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Towing RV-6A by nosewheel?

FlyDave

FlyDave

Member
Hi all,

I've had my RV-6A for about 3 weeks now and absolutely LOVE flying this plane. Of everything I've owned, gliders, Cherokee, 2 Mooneys and an AeroTrek A220, This RV is the most fun and exhilarating plane to fly!
I was told that towing an RV-A by the nose wheel is not good for the nose gear. This person said only pull or push by the prop and steer with a towbar (which is what I have done since purchase). I instructed FBO personnel to not use a power tow on the nose gear and move the airplane as described above. They looked at me like I had 6 heads.
What's your thoughts?

Dave
 
It’s possible to mishandle any tricycle gear airplane with a tow bar or ground tug. PROPERLY handled (no rapid acceleration, no turning the wheel beyond its limits, paying attention to the fact you’re moving an airplane, etc.) the -A model RV nose wheels aren’t any more delicate than those on other aircraft. Using a tow bar or tug to move the airplane is perfectly acceptable.
 
I tow and tug my -9A by the nose gear axle routinely. My tug's (Best Tugs) speed controller firmware is designed for soft starts and stops to minimize shock to the nose gear.
 
I use either a Bogert tow bar or my homemade tug to move my RV6A around, no problems in almost 20yrs. Just be careful with it.
 
If you are going to tow it down the road, Ya that is a bad idea. But pulling it around the ramp, apron or where ever ain't no big deal. Never gave it a thought. Do it all the time with my 6A.
How else are you going to move and an airplane with a castering nose wheel?
My luck varies Fixit
 
I routinely use my car and a tow bar to get my RV7-A out of hangar in winter times, no issues whatsoever, just being careful.
 

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All of Van's Aircraft's demo airplanes have been towed for decades using just a tow bar on the nose gear and more recently in the past 4 years or so, using electric tugs from Best Tugs.
I do the same with my own RV-6A.
As long as you don't do anything crazy, it is not a problem.
 
TBH, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone say that the prop is the only way to push/pull a plane around, or that a towbar is somehow not a good idea.

Odd. (And yes, I use both, all the time :)).
 
RV7A Flyer said:
TBH, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone say that the prop is the only way to push/pull a plane around, or that a towbar is somehow not a good idea.

Odd. (And yes, I use both, all the time :)).
Click to expand...

Notably Civil Air Patrol taught us to NEVER push or pull on the prop (only the towbar). Sigh. Yeah, don't go yanking on the tip, eh. But how do they think the engine *propels* the airplane? More stuff that gets passed around as aviation gospel because someone heard it somewhere.
 
Towing is no problem if done carefully. It becomes a concern if done by someone who isn’t familiar of the castering nose fork & turn stops. I always accompany a FBO rampie when my plane is being moved!!
 
blaplante said:
Notably Civil Air Patrol taught us to NEVER push or pull on the prop (only the towbar). Sigh. Yeah, don't go yanking on the tip, eh. But how do they think the engine *propels* the airplane? More stuff that gets passed around as aviation gospel because someone heard it somewhere.
Click to expand...
You won’t be pushing or pulling a carbon fiber prop around. Sensenich tells you the same thing for their hollow carbon fiber props.
 
fwiw,
pulling your plane in and out of the hangar on packed snow with your towbar is way more do able if you put a pair of yak trax or something similar on your boots. they make all the difference.
 
I don't have concerns pushing or pulling my airplane grabbing the hub of my MT composite prob.

I agree about the Yak Trax or similar. It doesn't take much in the way of temps on a sunny day for snow to melt off the roof of my hangar and drip in large volumes onto the tarmac immediately in front of the hangar door, then freeze, and also leaving a sheet of glare ice coating that tarmac to about 20 feet out from the door. This, in conjunction with the 18 inch strip of snow immediately in front of the door where the snow plow doesn't reach in order to avoid hitting the door means that I have to be on top of that with the shovel and snowblower that I keep in the hangar or it builds up into a ridge that is hard for the airplane to roll over. The cleated shoes make that possible, but still difficult. The air temps right now are hovering around 0° F, but next week they're projected to go back up into the 30's (very weird for Minnesota this time of year). I anticipate a virtual waterfall off my hangar roof, which will then freeze on the apron in front of the door.

This was one of the reasons I bought the Best Tug and the engineering that I didn't want to make the effort to puzzle out. That tug is designed so that I can lever down to increase traction on the drive wheels. Even that wasn't enough for the glare ice, so I cleated the (solid) tires on the tug. Now, the thing is truly a Minnesota-level airplane tug.
 

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Been towing by hand, tow bar and prop for 12 years on a RV6A, no issues. Don’t over turn, not nearly as tender as a Mooney. Don’t exceed the turn limits.
 
Some folks avoiding pushing on the prop by pushing on the spinner. This is a really bad idea, as it puts stress on the edge of the spinner back plate, which is like a thick pie pan.
 
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