Warbird Information Exchange

Inching closer to actually buying this SNJ and have a question for those who keep their's in a hangar - what do you use to get the airplane in an out of the barn?

I expect that the majority of my flying the first year or two will be solo, so I suspect that pushing ~4500 lbs in and out of the hangar is not so feasible.

Do I need an actual aircraft tug, or does anyone know of any motorized tow-bars that would work?

Thanks!

A friend of mine has a T6 and we use a golf cart to move it around. Works well!

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Rod Schneider
Ball Ground, Ga

1985 El Camino does the job very nicely..........

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
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Large ATV works or a jeep.
Tug works best.
Get a good towbar.
I've repaired more items from ground handling incidents than from flying incidents.
Make sure control lock is connected and isn't worn or mis adjusted. If it pops out in the middle of towing its hard on the steering parts.
Make sure the back of the hangar, like a T hangar, has extra room as the back end will move side to side as the tail wheel rotates from facing forward to facing aft.
Over the years I've seen many tugs that should have been scrapped towing multimillion $ Aircraft.
I've also seen pintle hitches used that wouldn't lock and elevators smashed because the towbar jumped off.
Saw the results of almost removing a nose gear from an Avanti. $650K damage.
I've fixed horizontal tips drug along the metal siding at the rear of the hangar.
I've seen prop blades strike the overhead door.

Just be careful before you can grab the cold one at the end of the day.

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Rich Palmer

Remember an Injured Youth
benstear.org
#64- Stay Strong and Keep the Faith

BOOM BOOM, ROUND ROUND, PROPELLER GO

Don't Be A Dilbert!

Golf cart has enough juice?

Electric or gas powered?

What is the easiest to manuever the airplane? Using the large towbars that attach the the mains, or the kind that lifts the tailwheel off the ground and pushes/pulls from behind?

Electric cart--I've towed the T-6 all over the airport with it, using a towbar that hooks up to the main gear. No trouble at all!

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Rod Schneider
Ball Ground, Ga

A large riding mower less it's horticultural attachments has enough grunt to move a Max Holst Brousard in and out of a hanger on KPAE.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Towbar lugs on the main gear axles.
The uplock rollers hang down off of them.

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Rich Palmer

Remember an Injured Youth
benstear.org
#64- Stay Strong and Keep the Faith

BOOM BOOM, ROUND ROUND, PROPELLER GO

Don't Be A Dilbert!

I made a T-6 tow bar out of 2" square tubing x 10', welded 6" rods on one end and a plate bolted to the other end with a 2" round hole for a pintle hook, worked fine for 24 years.

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I have a buddy who tows his in and out using a two wheel motorized dolly on the tail wheel.

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

By the mains or tail, either way works. You just need to decide which way suits you and you are comfortable with.

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A&P/I.A., A.A.S./Aviation Maintenance technology
Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

I moved mine in and out of the hangar manually, by myself, for six years. I was a quite bit younger then, and liked flying it.

Have a word with Pete, he's made a few P51/T6 tow bars.... & last time I was at his hangar there seemed to be a spare tug or two about the place..

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

A tow hitch mounted to the front of the tug, so you are facing the aeroplane when pushing it back into the hangar is so much easier and safer too.