[Flintstone]

What about adapting a caravan mover like this?



If it can shift a caravan surely it'll handle a light aircraft. All I need to do is adapt it to cradle a front or (tail) wheel.

[Keef]

Should work. I've seen a variety of similar things, some very homebrew, some quite slick-looking.

A friend of mine in the USA has a device that hooks round a nose or tailwheel and moves the aircraft by driving that wheel with another wheel, driven in turn by a cordless drill. She can get her Commander out of and into her T-hangar several times on one charge of the drill. She uses two batteries - one in the hangar, the other being recharged.

[Flintstone]

That's a Shifta 3, turns out there's a Shifta 2 and lots of secondhand ones for sale on t'Bay of e. I can feel a project coming on.....

[pb6797]

Keef - like this?

http://shelf3d.com/KnAVL1VN4-M#homemade battery drill powered trailer dolly

I have wondered about those golf cart things ...

One of the other pilots has used a broken invalid carriage to build a powered dolly, unfortunately it's not much use when doing the "shuffle dance" to get everything in at an angle. Still, saves a bit of pushing ...

[Keef]

Keef - like this?

http://shelf3d.com/KnAVL1VN4-M#homemade battery drill powered trailer dolly

Similar, but not as Heath Robinson as that and didn't have its own "ground" wheels. The drill was at the top of a shaft, so the operator could stand normally and see what was happening. The shaft went down to a "jockey wheel" that rotated against the nosewheel of her AC14. I think it locked into the towbar fixing points in some way - I wasn't looking too closely at the details, but the concept was interesting. She was a very petite lady, but could move her aircraft around easily with it.

[PeteSpencer]

I have wondered about those golf cart things ...

...

We use a battery electric golf cart with 50mm tow ball on the front, connected to a 6 ft custom made bisprung towbar by a standard 50 mm tow hitch.

Very effective though knowledge of reversing a caravan is useful. A must for shifting a fully fuelled arrer on wet grass.

I'll take a pic next time I'm at the strip.

Bought it from a well known forumite many years ago and still going strong.

Mains electricity in hangar essential for charging though.

PS while deciding on what type of tow assistance we were going to buy I telephoned half a dozen US manufacturers and suppliers of all manner of methods of powering them (including hand drill powered) but not a single one of them would guarantee they would work on wet/soft grass: Seems the US market caters solely for use on concrete aprons.

Wet grass is where the four wide profile low pressure golf buggy tyres come into their own,,,,

Peter

[Flintstone]

I've been looking at golf buggies too though lacking mains power at the hangar it would have to be petrol engined. Thing is it's not even to move my own aircraft, it's to get a heavier one out of my way. There's even a small tractor in the hangar but the owners don't seem to want to get it running

[Keef]

I've got a nifty little lawn tractor/mower, with a tow connection on the back (if I take off the grassbox). It's powered by a Briggs & Stratton engine. I suspect it would tow an aeroplane if asked. It runs on unleaded; I don't know if it would like Avgas.

A pal of mine has a larger similar thing that he uses to tow a trailer round his estate.

Mr Bay of e has some on offer. A bit of clever welding and you'd have a handy hangar tool!

[PeteSpencer]

The problem is always the down force on the tractor wheels to pull a ton of aeroplane especially on soft/slippery grass: Quite a different kettle of fish to a lawn tractor usual tow which wouldn't weigh anything like a ton.

This is why the yanks wobbled.

Peter

[Keef]

It would certainly require balance weights if pulling a heavy aircraft. In my agricultural youth I remember fitting some hefty lumps to the front of a tractor to balance the stuff hanging off the back (and, maybe, to add traction). I'm sure Marj could brief us on that.

[golfcharlie]

My problem was when there is no help around, to reverse my Jodel on a concrete hangar floor into its slot. There is no hand-hold on the rear fuselage. I found the solution a few weeks back: an Aldi 'Special Offer' furniture removal 12" x 24" wooden trolley with a strong nylon castor at each corner. I cut a detent for the tailwheel and bolted a 1" dia. 4ft steel tube with bike hand grip at an angle of about 30 deg to one end. By myself, I can easily lift the tailwheel onto the trolley, and then pull the combination accurately and slowly rearwards. Total cost £12.

[gaznav]

That's a Shifta 3, turns out there's a Shifta 2 and lots of secondhand ones for sale on t'Bay of e. I can feel a project coming on.....

You have to ask yourself why there are so many on ebay? Have a look at https://www.google.co.uk/#q=site:practicalcaravan.com+mr+shifta
There appears to be some limitations to its use (mainly no good on grass or slopes).

Gaz

[Flyingfemme]

We got some castoring dollies to move Ye Olde Comanche round the hangar. They are amazing and require no lifting. Once on you can spin the aircraft round in a circle and roll it into the tighešt of parking spaces. Sort of like roller skates for aircraft...........
Can't remember the name but they are similar GoJak.

[Bill McCarthy]

Get yer Air Skates on and shift it about with just one finger !

[PeteSpencer]

There seem to be two distinct needs:

One to shift a/c around in mahoosive marble floored hangars to get one's own a/c out from the back: roller skate wheels are fine for this.

Two: to shove one ton's worth of fully fuelled metal off a soft grass strip onto a small concrete apron and thence into a (single occupancy apart from the tractor) hangar.

A bit more beef required in this direction....