What Tug to Get
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- Soareyes
- 4 Diamonds Member
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- First Name: Dan
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Re: What Tug to Get
I had a Sidewinder for a year and a half but only used it on my DA42 maybe ten times because the plane was parked outside. It worked fine. As of five days ago I now have a hangar (High Five!). I splurged and bought a PowerTow SuperTow 1:
https://www.powertow.com/supertow-aircraft-tug.html
First impressions:
Less bending over and fiddling around than trying to get the Sidewinder on and off. Better for my aging back. Just chock one of the wheels and drive the tug under the nose wheel. The tug scoops up the wheel and locks in place automatically. No winch required. Later, pull a lever and back the tug out from under.
Gas powered is not as nice as battery but they make it easy with toe-tap push button electric start.
The lazy Susan is nice. Turn 90 degrees if you want, the nose wheel stays straight. Leave it hooked up in the hangar, rotated to one side to avoid the door.
The SuperTow is slooow. Good for going in and out of the hangar but slower than a normal walk. Going over to the fuel pumps I find myself pulling, trying to go a little faster.
I plan to keep the Sidewinder around for back-up but use the SuperTow 1 for regular use.
https://www.powertow.com/supertow-aircraft-tug.html
First impressions:
Less bending over and fiddling around than trying to get the Sidewinder on and off. Better for my aging back. Just chock one of the wheels and drive the tug under the nose wheel. The tug scoops up the wheel and locks in place automatically. No winch required. Later, pull a lever and back the tug out from under.
Gas powered is not as nice as battery but they make it easy with toe-tap push button electric start.
The lazy Susan is nice. Turn 90 degrees if you want, the nose wheel stays straight. Leave it hooked up in the hangar, rotated to one side to avoid the door.
The SuperTow is slooow. Good for going in and out of the hangar but slower than a normal walk. Going over to the fuel pumps I find myself pulling, trying to go a little faster.
I plan to keep the Sidewinder around for back-up but use the SuperTow 1 for regular use.
Current: DA42-V1
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- dmloftus
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Re: What Tug to Get
I love my Aerotow Lil' Sherman. The name is fitting, it's like a tank. Incredibly strong, great traction, and adapts well to the Diamond. I have a reasonable grade up to my hangar, then a cement lip and door rails. I put down plywood slats to ease the transitions, and this tug pushes it like a feather. The controls are amazing, you can bump the forward/back switch to make fine adjustments as you line up with the nose gear. Runs off of 2 12V batteries and a 2 channel charger. Strongly recommend it.
https://www.amigoaerotow.com/tugs/
https://www.amigoaerotow.com/tugs/
-
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Re: What Tug to Get
I second that review....have had mine for over a year now and really like it. Very well made and a reasonable price
- dmloftus
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Re: What Tug to Get
BTW, there is another thread on this exact topic. I thought I had already responded to this topic, but it turns out the other thread has the exact same name, with a ? at the end, "What tug to get?"
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7001
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7001
Re: What Tug to Get
Best Tugs are exactly what the name implies. They are the BEST. I had a nose gear flat on the taxiway 2 miles from the hanger. With some assistance from airport staff I got the A5 tug from the hanger and walked the plane back the entire 2 miles! The battery still read 54%! Im a fan and they are the nicest people!
- dant
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Re: What Tug to Get
Does anyone have a favorite tug that collapses in to a car trunk well? I'm unlikely to get a hangar for some time, and my new tiedown (no longer east tie downs! I have a bathroom now!) has enough of a grade that I've pulled muscles already.
The little gocart one looks neat but 4 grand?!
The little gocart one looks neat but 4 grand?!
- photoSteveZ
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Re: What Tug to Get
I have two Sidewinders, one for an A36 Bonanza and the other for a DA62; the former has been in service for over four years and the latter, about a year. The DA62 being heavier, it really loads down the drive (I get only two round trips out of the hangar before it needs a charge).
My concrete ramp slopes uphill slightly when pushing back into the hangar. I've had no problems with either Sidewinder and am still using the original battery packs for both.
- tjmoody
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Re: What Tug to Get
This reminds me that I should have posted about my Sidewinder experience since the motor seized. I was able to buy a replacement Milwaukee motor unit online while I was waiting for Milwaukee to repair/replace the original unit. In about six weeks I received the repaired motor back and it was covered under warranty by Milwaukee/no charge. So now I have a backup motor in my hangar which gives me piece of mind if I have another issue.photoSteveZ wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:10 pmI have two Sidewinders, one for an A36 Bonanza and the other for a DA62; the former has been in service for over four years and the latter, about a year. The DA62 being heavier, it really loads down the drive (I get only two round trips out of the hangar before it needs a charge).
My concrete ramp slopes uphill slightly when pushing back into the hangar. I've had no problems with either Sidewinder and am still using the original battery packs for both.
- Lou
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Re: What Tug to Get
My hangar landlord has this tug, and I agree it does not work well unmodified. For my plane he modified it in his fabrication shop so we have two separate hub connection points - one for his P210 Centurion, one for the DA40. They don’t conflict either. Now it works pretty well. I’ll try to remember to take a photo next time I am out.
- Rich
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Re: What Tug to Get
After owning it for 20-odd years I gave away my gas-powered PowerTow to a couple who recently bought their first plane (a Grumman Traveler - also a free-catering nosewheel) and mentioned they could use one. I've been using the electric-powered one I bought used several years ago and wasn't using this one.
So why give it away? Well, it was just taking up space in my barn and I couldn't imagine taking any money for it. It's 20 years old and has suffered severe neglect in the form of a couple of cycles of several years of non-use. It still works (after cleaning out the fuel system) but I'm not confident how long it will continue to do so. I changed the oil in it and to say it looked nasty is an understatement .
So why give it away? Well, it was just taking up space in my barn and I couldn't imagine taking any money for it. It's 20 years old and has suffered severe neglect in the form of a couple of cycles of several years of non-use. It still works (after cleaning out the fuel system) but I'm not confident how long it will continue to do so. I changed the oil in it and to say it looked nasty is an understatement .
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5