Ground towing an RV a mile on turf or dirt

[Stuart Grant]

I hope this isn't a really dumb idea....

I have dragged a lot of gliders around on grass strips pulling them backwards by the tail dolly and wonder if anyone moves their RV by pulling it around airparks using an ATV, golf cart or car/truck.
With the castering nose wheel I suppose I would need to make a rigid tow bar for directional control.

The reason for my question is I am looking to purchase airpark lot and I am seeing some affordable lots available that are really far from the runway.
Rather than taxiing a mile or more on an unpaved taxiway/roadway I wonder if towing my RV-12 out to the departure end might be a reasonable option.
Assuming the tow or taxi is at a walking pace it might take 20 minutes or more and by towing there is no risk of a propeller strike and overheating would not be a problem.

Experiences, pitfalls, opinions and ideas?

 

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I hope this isn't a really dumb idea....

I have dragged a lot of gliders around on grass strips pulling them backwards by the tail dolly and wonder if anyone moves their RV by pulling it around airparks using an ATV, golf cart or car/truck.
With the castering nose wheel I suppose I would need to make a rigid tow bar for directional control.

The reason for my question is I am looking to purchase airpark lot and I am seeing some affordable lots available that are really far from the runway.
Rather than taxiing a mile or more on an unpaved taxiway/roadway I wonder if towing my RV-12 out to the departure end might be a reasonable option.
Assuming the tow or taxi is at a walking pace it might take 20 minutes or more and by towing there is no risk of a propeller strike and overheating would not be a problem.

Experiences, pitfalls, opinions and ideas?

My question to your question is " Why would you want to drag an airplane when you should be able to taxi it?????
If I've got to taxi a mile or ????? No big deal. Go to Oshkosh and you'll be taxiing a mile for sure.
Like what are you going to do with the dragger while you are flying??
If I have gas in the tank I'm going to taxi to where ever.
I only wished I was on an airpark home, But, my wife won't move from where we are now. Actually only 3.4 miles from our airport hangar/
My luck varies Fixit

 

[Desert Rat]

So I'm guessing you're worried about picking up gravel with the prop? If it's a truly bad road/taxiway I guess I can see that, but human nature being what it is, I suspect the more complicated you make something like this, the less likely you are to go flying.

For what it's worth, I've taxied stuff like 172's on gravel roads and as long as the power is kept low and you don't hit a pothole it' s not really a big deal, but that's an every once in a while sort of thing. For me, a mile taxi/tow on a questionable dirt road every time I wanted to go fly would be a deal breaker on an airport lot. I suspect it would be for most folks, which is why those lots in the back 40 are the "affordable " ones.

 

[harrisjr]

My buddy made a tow bar for his RV-9 and pulls it everywhere with a golf cart.

And since you asked for opinions....

• Pulling an airplane a mile or so to fly seems like a pain.
• Depending on where you are now, cheap property at an airpark may not be much of an advantage.

If it works for you, I think it can be done.

 

[PaulvS]

My aircraft lives on a farm and there is a rough track down hill between the hangar and the airstrip, maybe 1/4 mile. I keep the plane on a low flatbed trailer and tow it using my truck. It takes about 3 minutes to unload and 5 minutes to put it back on the trailer after flying. The trailer protects the aircraft prop and undercarriage from the track. It's no barrier whatsoever to going flying.

 

[Stuart Grant]

Gravel, soft wet ground, potholes, puddles and overheating are my concerns. I am looking for feedback on problems/hazards and tips on towing from people who have done it. I had not considered using a little low flat bed trailer. Thank you for that idea! The very rural, low-key, Florida airparks I am considering seem pretty quiet and it would probably not be a problem for me to leave my truck off the side of the runway a couple of times a month for an hour or two while I exercise the airplane and practice my flying skills. I would taxi for longer flights and trips but taxiing for 20 minutes each way on maybe-hazardous ground to do a 1-hour flight seems a bit much. I agree that you get what you pay for on the distant back-40 lots but I would rather have a back-40 lot in an airpark that I really like than have a runway lot in a place I don't.

 

[Blw2]

Just thinking out loud in a way...but for a mile taxi or so I think I'd put my energy into going out once in a while and filling potholes and grooming the taxiway as needed. A mile or so isn't really any more than typical taxi on a typical airport so not such a burden on the airframe.
but if the taxiway is in tough shape then yeah, I get it.... but if it's just a few rough potholes or whatever that's probably just happened over a long time of deferred maintenance....then it probably wouldn't take that much effort to groom them over.... and after that a monthly or so check with a quick repair now and then will probably keep it nice. and if it's rough the whole way, how much would it cost to hire a road crew to do the initial repair...then keep up with it yourself after.....
In the long run, I reckon it's less work than all the hitching and unhitching and maintaining the tow vehicle....