Want to build an electric plane mover (tug?) for my RV10

[bobrv7taildragger]

I'm planning to take the RV-10 to SERFI in a couple of weeks, so if you wanna fix the tug and try it on my -10, we can make that happen.

I sold my last plane (a cherokee six) three years ago and recently finished my RV10 (man what a plane!). I was quickly reminded of the herniated disc in my lower back when I started moving a plane in and out of the hanger again. I know there are a lot of commercially available electric tugs out there that look great, but the costs are more than I'm willing to pay. My bank account was able to finish my plane, but I'd rather use what's left for fuel than a fancy tug. So I'm wondering if anyone out there has rolled their own? We are builders right? I purchased three retired grocery store electric shopping carts that I can use some parts from but wanted to see if anyone else out there has something cool they would like to share. I'll likely build something soon and happy to share what I build as well. Thanks! Happy 2024!!! Andrew

Here is my Tug. I built it loosely from the kit planes plan but fairly heavily modified it to suit me. eBay gearbox. Ali express electronics. Ali express 24 volt battery. have to aircraft to try it on though lol...better get building.

 

[DanH]

It would be interesting to measure the cross section of the burned trace to see what its max current was...

That would be 0.008" x 0.375" wide.

 

[roadrunner20]

Got in another batch of laser cut parts for the dual motor tailwheel tug kits. Plans for the simple single motor transaxle tug are still free. See post #38 above for both.

Also have one dual motor frame welded and ready to go. Fork width fits a tailwheel with flat sheet steel arms, like the JD Air below. Pretty sure a Vans is the same.

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Hey Dan,
I'm thinking of building your model of the single motor setup. Do you still have the lasar parts & plans to build one? Having my 7 on grass is getting a bit more difficult getting it home safe.

 

[DanH]

The single motor w/ transaxle doesn't incorporate any laser cut parts. Dirt simple frame, cheap controller, etc. Plans are free.

I'm currently working on an upgraded single motor setup...more power, regen controller with current limiting, etc.

Your 7 is a taildragger? Everyone loves their dual motor tug. I have laser cut parts for those.

 

[roadrunner20]

The single motor w/ transaxle doesn't incorporate any laser cut parts. Dirt simple frame, cheap controller, etc. Plans are free.

I'm currently working on an upgraded single motor setup...more power, regen controller with current limiting, etc.

Your 7 is a taildragger? Everyone loves their dual motor tug. I have laser cut parts for those.

Yes, it's a 7. I'm thinking of going with a wheel chair assembly, but using your hook system with a long handle for the controller attached. I like the way you capture the tailwheel. If you could send me the plans, I'll take a look at it as well as your your dual motor system. Let me know what you have on the dual system as I may opt for that as I've not commited on the purchase of the wheel chair assembly yet. Sending you my email on a dm.

 

[Daddyman58]

I sold my last plane (a cherokee six) three years ago and recently finished my RV10 (man what a plane!). I was quickly reminded of the herniated disc in my lower back when I started moving a plane in and out of the hanger again.

I know there are a lot of commercially available electric tugs out there that look great, but the costs are more than I'm willing to pay. My bank account was able to finish my plane, but I'd rather use what's left for fuel than a fancy tug. So I'm wondering if anyone out there has rolled their own? We are builders right?

I purchased three retired grocery store electric shopping carts that I can use some parts from but wanted to see if anyone else out there has something cool they would like to share. I'll likely build something soon and happy to share what I build as well.

Thanks!
Happy 2024!!!
Andrew

Andrewfranke,
My son created simple plans for welding a frame together and developed a parts list.
Fortunately for me I came upon a gasoline powered one at my airport with an engine that did not run.
Transferred the part over and it works great.
Never have to pull, pull, curse, pull the starter.
It is always ready to go.
Easy on my back.
The guts of the unit is a motor from a handicapped (is that not PC?) scooter powered by 2 x 12 child toy e-cars.
Evan has a port to charge and a small brain-box to prevent overcharging.
I think the project was under $300.
Daddyman58

 

[Daddyman58]

My buddy Stan is creeping up on 80 and has two metal knees in his landing gear, so pushing his S-7 is not an option anymore. Finally wore out the drill-powered snowblower based tug I built him years ago, so it was time for a new one. Goal here was "How simple can it be?", rather than the dual motors, differential steering, and regen braking done previously. This one uses a single motor unit with a differential, on a very basic 1" square tube frame. Cheap PWM controller with a twist grip, on-off-and forward-reverse. No way to tell about reliability other than to run it a while, but it seems to work well.

