Aircraft Tug DIY - SAVE THOUSANDS and FLY MORE

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Build a sweet tug / towbar setup for CHEAP, and avoid throwing your back out when you pull your plane!
Have you been looking at sales ads for aircraft tugs and seeing that they cost thousands of dollars!? This video is an example of a workaround that brings you out of the costly norm of aviation and will free up money you can spend on other things!
Follow along with this video and see my setup that cost roughly 1/4 of what the most basic dedicated aircraft tug costs!
In this video:
- modifying a riding lawnmower to put to work as an aircraft tug
- building tow brackets to mount a tow bar to the tug
- making a custom tow bar to pull an airplane with your new tug
- BONUS - building a travel tow bar to take with you on trips
Thank you for watching, and thank you to those of you who like and subscribe to my videos!

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Опубликовано:

22 фев 2023

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Комментарии : 12

@7eis 8 месяцев назад

The key to longevity on a mower is zero maintenance. The second you change the oil or put on fresh tires they'll need major work. Original drive belt works better than replacements too ;)

@planeswithperry 7 месяцев назад

I changed the oil - I'm doomed! Haha

@DurhamFlyer Год назад

You have a very nice setup. I use a lawn tractor to pull my Piper 140 into the hangar. I have a slight incline outside the hangar doors and have to push the airplane “uphill” to get it inside. This is no problem unless there is ice or snow, and it becomes impossible as a one-person operation.

@planeswithperry Год назад

I have a similar problem. The entrance to my hangar has a small concrete curb to go over. I built low profile ramps using plywood that I shaved with a belt sander and covered in sheet metal to add some strength. It made the transition a lot smoother.....smooth enough that I do that part by hand and the rest as you can see is all with the tractor! It's hard to see by the videos but the stretch from my hangar to the paved apron is a gradual uphill stretch. Our tractors are the way to go!

@flyingfamily1203 Год назад

I can't keep traction on terf or it lifts the front wheels off the ground, i have added ~200lbs of steel underneath hung from the deck supports. Pushing a Cessna 175

@planeswithperry Год назад

The nose lifts while pushing with the front? I wonder if you could change your hitch height so the pushing would drive the nose of the tractor into the ground rather than cause it to lift?

@shawnneichelberger6293 4 месяца назад

Great video, curious if you somehow tighten down on the ears of the plane. I would imagine you don't want play or flex in the tow bar when moving the tractor from side to side. I see the cotter pins but I would imagine that would still be a bit of play there correct?

@planeswithperry 4 месяца назад

There's a bit of play there but clamping down on the ears would fix the bar too tightly to the strut in the way that it wouldn't compensate for up/down movement when transitioning between different slopes on the ground and would bend/break the ears off very quickly. The side to side play is minimal and doesn't affect fine control of maneuvering the plane.

@GlenCychosz 2 месяца назад

Larger aircraft are much easier to tow. Cessna 152 is much harder. Go slow and be careful. I worked at a FBO for 6 years.

@planeswithperry 2 месяца назад

I agree, pushing something bigger needs much less input

@spbrink3783 Год назад

Nice video! I have a Cherokee 140 and bought a lawn tractor to push the airplane. I need a towbar for it. How long is the towbar? Luckily, the tractor I bought was already set up for towing with a ball on the front and back. Thanks

@planeswithperry Год назад

Thank you! I think the tow bar is around 5 feet long. I stood in front of my plane and measured where I'd want the tow bar T-handle to be in order to have one hand on the bar and the other one pushing on the blade root of the propeller if needed. I made sure the bar was long enough to mount the hitch ball receiver onto the end beyond that handle.