I currently use my Craftsman lawn tractor to move my Piper Super Cruiser
because I have found it much easier to work on my Legacy with only one
plane in my hangar.  I built a custom tow bar that connects to the main
gear on the Cub and has a 2" trailer hitch on the tow end.  The lawn
tractor has a 2" ball on both the front and the back so I can either tow
or push from either end.

From years of experience, I have fount it is much easier and safer to move
my Cub when the hitch is hooked to the front of the tractor.  This
provides better visibility, but more importantly better maneuverability
because the front wheels turn allowing for better control of the aircraft.
If you take the time to look at other aircraft tugs regardless of the
size, you will notice that this is the preferred configuration.  If you
are going to move a plane a long distance, pulling is the preferred method
because a higher gear is available.

I plan to build a tow bar for my Legacy and use it to push and pull on the
nose gear.  Realizing that I must be careful not to turn the nose gear
past the limits, can anyone think of a reason that I cannot both pull or
push on the nose gear?  My thoughts are that ground handling loads on the
nose gear are insignificant compared to landing and take-off loads.  I
realize that there is a slenderness issue with the tow bar in compression
and that I don't want the tow bar to buckle.  However, assuming I don't
hit anything, I can't imaging the pushing load ever exceeding 100 to 200
pounds assuming I have air in the tires.


Jim Thomas
L2K #166








__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail