Rv10 Tug

woxofswa · #1 03-20-2019, 09:57 AM

After almost five years of flying the RV10, yesterday I got the pleasure of pulling it into its new vacation home hangar for the first time. There is a slight upslope into the hangar from the taxiway and even a bit of side slope initially. About halfway up the approach apron it dawned on me that if that if it had been even a tiny bit slick I would have been in prime position for a concrete enema. The other side of the taxiway is a fairly steep wooded ravine and I shudder to think what would happen if it got away from me.

I haven’t really paid attention to this point on powered tugs, but I guess it’s time.

I would definitely prefer electric. Any comments or suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance.

majuro15 · #2 03-20-2019, 10:07 AM

I have a Best Tugs Alpha that I really like. I haven't used it for the 10 yet but use it on a DA-40 and a RV-9 until the 10 is built. It is pricey, but great product.

David Paule · #3 03-20-2019, 11:29 AM

I ordered one of these for my Cessna 180. It's due here in a few weeks, so I don't have a pirep yet. But you can see a video of it in action, moving several airplanes out to the ramp.

They are working on an RV-10 version, too. Apparently the low fairing clearance is the issue there. You'll have to contact them for info.

Dave

FlyingDiver · #4 03-20-2019, 11:37 AM

Alternatively, since it's an upslope into the hanger, you might consider a winch connected to the tail tie-down ring.

Nova RV · #5 03-20-2019, 11:39 AM

I have the Aero-Tow E200 for my RV14A and it moves it around fine and pulls it up a slight incline out of my hangar. Says it will work with Bonanza and Cirrus so an RV10 should be within it's capability.

http://www.aero-tow.com/E200.html

TimO · #6 03-20-2019, 03:44 PM

I've got a couple of them. One is the Tow Buddy from Wag Aero. That one is pretty nice and plug and play with the RV-10 if you order the right sockets for the fairings. You can attach it without bending over, and it has forward and reverse with speed control. It's really not a bad unit at all. BUT, any time you need to turn the plane, it's a bit heavy and involves sometimes lifting it or hopping it sideways to get the nosewheel to turn. It's definitely doable, and it's hard for me to imagine any of the cheaper tugs being truly "easy" to turn the RV-1 wheel. This one is a single-wheel tug, which should be easier than the 2 wheel models, but in practice it doesn't seem to matter much. When you need to move this tug a long distance, you can tilt it back onto it's casters and move it pretty quickly.

I also have a minimax that I got from another RV-10 owner. That one is much smaller and lighter, but, you have to bend down and spend a lot more time attaching it and lining it up, and it likes to fall over when you're trying to attach it. Once it's connected, the drill does move it ok, although maybe a little slower than the other one. I have had a shear pin break on that one also, from going uphill, and then it freewheels. It's well made, and smaller, but with 2 wheels, I don't think it actually steers any easier, despite it having a swivel (more of a sideways tilt, actually) to the forks in front. It's also pretty slow once it's pushing a plane, and depending on your slope I wouldn't recommend it.

That "best tugs" tug is about the easiest looking tug I've seen, but I haven't personally used one and can't vouch for how easy it is to hook up. I personally prefer my Tow Buddy to the MiniMax simply because if you have to bend over to hook the tug up and attaching can't be done while standing, I tend to just forget using the tug at all and just try to muscle it around.

And, when it's real icy up here in the north, I have a winch that I can use to pull them by the tail back into the hangar, as that is sometimes the only realistic thing. That is far cheaper than either of those tugs, and to be quite honest, easier to connect and use. The only issue with that is that you want to absolutely be on the tow bar when going backwards and you can't let that nose wheel get wonky at all. I modified one of the Harbor Freight electric hoists such as #62853/69739 and #62854/62768, to use an iphone as a remote control for it, with variable time limits to how long it retracts. It takes maybe 1min to retract the plane into the hangar. You don't want to go too fast, and you don't want to go for more than maybe 10-20 seconds at a time, because if it gets out of line, it could do serious damage quick. Ideally a press-and-hold-to-run button would be what you'd want.

If I had to get rid of all but one of the devices, I think I'd dump the tugs, because at my place I can definitely get the plane parked facing away from the hangar and use the hoist, and that method involves the least amount of work and lifting and connect time. But the tugs are nice if you want to run it all the way back from the fuel pumps or something.

digidocs · #7 03-20-2019, 04:54 PM

FWIW: I think the even smaller/cheaper HF 60346 hoist works well, too.

TimO · #8 03-20-2019, 05:52 PM

I believe it would too. It?s been a while now, but I believe there was a slight difference in speed between the two. I chose the bigger one I think because it was just slightly faster.

falcon900guy · #9 03-21-2019, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woxofswa

After almost five years of flying the RV10, yesterday I got the pleasure of pulling it into its new vacation home hangar for the first time. There is a slight upslope into the hangar from the taxiway and even a bit of side slope initially. About halfway up the approach apron it dawned on me that if that if it had been even a tiny bit slick I would have been in prime position for a concrete enema. The other side of the taxiway is a fairly steep wooded ravine and I shudder to think what would happen if it got away from me.

I haven?t really paid attention to this point on powered tugs, but I guess it?s time.

I would definitely prefer electric. Any comments or suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I?ve got a Best Tug and use it all the time for my 10. It?s the greatest thing since sliced bread and would challenge anybody on here with the system they use against Best Tug. It is very easy to hook up, no bending over, and pulls the airplane easily. It is expensive but so glad I have one.

TimO · #10 03-21-2019, 07:27 AM

The best tug is definitely an awesome way to go. No argument there. And, if someone is going to need a tug for EVERY flight from their home base, or they have a real good slope, I would encourage people to check them out. It's not going to appeal to anyone who is a "it's gotta be cheap" kind of buyer, so don't even bother to google them if that's you. But as you said, I doubt people will find a better tug out there. For people needing a tug only occasionally, I'd look into the smaller ones. I probably only use mine less than 10 times a year, and generally only on the RV-10 when I want to go all the way from the fuel pump to the hangar. (200' maybe) The tail winch is simple and probably 30x less expensive than a best tug, but if you're going to use it every day, I would not go that route. If you're only looking for wet days, then it would maybe be worth it, especially if those are rare in your climate. I'll put it this way...if you're willing to spend $2000 on a tug, I'd try to just up your spending limit and go all the way to the Best. But if there's no way in heck you'd spend $2000, then you're going to have to look at all the far inferior tugs, and that's when you really have to look hard to find what you want. (and realize you may not be 100% satisfied in the end)

Where I am now, I can't see spending that kind of cash, but add 10-20 more years to my age, or put me in a different hangar with a slope and I myself would absolutely fork over the cash for it.