View attachment 62726
View attachment 62727

Still have a few sets of laser cut parts for the fancy dual motor joystick tug. PM if you want one.

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View attachment 62728

Dan,
Well done.
Daddyman58

 

[krhea]

I sold my last plane (a cherokee six) three years ago and recently finished my RV10 (man what a plane!). I was quickly reminded of the herniated disc in my lower back when I started moving a plane in and out of the hanger again.

I know there are a lot of commercially available electric tugs out there that look great, but the costs are more than I'm willing to pay. My bank account was able to finish my plane, but I'd rather use what's left for fuel than a fancy tug. So I'm wondering if anyone out there has rolled their own? We are builders right?

I purchased three retired grocery store electric shopping carts that I can use some parts from but wanted to see if anyone else out there has something cool they would like to share. I'll likely build something soon and happy to share what I build as well.

Thanks!
Happy 2024!!!
Andrew

Here's a couple of photos of my Home Depot Electric wheelbarrow coverted tug. I have about 550 invested works real good.

Keith Rhea RV-7
2025 Donation

 

[Scott Hersha]

Here's a couple of photos of my Home Depot Electric wheelbarrow coverted tug. I have about 550 invested works real good.

Keith Rhea RV-7
2025 Donation

I also have a converted electric wheel barrow. The company that makes the converted “airplane spotter” is in MN. I modified mine to better couple with my tailwheel. This thing works great and I think could handle a much heavier airplane.

 

[N49ex]

Thanks Michael, certainly does help. I didn't realize the purpose of the solder strips was to boost capacity.

I admittedly ran this one hard, about 100 yards at a fast walk, no load, followed by several starts with 2000+ lbs of Bonanza. The big mass means every start from rest is essentially a stalled rotor for some small length of time. Still, maybe these controllers are just too cheap.

The Dimension Engineering controller I use on the dual motor tugs offers 60A per motor channel, max 120A per channel for a few seconds, with both thermal and overcurrent protection. They also offer a single channel controller rated at 50A, 100A max, with adjustable current limiting and regen. I'm leaning that way.

From my experience the PCB trace failures on these controllers are not the result of the running current but rather a failure (short) of one or more of the FETs in the bridge circuit that pulse width modulates the output to implement the speed control. Since there are no other current limiting devices, the short results in choosing a PCB path as the fuse. That's why these path failures are so drastic rather than a more modest destruction which would result from excessive running current.

When I first wrote the article I had actually used a 40A controller, and eventually had the same experience, twice, of controller failure with blown circuit paths, which led to changing to the 60A/100A peak controller, and in my case it's been working fine now for a couple years - that's with the 270W transaxle, per the article. Dan's suggestion of the more "industrial" version with a fan may be a good idea, particularly if using a higher power transaxle. In my case, and my plane is about 2000lb., the 270W motor is way more than enough, with some fairly mild slopes in and out of the hangar.

Reinhard

 

[DanH]

Thanks Reinhard. Yes, I was trying to drive a much larger motor.

 

[bobrv7taildragger]

From my experience the PCB trace failures on these controllers are not the result of the running current but rather a failure (short) of one or more of the FETs in the bridge circuit that pulse width modulates the output to implement the speed control. Since there are no other current limiting devices, the short results in choosing a PCB path as the fuse. That's why these path failures are so drastic rather than a more modest destruction which would result from excessive running current.

When I first wrote the article I had actually used a 40A controller, and eventually had the same experience, twice, of controller failure with blown circuit paths, which led to changing to the 60A/100A peak controller, and in my case it's been working fine now for a couple years - that's with the 270W transaxle, per the article. Dan's suggestion of the more "industrial" version with a fan may be a good idea, particularly if using a higher power transaxle. In my case, and my plane is about 2000lb., the 270W motor is way more than enough, with some fairly mild slopes in and out of the hangar.

Reinhard

Reinhard...thanks for your article. I loosely based my tug on it but followed most of your electronic advice...I got the 60 Amp max controller....but how do I tell how many watts my motor is?.....it didn't come with any specs....any way to test it?....actually strike that....I found out 270 watts continuous and 400 watts peak. so the controller should be fine.

