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Taildragger towbar ideas???

GyroRon

Active Member
Looking for something easy, and cheap, to use to pull my plane into my hangar with. Been picking up the tail by the tail rod and pulling it in, and its wearing me out to do that.... My hangar and the area in front of my hangar is slightly uphill and is gravel, not a hard surface.

The people I bought my plane from had something like this, but I think it was made specifically for RV tailwheels...

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/grnd_towbars18.php

Any input is appreciated
 
For moving aircraft when your near your home hanger one of these works nicely.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/taildragger.php


If you need something you can carry in the baggage compartment and take with you this fits the bill. It hooks over the tail wheel axle bolt so that needs to stick out ion each end about 3/8” inch. Fly boy accessories has a threaded extension for this purpose or you can install a slightly longer bolt for the axle and use several washers to so it protrudes enough for the bogert tow bar to clamp over out on each side of the tailwheel.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/bogibars.php
 
Bogert and Golf Cart

Looking for something easy, and cheap, to use to pull my plane into my hangar with. Been picking up the tail by the tail rod and pulling it in, and its wearing me out to do that.... My hangar and the area in front of my hangar is slightly uphill and is gravel, not a hard surface.

The people I bought my plane from had something like this, but I think it was made specifically for RV tailwheels...

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/grnd_towbars18.php

Any input is appreciated

I use the Bogert Tow Bar for the RV taildraggers (available at Spruce) and then use one of those blue cargo tie down straps from Lowes to loop around the handle and then a support on the back of a golf cart I bought for the purpose. My hangar is on a grass field and has a bit of an incline up to the hangar. This set up has worked great for 6-1/2 years and literally hundreds of pulls . I did eventually wear out the first Bogert bar after about 4 years.
 
Towbar

Ron,

The $74 towbar from Acft Spruce that you had a link to is the one I have. It works great and I actually got it free. One of my hangar neighbors was gonna throw it away cause the spring was broke. Guess what exact spring they had at Lowe’s? Yup

This is all you will need, don’t get an expensive one, save the money for Avgas. It’s easy to maneuver and never a problem getting my -8 in the hangar so it should work fine on your -4.
 
Ron,

The $74 towbar from Acft Spruce that you had a link to is the one I have. It works great and I actually got it free. One of my hangar neighbors was gonna throw it away cause the spring was broke. Guess what exact spring they had at Lowe’s? Yup

This is all you will need, don’t get an expensive one, save the money for Avgas. It’s easy to maneuver and never a problem getting my -8 in the hangar so it should work fine on your -4.

Are you using some kind of extended bolt on your tailwheel?
 
Every “put the little wheel between the rods” type tow bar i tried proved to be close to useless as the tail wheel always popped out.

I did a simple modification of the nose gear tow bar by making one side have a longer and larger diameter - one that would slide over the axle nut (the left one in the below photo). In addition, two bushings were added along with a longer axle bolt to make sure the tow bar did not pop off the axle.

This has proven to be very secure, no matter how I’m pulling on the plane.

Carl
AA2-E7-C6-C-1-EB9-4-D6-E-B117-60-D400-E80-DC4.jpg
 
Looking for something easy, and cheap, to use to pull my plane into my hangar with. Been picking up the tail by the tail rod and pulling it in, and its wearing me out to do that.... My hangar and the area in front of my hangar is slightly uphill and is gravel, not a hard surface.

The people I bought my plane from had something like this, but I think it was made specifically for RV tailwheels...

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/grnd_towbars18.php

Any input is appreciated

If you want to go on the cheap, and not wear yourself out with all that bending over, my buddy who has a c-140 throws a cheap tow strap around the tail strut so he can lift and walk it backward without having to bend over.
 
Cotter Pin

Anyone have trouble with the cotter pin preventing a good fit when using the Flyboys extended axle and tow bar?
 
Anyone have trouble with the cotter pin preventing a good fit when using the Flyboys extended axle and tow bar?

I went with a skinnier cotter pin with the stock length bolt and Bogi bar. I haven't had problems with popping off the bolt head side that some have reported.

Ed Holyoke
 
Anyone have trouble with the cotter pin preventing a good fit when using the Flyboys extended axle and tow bar?

A lot of RV's have switched to an all metal locknut, regardless of which type of towbar used. Yes, technically not normal when something rotates around the bolt, but so long as you insert the bolt from the starboard side, worst case scenario if the tailwheel starts to seize is that the bolt tries to tighten the nut and you end up with a tail skid. Never been a problem though for me in 9 years of flying.
 
No problem with the cotter pin, once it’s on I gently tap on the cotter pin with a small hammer (gently) to make sure the cotter pin is nice & snug on the nut.
 
If you’re really just looking for a way to pull it backwards into the hangar, and not do a lot of back-and-forth steering, get a pice of 8-9 mm rope about five feet long with a loop in one end, and make a wood or metal handle for the other end. Loop it around the stinger and pull backwards on the airplane - the tailwheel breaks into swivel, and the airplane will follow you (backwards) wherever you want to take it. Very light, fits anywhere in the airplane, and you always have it with you!

Paul
 
I have used the manual Tail Dragger Dragger (dragger.com) for decades. Love it. I have to fit SuzieQ in a pretty small place and it allows for precise movement of the airplane. That said, mine is a slight incline to the hanger and all concrete. No modifications or special equipment on the airplane needed. Except a tail wheel, of course..... They also have motorized versions.....

It is a simple enough design you could probably weld one up yourself.....
 
