tow bar design help

[beeryboats]

I need help with a new tow bar design. My current bar that came with my mod. IV is a large heavy cumbersome affair that is made for over the road use. I keep my plane folded up in my barn and to get it out I have to jack up the tail to slide the bar under the tailwheel. Then I let it down to get the jack out of the way so I can rotate the bar fore and aft. Then I jack it up again to hook the bar up to the lower fuselage tubes. Once it's all hooked the plane I can jack it even higher to put in on the ball hitch on my Polaris UTV. It's a pain in the neck. With the wings folded you don't have enough rudder throw to kick the tailwheel into full caster, but you can cheat it with a small screw driver. Has anyone designed a tow bar that attaches firmly enough to tow with my UTV but don't have to jack the airplane up? I just don't know how stout those lower longerons are. I heard the tail is pretty lightly built. But I'm just looking for something to tow around the airport, not on the road.
Thanks
Jay

[t j]

Jay, there is a fellow that does a seminar at Oskosh about towing his kitfox around the country in an enclosed Trailer. He uses a tiny two wheel trailer as a tail wheel dolly to tow it to the different airports he stops near. Would this work for you.

Link to one of his Threads on team Kitfox https://teamkitfox.com/Forums/threads/9744-Sun-N-Fun-Kitfox-Forums-2019

AOPA article with video and photos https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/march/pilot/some-assembly-required

[rv9ralph]

I have been thinking about this post since I read it. I have the original tow bar, so I know of what you speak. I guess the first thing in designing a new tow bar is to articulate what you need it for. What restrictions you may have and how far/over what surfaces you plan to tow your Kitfox. If you just want to be able to move it around the ramp/hangar certain designs could work. If you are wanting it for over the road use, there are many other considerations that come into play.

In whatever scenario you plan, the two fuselage pass through tubes are perfect for attaching you Kitfox to some sort of towing apparatus. If you can specify what you have in mind I'm sure the collective thoughts of this forum can come up with some ideas.

Ralph

[beeryboats]

Ralph,
I'm looking for something to pull and push it out of the barn, slightly uphill. Just towing around the field, no street use. I think it would be perfect to be able to attach it to the aircraft without jacking it up. Once it was attached it would be fine to be able to lift it up to a trailer hitch. But could you have a tow bar that attaches to just one side of the fuselage? Or would it have to be a long two sided fork? Maybe I can take what I have and cut out the cross braces and put a bend in it so it can be attached without jacking? I could slide it in from the rear, attach with the pins, and still keep the tailwheel on the ground until I pick it up and put in on the hitch? This has all just come into my mind as I typed this. I've got to take another look at this, that may just work!

[rv9ralph]

So... some other issues. The weight on the tail with the wings out is around 35-50 pounds, depending on the model. The weight with the wings folded is closer to 200 pounds. Do you plan on having the wings folded when maneuvering. Will you put the plane on the towing device with the wings out, then fold. With the wings folded, the wings extend beyond the tailwheel by about 4 feet. This distance you will have to accommodate with the control of the device.

If money is not an issue, Best Tugs makes a low profile, self lifting model. If money is an issue, fabrication and innovation will have to dominate the decision.

Let's see if anyone comes up with an idea. I have some concepts, but need to refine some.

Ralph

[t j]

If you can't set the tail up on a dolly before you fold the wings, you can scoop up the tail after you fold the wings.

https://i.imgur.com/aUfzhhN.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8PpRjAl.jpg

[t j]

Maybe you can get some ideas from the snowmobiliers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ANj7N0fP_U

[beeryboats]

If you can't set the tail up on a dolly before you fold the wings, you can scoop up the tail after you fold the wings.

https://i.imgur.com/aUfzhhN.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8PpRjAl.jpg
My dad built one like that for his Vagabond. It got away from him somehow and almost took him out!

[beeryboats]

So... some other issues. The weight on the tail with the wings out is around 35-50 pounds, depending on the model. The weight with the wings folded is closer to 200 pounds. Do you plan on having the wings folded when maneuvering. Will you put the plane on the towing device with the wings out, then fold. With the wings folded, the wings extend beyond the tailwheel by about 4 feet. This distance you will have to accommodate with the control of the device.

If money is not an issue, Best Tugs makes a low profile, self lifting model. If money is an issue, fabrication and innovation will have to dominate the decision.

Let's see if anyone comes up with an idea. I have some concepts, but need to refine some.

Ralph

I need to keep the wings folded to get it out of the barn. And I want to be able to hook it up with the tail wheel on the ground. After that it would be nice to lift it up on the tail wheel onto a trailer hitch. I was wondering if you could cut out the center cross supports on my existing tow bar and slip it in from the back?