Tug for moving 15-20 C172s every morning

Patrojv

Patrojv

Filing Flight Plan
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Mar 2, 2014
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Patrojv
Hi, we ran a flight school, every morning we need to move 15-20 C172s - C182s between 150-250 yards. What tug would do this in the most efficient way? Speed and budget into consideration.

Thanks for the help!
 
Local fbo does this for the flight school but with archers. They use an older jd gator retrofitted with car tires. I assume they did the math and found that to be the best balance of speed vs cost.

I would be inclined to try a 48v golf cart. That's what I use as a tug and I love it. Very maneuverable, pretty cheap, and useful as a runabout. I've made several trips to the mx shop, which is about a half mile, without a charge and never seen the charge gauge move. It's also light enough to push/pull that last inch or two.
 
That many would make the Alpha3 Best Tug the best value IMO. Plus it is the fastest way to do it with no bending over or on or off a ride on tug. I can hook it up in 5-10 seconds, their nice.
I have had one for 4 years now. Highly recommended. The flight school here at my airport uses one also.
 
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IF they all have the same nose wheels? An A3 might work. You’d be stretching the battery life with that many planes but if the pulls are short? Maybe. In the nose wheels vary? The BestTugs Bravo may be a better choice.
 
Jim K said:
Local fbo does this for the flight school but with archers. They use an older jd gator retrofitted with car tires. I assume they did the math and found that to be the best balance of speed vs cost.

I would be inclined to try a 48v golf cart. That's what I use as a tug and I love it. Very maneuverable, pretty cheap, and useful as a runabout. I've made several trips to the mx shop, which is about a half mile, without a charge and never seen the charge gauge move. It's also light enough to push/pull that last inch or two.
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I’d suggest this, but with a gas cart. Electric Is nice, but not for all day, everyday use. Or when operated by idiots…
 
FlyingElvii said:
I’d suggest this, but with a gas cart. Electric Is nice, but not for all day, everyday use. Or when operated by idiots…
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I'm not convinced the centrifugal clutch in a gas cart would hold up very long. It would also be jerky, which is my complaint about an atv/utv, although as I mentioned above my fbo seems to get along fine.

I agree that an electric cart probably wouldn't be able to go all day moving planes, but if it's getting 15 out in the morning and putting them away at night, I'm confident it'd be fine. You could even charge during the day if you had to.

I'd want electric, hydrostatic (small tractor), or a traditional tug with an automatic transmission, purely for the smoothness so you're not jerking the planes around. An actual tug would be overkill for a light single, but might be the cheapest option.
 
A big consideration will be hookup and release.
You want a system you can see well and hookup from the seat without scraping the wheel pants.
20 x 250 yards x 2 (out and back) =12 miles each morning and night.
Speed will be important too.
You also need something rated to tow 2000-3000lbs 4,300 miles a year.
My Powertow 40 ez while great wouldn’t cut it.
 
IMO the Alpha3 has engough battery power to move 20 planes 300' in the morning. It probably has enough power to move them back in the afternoon. Then plug in during the night or middle of the day if need be.
I use mine to pull my plane up to the gas pumps which is way over 300' away every so often. It has a good comfortable walking speed about twice as fast as a powertow 40 and no bending over while towing the plane. And like I said it could not be easier to clamp on to a 172 or 182.
I plug mine in about once a month to charge but I am not moving 20 planes a day but the FBO does at my airport. I never see it plugged in during the day as it sit's outside the FBO door by the bathroom.
 
For a private guy or small commercial operation a hand operated tug has FAR BETTER maneuverability than any vehicle can provide. I jockey my two planes around regularly using an A3, and can easily get wing tips to just a couple of inches from walls or shelves. I have a tow bar and 4 wheeler, too. No contest for which I choose to use. The potential downfall of the A3 is the axle clamp’s ability to easily fit multiple airplanes. My Cub and C-180 both ise wide forks so I can grab either plane without adjusting anything. If one had a standard fork? It would be a pain.

Mine’s 4 years old. It needed new batteries about a month ago. It uses cheap AGM batteries. I’d think those could be upgraded easily enough for extended use. Not important for my use.
 
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Cheap and easy.....Hydro static JD is my recommendation.
 

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A Lektro tug. No towbar needed, fast and efficient.
 

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