What Tug to Get

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Soareyes
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by Soareyes »

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:

SuperTow 1.jpeg
SuperTow 1.jpeg (7.87 KiB) Viewed 3714 times
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

Previous: Hang gliders, Paraglider, DA40(x3), Cessna 150 Aerobat, SR22
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dmloftus
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by dmloftus »

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/
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Pbwears1
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by Pbwears1 »

I second that review....have had mine for over a year now and really like it. Very well made and a reasonable price
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dmloftus
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by dmloftus »

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
kdedmunds

Re: What Tug to Get

Post by kdedmunds »

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!
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dant
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by dant »

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?!
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photoSteveZ
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by photoSteveZ »

tjmoody wrote: Sun Nov 07, 2021 10:55 pm I'm curious if anyone else has had this experience? I spoke the Redline, the manufacturer, and they said for the drill I needed to work with Milwaukee.
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.
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tjmoody
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by tjmoody »

photoSteveZ wrote: Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:10 pm
tjmoody wrote: Sun Nov 07, 2021 10:55 pm I'm curious if anyone else has had this experience? I spoke the Redline, the manufacturer, and they said for the drill I needed to work with Milwaukee.
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.
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.
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Lou
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by Lou »

soarer20 wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 11:37 pm Don't buy this type, this is the one I have and it is very cumbersome and doesn't work very well.
Airplane tugIMG_5526.jpg
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.
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Rich
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Re: What Tug to Get

Post by Rich »

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 :shock: .
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
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