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<< Lancair Builders' Mail List >>
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For $125, I had a local shop weld a receiver hitch on the front of my
F150 pickup. For about another $25, I made up a tow bar about 4' long that
has a standard 2" ball hitch on one end, and a pair of plates on the other
end that clamp over the towing fitting on the ES. With a little practice,
you can easily push a plane into a hangar within 1" of a centerline you've
painted on the apron. Pull it out with the towbar on the back, push it in
with the towbar up front. Piece of cake.
[BTW, I tried backing the plane in using the rear hitch, and quickly
gave it up. It's like backing a 4-wheel hay wagon, if you've ever tried
that.]
I also used this same towbar setup to tow my ES from where built it to
our local airport, which is about 2 miles down the highway. Had some folks
grumbling while they waited for me, but it worked great up to about 15 mph.
Above that speed, it wanted to "hunt" back and forth, so I just kept it
slow. Didn't hit nuthin' hard, neither, although it was close on one
telephone pole guywire.
One suggestion: If you let the tow bar drop off the truck with it still
connected to the airplane, it hits the nosewheel pant and makes ugly marks
in the paint. Before I trundle N143ES out of its hangar, I'm going to put
a little fold-down tripod on the tow bar, which will make it easier to hook
up, and will save the paint on the wheel pant.
Anyway, for under $200, you can push almost anything around with the
same piece of iron you drove to the airport. Of course, a gentle touch on
the gas pedal is recommended . .. .
Jim Cameron
N143ES reserved (almost flying, sorta)
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LML website: http://www.olsusa.com/mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore: http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair
Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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