 

[wirejock]

A bit late to the party, but here's my tug. Photo is Caleb Marsh (Transition Trainer) pulling his 7A all the way from the hangar area to the tie down area. Probably 1/4 mile.
I plan to take it apart and turn it into a dedicated tug. This was a quick attempt to see if it would move my airplane.
Mobility chairs are cheap. Medicare buys new when a patient needs one so families have difficulty selling them. I recommend a Jazzy Elite HD. It's the highest capacity chair money can buy. It's a tank. Very modular and easy to take apart.
I just made a hitch to attach to my Bogi Bar and added a 1-7/8" ball. Works pretty good pulling, but difficult to steer pushing. That's why I plan to break it down.

 

[roadrunner20]

A bit late to the party, but here's my tug. Photo is Caleb Marsh (Transition Trainer) pulling his 7A all the way from the hangar area to the tie down area. Probably 1/4 mile.
I plan to take it apart and turn it into a dedicated tug. This was a quick attempt to see if it would move my airplane.
Mobility chairs are cheap. Medicare buys new when a patient needs one so families have difficulty selling them. I recommend a Jazzy Elite HD. It's the highest capacity chair money can buy. It's a tank. Very modular and easy to take apart.
I just made a hitch to attach to my Bogi Bar and added a 1-7/8" ball. Works pretty good pulling, but difficult to steer pushing. That's why I plan to break it down.
View attachment 101523

Larry, Funny you should mention this. I just bought a Jazzy Elite HD yesterday. It was for a great price with new batteries & knobby tires. You're correct, it's built like a tank. Much bigger than I had anticipated. It's still on my truck & I have to figure out how to get it off without a ramp. Taking the seats off will help by reducing it about 50 lbs.

 

[DanH]

I just made a hitch to attach to my Bogi Bar and added a 1-7/8" ball. Works pretty good pulling, but difficult to steer pushing. That's why I plan to break it down.

I suspect a longer, stiffer towbar would make a lot of difference. Works that way with golf carts.

A more stable attachment to the fork would also help. A Bogi Bar is pretty sloppy on the pegs. The towbar below was built for a tailwheel, but the principle applies; it clamps on tight.

 

[wirejock]

Larry, Funny you should mention this. I just bought a Jazzy Elite HD yesterday. It was for a great price with new batteries & knobby tires. You're correct, it's built like a tank. Much bigger than I had anticipated. It's still on my truck & I have to figure out how to get it off without a ramp. Taking the seats off will help by reducing it about 50 lbs.

The seat and batteries come out really easy. The rest is not too heavy.
By the way...
The controls can be adjusted but it's done by changing the joystick programming.
I have a Joystick programmer.
The fwd and reverse speeds, braking and turning can be tweaked. I haven't had much luck but only messed with it a little.

 

[roadrunner20]

The seat and batteries come out really easy. The rest is not too heavy.
By the way...
The controls can be adjusted but it's done by changing the joystick programming.
I have a Joystick programmer.
The fwd and reverse speeds, braking and turning can be tweaked. I haven't had much luck but only messed with it a little.

Got the seat, arm rests & foot pads off today. Still working on getting it on the ground though. I may use Dan's towbar idea or build a small platform cradle for the tailwheel & mount it on the square tube that once supported the foot pads. You can see it on the right.

 

[Flyyak]

My buddy Stan is creeping up on 80 and has two metal knees in his landing gear, so pushing his S-7 is not an option anymore. Finally wore out the drill-powered snowblower based tug I built him years ago, so it was time for a new one. Goal here was "How simple can it be?", rather than the dual motors, differential steering, and regen braking done previously. This one uses a single motor unit with a differential, on a very basic 1" square tube frame. Cheap PWM controller with a twist grip, on-off-and forward-reverse. No way to tell about reliability other than to run it a while, but it seems to work well.

View attachment 62726
View attachment 62727

Still have a few sets of laser cut parts for the fancy dual motor joystick tug. PM if you want one.

