Just purchased the Skyline Aviation Nose Dragger electric tow. Before I bug them I thought I would see if anyone is using them.
With some adjustments seems to lock onto from wheel and works fine to tow backwards and forward. But cannot work out how to turn, as soon as I do it just jumps out of the nose wheel, are the small castors meant to lock onto the tire sidewall ?
If anyone could post there experiences or give me 10mins on the phone to explain. I would be very grateful.
Robert
PS SR20 moved to its new home on an airpark - hangar built and the house has been framed not long before we can move in.
You need to tell them that you have a Cirrus and need the “bars” to replace the casters. It works very well. Mention my name if they don’t seem to remember. If that doesn’t work (many people often deny knowing or having met me), let me know and I’ll find a camera and send pics.
Their mods to the basic unit include lowering it so it has more clearance around the wheel fairing.
I love mine. Easy one person operation and no scratches. Also one of the cheaper ones aout there.
I purchased the Skyline NoseDragger back in Oshkosh and after a long delay receiving the unit still don’t have it working successfully.
Skyline tell me they have many happy Cirrus customers - and they have tried to help out but at this point I’m begining to wonder where I’m going wrong.
Basically the unit grabs the tire only, with a bar at the front and back of the tire, and small castors along the sides. The problem I have is the castors are too far apart so they are at the ends of the tire instead of in the middle and about 1/4 inch from the side of the tire. Net result is any turning motion means the tire jumps out.
Skyline sent me some new brackets which moved the castors closer to the sides of the tire but not closer enough.
Is anyone out there using this unit successfully - and if so what is the gap between the castors - mine is 4.25 inches. May be I have a narrow tire on my SR20
Hope all this makes sense - this is just begining to drive me
crazy.
More details please. What IS the cost? Where do you get it? Does it do well pushing uphill? Does it go over lips at the front of ahngers OK? How much does it weigh?
Yes, but my model was made specifically for the SRxx. It does away with the casters (2 on eacd side) and replaces them with a single horizontal bar on each side. There is more friction due to the bar, but I have not seen any wear issues as a result.
I will try to post pics if i can borrow my sons digital camera…
I really like it. It was cheaper than the others is as easy as possible to attach or disengage and virtually impossible to scratch the wheel fairings.
I discussed the option you have with Skyline and it is a one off they did for you. They claim the standard version should now fit. It would be really useful if you could measure the gap between the bars that you have, then I know what I should be aiming for. I understand they have made a couple of manufacturing changes which may have caused this problem.
The reason I have persisted with the Nosedragger is it seems like a great option, easy to attached, does not attach around the wheel pant etc.
I’ll measure, but the fit is not tight. There is a little play between the bars and the tire. I would like a little less as the control of the plane would me slightly more precise. A guess would be that the ideal distance should be the tire width plus 1/16 to 2/3 of an inch.
What IS the cost? $834, plus shipping a battery and charger. I think we’re talking under $950 overall and they have offered COPA members a 10% discount.
Does it do well pushing uphill? Mine works fine for a very minor uphill - grading for drainage. It seems to have plenty of power to spare. If the hill is pretty steep, the one weakness of the latching mechanism is that it uses rollers in front and behind the wheel to grab the tire. While this has never happened to me, I could imagine the nose wheel trying to jump over the rollers. The less weight on the nose wheel, the more likely. I would call them and ask. I have a friend who uses his to move a Cherokee 6 up a small ramp, 4" elevation over a 4’ to 6’ length, with no problems.
Does it go over lips at the front of hangers OK? I have no experience, but I think it will do as well as any unit in that regard. Traction is by one wheel, which you place your weight on to increase traction.
How much does it weigh? ??? I wouldn’t want to carry it if that’s an answer. I would guess about 30 lbs plus the battery. With the unit assembled, including the battery, it took two of us to load it into a truck at my house for the trip to the airport. This was as much due to bulk as it was dead weight.
It also has rollers at the front (away from the handle) which make it faster to move around without the airplane attached, than by using the electric motor. A nice feature that I don’t believe the others have.
I’ve seen the Power Tow and Aero Tow used on an SR22, and I like the Nose Dragger better only because the latching mechanism, which in my opinion is easier and almost a one hand operation. The tug which has a neutral and a fully adjustable speed control is the best for maneuvering the unit. The Nose Dragger has three speeds: forward, reverse and stop.
Is the speed variable in the forward and reverse positions? Yes, as long as you want full speed! [:)] The real answer is, “No,” but the speed is about 1/2 walking speed so it has not been an issue for me and I have about 18" average clearance in each wingtip.
Does the battery need recharging with each use? How long DOES it go between charges? I really don’t know. I have never run into the circumstance where it even appears to be losing power. My usage is typically just to take it out of the hangar about 2-3 airplane lengths and then after the flight, push it back in about a similar distance. The most usage has been several pulls totalling about 1/2 mile in one afternoon. I noticed not degredation in performance or power. I have a charger which allows it to be kept on at all times when not in use.
Hope this helps. Mine may be for sale soon. I may be buying a golf cart in submission of my wife’s wishes of better transportation to the FBO where she can get charts, food and use the bathrooms. (I never knew she cared so much about the charts and food!)
