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Author Topic: Tow Bar & Tugs  (Read 3530 times)

schrambow

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Tow Bar & Tugs
« on: January 14, 2020, 07:20:03 pm »
Hello,
our 840 came with this tow bar in the baggage compartment.  Just wondering if any of you have this tow bars also, and if so can you use this with a garden tractor to push and pull your bird out?  I was thinking of modifying the hitch on the garden tractor to use this tow bar, but not sure if this tow bar was designed to push and pull with something motorized or just for steering with manual pushers on the main gear?
I have a motorized tug (T2V2) with studs for our mild winters here,  but I need to add some weight to this tug as if there is ice and snow it does good, but with the studs on, if its bare concrete-especially polished concrete, it tends to slip here and there.
Just wondering your thoughts on this tow bar that came with this bird that i could use as an alternate in this inbetween weather?

donv

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2020, 10:29:42 pm »
I'm pretty sure that tow bar came with the airplane when it was new. Isn't there a bracket for it in the baggage?

Sadly, my airplane lost it's tow bar long ago.

In the "standard accessories" list, it's listed as "Combination Tow Bar and Tail Stand."

schrambow

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2020, 11:06:19 pm »
Yes, it has a bracket in baggage and stands vertical.
Ok, it does have a pin in one side and makes sense for a tail stand i suppose.
Just not sure it would take pulling and pushing other than a person pulling or pushing on the nose with it, even though it lists as a tow bar in the accessorys you listed.
Compared to the fbo's type of tow bars it seems kind of light duty, compared to commander type of engineering?

donv

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2020, 11:13:38 pm »
I wouldn't use it with a tug, no. I think it's for hand use only.

donv

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2020, 12:15:26 am »
From the 980 AFM...

Bruce Byerly

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2020, 10:20:50 am »
Corey - They barely work for hand use. Putting power behind it would be the end of it I think. Handy though when you have 3 guys to move the plane.

I’d recommend a standard “Joy Bar.”  They are the best imho. The orange scissor type units from Aerospecialties work fine too but have a bunch more moving parts and I don’t think they are much lighter.

schrambow

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2020, 12:56:44 pm »
thank you Don and Bruce, that is what i was thinking also, but just wanted to hear it from guys like you.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I will not use this tow bar with any power machine
corey
« Last Edit: January 15, 2020, 04:02:36 pm by schrambow »

JMA

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2020, 02:29:03 pm »
Still have that tow bar!  Many times as a kid, we had to do the manual labor and push (via the props)!  Sometimes we just used the thrust reverse's and backed it up!

donv

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Re: Tow Bar & Tugs
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2020, 10:36:53 pm »
I only used that tow bar to steer the nose, and only very rarely at that. I haven't had one in the 8+ years I've had my 980, and I can't say that I've missed it even once.