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View attachment 62728

I have just learned of this post and I have an RV7 that I have been able to move for the last 10 years pretty easily but I have started to accumulate replacement bodily parts (none of which have made me any less ugly) but less agile or strong. How difficult is it to move a tail wheel by pushing it from the rear out of a hangar. I usually have no issue putting it back in the hangar by pushing it with vertical stabilizer against my thighs but pulling it out is a challenge sometimes.

Would the simple single motor above move a 7 without much trouble and if so, do you still have a set of plans and a parts lists? Thanks

 

[RV-9erA]

Built my tug from a much lower cost Parkit360 trailer mover -- designed, welded-up and painted a towbar attachment from rectangular steel tubing.

 

[roadrunner20]

I built an adapter for my new Jazzy tug to repurpose my bogi bar. I mounted it into the square tubing that once supported the foot pad.
I was able to try it out today across grass to my concrete slab & it worked great. No need for a steering handle as the remote does it all. When traveling, I can disconnect the bogi bar & use it remotely. Later, I'm going to the reuse the square tubing I removed, to make a more permanent adapter. But for now, it's working fine.

 

[Bar5]

I sold my last plane (a cherokee six) three years ago and recently finished my RV10 (man what a plane!). I was quickly reminded of the herniated disc in my lower back when I started moving a plane in and out of the hanger again.

I know there are a lot of commercially available electric tugs out there that look great, but the costs are more than I'm willing to pay. My bank account was able to finish my plane, but I'd rather use what's left for fuel than a fancy tug. So I'm wondering if anyone out there has rolled their own? We are builders right?

I purchased three retired grocery store electric shopping carts that I can use some parts from but wanted to see if anyone else out there has something cool they would like to share. I'll likely build something soon and happy to share what I build as well.

Thanks!
Happy 2024!!!
Andrew

I

 

[3stepdrop]

Where is the best place to source one of these Jazzy motorized chairs? Facebook marketplace? Ebay?

 

[roadrunner20]

Where is the best place to source one of these Jazzy motorized chairs? Facebook marketplace? Ebay?

I found mine on Craigslist from a company that was going out of business & had several units discounted aggressively. Tagged at $1499, offered at $550 on Craigslist. I offered $300, got it for $400. Like new condition. There are deals out there.

 

[wirejock]

Where is the best place to source one of these Jazzy motorized chairs? Facebook marketplace? Ebay?

Look for a Jazzy Elite. Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
I got mine for $200 and the owner threw in two brand new batteries.

 

[rockwoodrv9]

I built an adapter for my new Jazzy tug to repurpose my bogi bar. I mounted it into the square tubing that once supported the foot pad.
I was able to try it out today across grass to my concrete slab & it worked great. No need for a steering handle as the remote does it all. When traveling, I can disconnect the bogi bar & use it remotely. Later, I'm going to the reuse the square tubing I removed, to make a more permanent adapter. But for now, it's working fine.
View attachment 102058

I spent a lot of time welding up a contraption to hook to the plane and I still have to get down on my knees to attach. It is crap. This is such a simple solution. I will do this today!! Thanks.

 

[roadrunner20]

I spent a lot of time welding up a contraption to hook to the plane and I still have to get down on my knees to attach. It is crap. This is such a simple solution. I will do this today!! Thanks.

Just a heads up. The setup was too long from the pivot point & it created a jack knifing on the copper stem adapter. It was way too soft to absorb the jack knife. I'm looking at a welding option closer to the unit. I should have it in a few days & will share the info.

 

[wirejock]

Just a heads up. The setup was too long from the pivot point & it created a jack knifing on the copper stem adapter. It was way too soft to absorb the jack knife. I'm looking at a welding option coser to the unit. I should have it in a few days & will share the info.

Mine is a 1-7/8" ball attached to the square steel where the foot rest is attached. The hitch has a pipe inserted into the Bogi Bar. I think it's too long, but maybe I just need more practice. The ball and hitch works, but keep your legs away from the bar if it jack knifes. That hurts!
I left the chair intact to sit in it while driving. Downside is I get a really mean looks from some folks. Upside is the kids love riding it!

 

[Kyle Boatright]

Would something like this be beneficial in frankensteining a tug?

Amazon.com

 

[wirejock]

Would something like this be beneficial in frankensteining a tug?

Amazon.com

You need differential control to steer it. Maybe someone here has a box to control it.