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have the foldable tow/push bar from ACS, original fork with original length bolt, works good.

For pulling my mighty mount over longer distances, I use a waterski rope and handle tied around the TW post. Cheap and light, gotta credit another VAF thread with that idea :D
 
My tailwheel doesn't fully swivel. So I need something that will hook on to it that I can pull on, and allow me to steer the tailwheel as I drag it in the hangar.

I will probably just order one from spruce, but Not sure which one is best. There are multiple options.... one for scott tailwheels? One for Cessnas?

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/categories/pilot_supplies/ps/menus/ps/towbars_ground.html

I can probably handle installing a longer bolt with a space, and just use a nylock nut on it I would think if that's needed.
 
My tailwheel doesn't fully swivel. So I need something that will hook on to it that I can pull on, and allow me to steer the tailwheel as I drag it in the hangar.

I will probably just order one from spruce, but Not sure which one is best.

Look at post #18. That works with non-swiveling tail wheels. Unless you want one that goes in your airplane. I have never found the need for one except pulling SuzieQ into the hangar......But, it's whatever your needs are. Looking at those Spruce pictures, didn't see any I would get..... IMHO

The Dragger is made of square steel tubing with a welded pin where the back of the tail wheel goes and an adjustable bolt in front. A steel pad keeps it from going too far back. I welded a plate on both the pin and the bolt that better holds the wheel. This will work very well, especially if your airplane goes straight into the hangar. You can get larger wheels at Harbor Freight for the gravel.....

The web site https://dragger.com/tail-dragger-draggers/has a cute stop-motion demonstration of how they work. I put the back pin in front of the wheel, give it a sharp tug and it flops right between the bolt and the pin. Easy....... Again: not one you would take with you in the airplane....
 
Look at post #18. That works with non-swiveling tail wheels. Unless you want one that goes in your airplane. I have never found the need for one except pulling SuzieQ into the hangar......But, it's whatever your needs are. Looking at those Spruce pictures, didn't see any I would get..... IMHO

The Dragger is made of square steel tubing with a welded pin where the back of the tail wheel goes and an adjustable bolt in front. A steel pad keeps it from going too far back. I welded a plate on both the pin and the bolt that better holds the wheel. This will work very well, especially if your airplane goes straight into the hangar. You can get larger wheels at Harbor Freight for the gravel.....

The web site https://dragger.com/tail-dragger-draggers/has a cute stop-motion demonstration of how they work. I put the back pin in front of the wheel, give it a sharp tug and it flops right between the bolt and the pin. Easy....... Again: not one you would take with you in the airplane....

I had one of those when I had my last RV4, and used it on a few other taildragger planes Ive owned as well. I didn't really like it. If you needed to pull real hard, the wheel would want to come out, and you still had to pick up the tail and set the wheel in the dolly. Pain in the butt.
 
I had one of those when I had my last RV4, and used it on a few other taildragger planes Ive owned as well. I didn't really like it. If you needed to pull real hard, the wheel would want to come out, and you still had to pick up the tail and set the wheel in the dolly. Pain in the butt.

Hmmmm....never had that problem. But I've had it for decades and I may have at one point. Maybe that is why I welded the metal bar that provides a little slot for the tail wheel to fit in.
 
I have one of the blue tail dragged draggers I bought for my RV-7. Don’t use it, should probably sell it. I found a C-150 tow bar that fits perfect after tapping down the cotter pin on the standard axle bolt.
 
I have one of the blue tail dragged draggers I bought for my RV-7. Don’t use it, should probably sell it. I found a C-150 tow bar that fits perfect after tapping down the cotter pin on the standard axle bolt.

Yep, the Cessna bar has been in service since 1999 for my RV-6. There are more robust bars but this one works fine for my paved, gently sloped ramp. I now use it to hook up my "tractor tug":
 

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Works great

The cheap version from ACS works great. Just use a longer axel bolt with bushings or washers. Plus this one is light weight and collapses for travel.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/grnd_towbars4.php

+1 for the less expensive one from ACS. I put a stronger spring on mine than the original spring it came with. It stays on my stock van’s tw just fine. No issues and my ramp has a relatively steep approach so I need to pull pretty hard on my 7.
Good luck, Jim
 
DIY Towbar

If you want a DIY tow bar, you can build this with parts from HD or LOWEs in a couple hours.
Basic pieces are 8' of 1/8 x 1.5" aluminum angle and a gate hinge.
For attaching the gate hinge to the bottom angle, either drill for a cotter pin or thread it for a large nut.
I have made several of these, some with a straight handle and some with a bent handle. The bent handle works best for the RVs for rudder clearance.
You can cover it with pipe insulation and wrap with electric tape to prevent dings.
 

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Quick tip

Not towbar related but I notices that Steve has the same tailspring setup I have with the eyelet's retaining the springs. I have had this setup since the plane was finished in 2008 only in my case I had the eyelets on top for a straighter run rather than on the bottom like Steve's.

On the condition inspection this year I found out that the springs have been rubbing on the bottom of the rudder (the fiberglass) probably at full deflection when maneuvering on the ground. Not a big scuff but enough to make me move the eyelets to the bottom, problem solved :eek:
Figs
 
Cessna Tow Bar

I bought a used Cessna towbar off of eBay for cheap.

Added a hose clamp to keep it closed. Formed aluminum tube, fits in RV-6 cargo area. Super lightweight.
Tow-Bar.jpg


Mike
 
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