an easily maneuverable tug that quickly hooks onto an airplane and can move it without strain reduces the risk not only of injury to the pilot but hangar rash to the airplane.
If you have electricity in your hangar, leaving most of the battery-powered tugs plugged in to their smart chargers should ensure no shortage of power, even when you want to move the airplane a few hundred yards to the fuel pump.
If you're tired of busting your back moving your bird in and out of your hangar by hand, take notice of our fantastic lineup of light weight aircraft tugs and power tows that make moving planes simple.
Aircraft Towing Made Easy
Small aircraft tugs attach to the nose gear or tail wheel and allow aviation enthusiasts to move aircraft simply. Our popular drill-powered aircraft tug uses the power of a Dewalt 60-volt or DeWalt 20-volt brush-less power system, depending on which aircraft tug you choose.
Our tug is the only one on the market that can do a complete electronics swap in less than five minutes! Shop the highest quality powered aircraft movers and never use a manual aircraft tow bar again!
Just about any light aircraft weighing 4,000 pounds gross weight or less is a candidate for one of our nose dragger or tail dragger airport tug units. Browse by aircraft manufacturer and model using the top-navigation "Aircraft Tugs" menu.
Take a look at our videos to see just how easy it is to move these planes around your airport or at your destination. Minimax tugs are made in the U.S.A. of all steel and alloy construction and include an enclosed oil bath transmission with automatic brake for safe aircraft ground movement.
Brands Known For Pulling Their Weight Then Some
If you have questions, feel free to contact us so that we can get you the best tug for your specific needs. Each tug consists of a power drill at the operator's end, a handle, drive shaft, transmission and attachment to the airplane.
The transmission either turns two small "tractor tires" along the ground or a wheel that presses against and turns the nosewheel tire. Both tugs are capable of handling tailwheel airplanes, although a longer clamp arrangement may be needed.
In use, directional control is via a rocker switch and the throttle is lever-operated. Options include chains and ball hitch attachment for moving campers, boats and trailers. Because of Railing's experience with customers who had trouble assembling tugs, assembly of the E200 and Lil Sherman involves just installing one bolt.
Each tug is built for the customer's airplane. However, should the customer get a different airplane or sell the tug, a call to the factory is all it takes to purchase the correct components for the new airplane—or find out that the tug will work as is.
Ac Air’s Remote-Control Tugs
The ThunderVolt is PowerTow's first electric tug in its single-wheel line. For $2399, it includes a 12-volt DC motor, battery and battery charger/minder. As with the 40 EZ and Key EZ, it is advertised for airplanes up to 6000 pounds.
If there is a hangar doorsill, lip or tracks, the website calls for you to measure its height. If it is one quarter of an inch or less, Dragger will sell you ramps to deal with the lip.
If it is higher than that, the prospective buyer is instructed to call the company. As part of the Ground Support Equipment business unit, LEKTRO is a major player in the general aviation and commercial airlines markets.
With nearly 6,000 units in operation globally, LEKTRO is the trusted name in electric, towbarless vehicles. You're in good company and in good hands when you opt for LEKTRO's professional aircraft accessories. The company's website (www.acairtechnology.com).
End-To-End Solutions For You
has a good utility for matching the airplane to the correct tug. The tugs work with a wide variety of models. For example, clicking the Mooney M20 tab suggests the $4950 T1X2 model. For a Cessna 172, the $3595 T1V2 will do.
If you have wheel pants, you'll need the $65 tire height spacer, which raises the tire up in the cradle. We've used tugs powered by gasoline engines as well as corded and cordless electric tugs. As battery technology has steadily improved, we've found ourselves leaning towards battery-powered electric tugs for their convenience and a dislike for dealing with long electrical cords.
We've also wished for an electric tug when we couldn't start a gasoline tug on a cold day. Making electric tugs rated for moving airplanes weighing up to 4500 pounds on a flat surface, Priceless Aviation(www.pricelessaviation.com).
offers two models that are advertised as optimized for moving aircraft safely in tight areas. Both are 24-volt units and have motors developing 400 watts. Each has a swivel connection between the two-wheel drive unit and tow bar so that the tug does not have to be lifted or tilted to make a turn.
Most of the tugs we looked at are actually powered tow bars, so they attach to the nose (or tail) wheel. The wheel itself is the pivot point so most tugs have to be lifted or pulled sideways to make a turn—and care needs to be taken to avoid exceeding nosewheel turn limits.
If your airplane has nosewheel turn limits, disclose them when you speak with the tug manufacturer. Some tugs have optional casters to ease moving the tug when making a turn. Priceless Aviation Products 701 and 701L and Aero-Tow's Lil Sherman have a swivel arrangement so it's not necessary to lift or slide the tug to turn.
For more than five decades, active and dedicated aircraft owners and pilots have turned to AVIATION CONSUMER to answer their most important buying questions. This website contains many older reviews. Unless otherwise noted, these reviews carry product pricing from the time of the original review.
JBT machinery holds a hard-earned and enviable leadership position in the GSE sector. Even a quick look at our stats reveals why. On top of the lowest ownership costs and best resale values in the market, our airplane tugs boast features and options galore.
The company still notes that hangar door sills can be a problem although our review of videos on the company's website caused us to believe that the door sill issue is less of a problem for the Tail-Dragger tugs.
The joystick has forward, back, right and left positions, which move the tug in any of those directions. There's an on/off switch, plus a three-position speed switch for slow, medium and fast. There's also a release button, for releasing the airplane out of the cradle.
There's no bending down to strap/unstrap the nosewheel (or tailwheel) from the cradle. It auto-loads and auto-releases. If the tug has optional LED lighting, there's a switch for turning them on or off. The lights (there are two of them mounted to the front of the tug) aren't so much for use as headlights, but instead as a way to spot the tug in the dark.
Like the rest of the tug, the lighting is high quality. This factory-installed option is $250. Our approach - which artfully combines consulting, technology, skilled technicians, and more - is designed to serve you better. Many customers find that an airport services engagement is what creates a cohesive, effective system from otherwise disparate supplies and equipment, operations, and personnel.
When it comes time to select the right tug for your airplane, we recommend a conversation with the tug manufacturers to discuss your specific needs. Just because an advertisement says a tug will pull a 4000-pound airplane doesn't mean it will do so up a sloping ramp, over a lip or break in pavement or across sliding door tracks.
In the aircraft tug business for 40 years, with some 30,000 tugs in the field, Northwest Manufacturing (www.powertow.com). seems to be expanding its product line on a regular basis. Long known for its Briggs & Stratton piston-powered tugs capable of burning avgas or mogas, the company has aggressively moved into the electric tug world.
As sales manager Gilbert May put it when we spoke with him, "It's the wave of the future. The electric motor puts out more torque, there are fewer parts to break and it's quiet so you can hear when someone yells that you're about to hit a wingtip."
Nevertheless, May said that the company wasn't "LEKTRO is one of the best additions to the AVJET family. The design and innovations of the vehicle makes towing aircrafts a smooth, safe and easy operation. The LEKTRO products along with the support from LEKTRO themselves has increased our operational efficiency as well as safety for our clients.
We received positive feedback from our clients and it increases our confidence and satisfaction in using LEKTRO!”
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