 

[rockwoodrv9]

Just a heads up. The setup was too long from the pivot point & it created a jack knifing on the copper stem adapter. It was way too soft to absorb the jack knife. I'm looking at a welding option closer to the unit. I should have it in a few days & will share the info.

Thanks. Look forward to seeing it.

 

[Skid]

Mine is a 1-7/8" ball attached to the square steel where the foot rest is attached. The hitch has a pipe inserted into the Bogi Bar. I think it's too long, but maybe I just need more practice. The ball and hitch works, but keep your legs away from the bar if it jack knifes. That hurts!
I left the chair intact to sit in it while driving. Downside is I get a really mean looks from some folks. Upside is the kids love riding it!
View attachment 102585

Larry,
I went through many iterations of using the Bogert bar, short, long, heavy bar, etc. and finally threw in the towel. I ended up designing a fork using 1" sq tubing and welding it to the adjustable bracket for the foot plate. I tried a bicycle cable to actuate the fork but it kept failing, I switched to a linear actuator, it works great. I had some drawings I created but have not updated them since the original design, breaking my own rule.
I also added a handle to allow me to put pressure on the wheels as the floor is slippy, it also aids in steering. With a little practice I have been able to get the RV backed into the hangar without jackknifing.

 

[CJT]

I built an adapter for my new Jazzy tug to repurpose my bogi bar. I mounted it into the square tubing that once supported the foot pad.
I was able to try it out today across grass to my concrete slab & it worked great. No need for a steering handle as the remote does it all. When traveling, I can disconnect the bogi bar & use it remotely. Later, I'm going to the reuse the square tubing I removed, to make a more permanent adapter. But for now, it's working fine.
View attachment 102058

Does it have enough traction to move on a gentle slope?

 

[roadrunner20]

Yes, I move my RV7 off grass. The only thing I'm going to change is to add a T-handle to enable some downward pressure. At times. The main tug tires want to spin.

 

[alaskabearhawk]

Here's a video that documents the build of my taildragger tug that I made from a Jazzy Elite HD:

 

[DanH]

Even the repo man can't hook and go this quick:

https://www.danhorton.net/Misc/Powered%20Towbar/Tailwheel%20Tug%20Action.mp4

 

[wirejock]

I'm making progress on Lucy Tug. Ver 4.0 seems to be a workable design. This one is a auto dolly. It works like a Lazy Susan.

All the work has been on the cheap. Probably why none worked. I'm trying to make the Jazzy Elite work with minimal modification. The problem with Ver 1.0- Ver 3.0 was trying to steer the castoring nose wheel backwards. Ver 1.0 was a 2" hitch connected to the Bogi Bar. That failed miserably. Ver 2.0 was a home made fork attached to the Jazzy. Better but still difficult to control pushing. Ver 3.0 we won't talk about. All three wanted to jack knife.

I will post when it's done unless I fail and move on to Ver 5.0.

 

[Scotty]

Lightweight travel E-tug 3D printed around a compact winch motor/wheel for what my 6yo knows as airplane robot.

 

[rockwoodrv9]

This is on my 9A. It isnt perfect, the wheels spin, and the hook up to the plane still require me to get down on my knees and manually insert the pipes into the slots but it does work. I need to figure out how to keep the wheels from spinning and learn how to drive it better! I am a crappy driver. The geometry of the nose wheel is very difficult for me to control going in reverse. It has the power to move a 10 I believe but you would have to put different tires on to keep them from spinning.

I bought a used mobility scooter and did minimal work. Basically I just took the seat off and mounted the bar from an old satellite dish, welded up 1x2 in the front and drilled holes for a pipe to go into the wheel. I eventually want to fine tune it but havent gotten around to it yet. Maybe next winter!

 

[rockwoodrv9]

Lightweight travel E-tug 3D printed around a compact winch motor/wheel for what my 6yo knows as airplane robot.

Can you post more info on your tug? It looks nice and I think a better design than what I built. Thanks

 

[Scotty]

Can you post more info on your tug? It looks nice and I think a better design than what I built. Thanks

Hi, sure added the only other pic have taken. Just not much else to show- atv winch wired to handle mounted pmw. About 30-50% power is fast enough and powered by a 20ah LiFe. Basically press down on handle about 20lb and lever action provides good tire grip. With the tight/rigid tubes, steering is same as with my Bogi bar and spent slightly less with all new materials.