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Towbar

RV7 Bruno

Member
RV7 I have a hanger that is not very user friendly. It is really tight to back the plane in. Anyone have any ideas on a towbar without removing the wheel skirt? Tricycle wheel. RV7A
 
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Which -7?

Is this an RV-7 or RV-7A? I use a 172 tow bar to move my hangar mate's airplane in and out with not problem. It hooks right around the bolt holding the tailwheel on.
 
Moving an 'A' model

No doubt 'A' models are tougher to manuever in a crowded hangar. (I have six RV's in my hangar)

Tow bars are commonly are available and used on 'A' models. Do you have one? Spruce and others sell them and the nose pant has a 1" hole drilled on either side to hook the tow bar to. No need to remove the pant.

In a real tight spot you can carefully push down on the elevator close to the fuselage and along the rivet line over the front elevator spar. If you lift the nose wheel off the ground,you can move the plane around. Be careful though!

Where is Carpinteria?
 
Bogart Industries make a specific tow bar for the A series RV's which can also be purchased through Aircraft Spruce. They are good and have a lifetime warranty. No troubles moving my 9A
 
Bogarts are great towbars

Bogart Industries make a specific tow bar for the A series RV's which can also be purchased through Aircraft Spruce. They are good and have a lifetime warranty. No troubles moving my 9A

I just bought one from Bogart for my RV7A. Works great! Very sturdy and breaks down small enough to carry behind the seats.
 
If you value your wheelpants, keep in mind that while it's called a Tow bar, it should never be used to pull or push the airplane around. Pull or push on the prop, that's what it's for. Steer with the bar.

I've watched Cessna owners put a towbar through the top of their wheelpant when their worn out towbar finally broke free of the bolt on the nosegear. A new Bogart will last a long time, but it'll last longer if you only steer with it.
 
Cessna towbars work fine.

If you go with the winch, put a stop in the cable with some generous room. I have a friend who got to rebuild the back end of a Comanche when the winch stayed "ON" and he couldn't get to the power in time.

Dan
 
Here is a picture of my towbar. Made from a piece of 1/4 in x 1 in aluminum bar and 1 in angle. It folds in the middle. I used bolts that fit into the allen head screws. I may change this to short pieces of tube that go on the outside of the bolts. I just use it to steer anyway. After I had the towbar I added two fingers to rest on the rudder pedals for a rudder gust lock and tied the seatbelt for the elevator and aileron. Then after seeing Allans gust lock I added a short piece of 1/2 in pipe and set it in the passenger side control stick. I made the stick removable with a Quick Release Button Connector. The final change was adding a short tube and bracket in the baggage compartment to store it while traveling.
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