[IslandAV8R]

The hangar I'm using has an apron with enough downward slope that makes it challenging to push the airplane back into the hangar. I have seen winch designs that use the tail tie down ring as the "pull point", but the RV-7A doesn't seem to be designed for this. Does anyone have experience using a winch to pull the RV-7A with the tail tie down ring? I recently saw a design in EAA's Sport Aviation mag that attached the winch to the tow bar (where the tow bar connects to the front wheel). Any experience with this? Thanks!!

 

[turbosaaber]

I saw someone built a tow bot...seems like that would give you greater control...

do a search on tow bot on this site for some interesting ideas. I know commercial bots are rather pricey. I think Mel uses a winch at the back of his hangar to pull his plane in as you described if you want to go that route...

good luck

 

[VexRV8]

No experience with it, but electric versions exist that you can buy, or possibly fab into what you are looking for.

''The Boss'' Tail Dragger by Minimax Plane Tugs

Minimax drill-powered The Boss tail dragger tugs are made with all steel construction, enclosed gearbox & automatic brake. Portable plane tugs Made in USA.

www.minimaxtugs.com

You could create a dolly of sorts for the tail to rest on, and have the winch attach to that.

 

[MacCool]

I am told, and my A&P opines, that tail tie-down rings are designed for vertical loads, not horizontal, and that towing by the tail ring is a very bad idea. I not only had a slight uphill rise to overcome but also have to deal with snow and ice. I've tried a lot of things to easily get my airplane back into the hangar, including winching backward from the Bogert tow bar attached to the rear of the nose wheel, winch anchored to an embedded floor ring at the back of the hangar, but all have been less than ideal. The ultimate solution for me turned out to be a Best Tugs Alpha 2. THAT solution has met all of my needs except for budgetary. It cost 3.5 AMU's, but....

 

[D-Dubya]

I had a friend that rigged up a winch at the back wall of his hangar next to the floor and attached the cable to a tow bar handle. It would pull the plane in, but he obviously had to push it out. Since it's typically downhill going out, that usually isn't a big deal.

There are several versions of the remote control or hand operated tow gizmos. Those go any which way you want. Pretty cool if your budget allows.

 

[Swingwing]

I have a harbor freight winch I use to pull in my 182 connected to the gear steps. It is horribly slow because it doesn't have a freewheel feature to let the line out. It is power out and power in. I am in the process of building an electric tow bar tug since I don't like the winch. I am copying and improving on these designs.

 

[mikerkba]

The hangar I'm using has an apron with enough downward slope that makes it challenging to push the airplane back into the hangar. I have seen winch designs that use the tail tie down ring as the "pull point", but the RV-7A doesn't seem to be designed for this. Does anyone have experience using a winch to pull the RV-7A with the tail tie down ring? I recently saw a design in EAA's Sport Aviation mag that attached the winch to the tow bar (where the tow bar connects to the front wheel). Any experience with this? Thanks!!

We mounted a harbor freight brand 110 volt winch on the back wall of our group hangar for use when there is ice outside (making the human push difficult) for for a heavy plane (Bonanza or C-22-parachute) with a single human pusher. Extended the control cord by 50 or 60 feet to allow one hand on the towbar and one hand on the winch power. Connect winch cable (also extended with a rope) to tail tiedown, and pull it in. Once inside past ice and door rails, no assist is needed and back to human push. We dont need it often, but it comes in handy a few times a year.

 

[MacCool]

We mounted a harbor freight brand 110 volt winch on the back wall of our group hangar for use when there is ice outside (making the human push difficult) for for a heavy plane (Bonanza or C-22-parachute) with a single human pusher. Extended the control cord by 50 or 60 feet to allow one hand on the towbar and one hand on the winch power. Connect winch cable (also extended with a rope) to tail tiedown, and pull it in. Once inside past ice and door rails, no assist is needed and back to human push. We dont need it often, but it comes in handy a few times a year.

I've tried a lot of different solutions but ultimately bit the bullet and bought a Best Tugs Alpha 2. Very pleased with the results… studded tires make getting a plane in and out through Minnesota snow/ice very straightforward. Much simpler than the winches, cables, and homemade tugs that I had tried before. I have tried winching both from the tail ring (which I was told was bad) and backwards from the nose wheel. Those were unnecessarily complicated and ultimately wasted effort. Should've gone the Best Tugs route the first time.

 

[rockwoodrv9]

My hangar owner has a 14A. It is too heavy to push in with a tow bar. I can barely do my 9A. He has a wall mounted wench and has a strap that hooks around both steps. He uses a remote to control the wench while he uses his tow bar from the front of the plane to guide it in. He has a safety stop on the cable so it can’t pull to far if the remote craps out. It works well for him.

 

[RV7A Flyer]

I wish I had a remote to control my wench . She can be such trouble sometimes...