So awhile back I had this tow bar made based off a larger one we use in AG planes. I think it works pretty good.



I hangar in a lean to without a door and dirt floor. It gets a little soft in the winter or wet seasons. I also have our farm shop across the creek that I use for maintenance. It's 100'x60' and so happens to have a 40' hydro swing door. (Conveniently planned by my dad who owns a Citabria) It's a rough and steep lane to get to the shop and grass runways. The tow bar securely moves the C-180 with ease. Keyword "securely"

I pull it with a little John Deere 4720 that gets used on the farm with a finishing mower and runs a grain auger. It's heavy enough the 180 doesn't push it around on the slopes.



Thankfully at my hangar I can get 91 octane ethanol free delivered to my 300 gal barrel. My last tank just recently was $3.82 delivered. That was when 87 oct was $3.20 at the pumps.



It's not the perfect set up by any means. The dirt floor gets things really dirty. But it's nice having your airplane in your backyard.

Here's a picture of the tool shed with the 40' door. I'm working on dad to let me park in here all winter, climate controlled

Nice setup. Noticed you are not that far from my farm in Illinois (south/east of Champaign). Do any spraying in that area?

Steve

We do some spraying for the Ehler Bros at Rantoul. Don't do much in that area otherwise. The company I fly for is based in Wakarusa, IN. So it's a little stretch to do much in the area.

You'll have to stop by the strip sometime or meet up this winter. Hoping to get back in the field sat/sun. Around 1.5" of rain this last round.

Cool! I have always wanted one like that. They seem to be common on the big tail draggers like dusters and warbirds. I can't tell how you attach it... A sleeve over an axle nut?

When Del Ehler used to have the spray plane, they would use my strip when in the area. Eight years ago I moved to Canada, decided after a year it was too much hassle/expense to keep the 182 just to make 2-3 trips a year to the farm, so sold it and plowed up the strip. I kept the 185 and put it on straight floats.

We had a little over 2 inches of rain in the last 2 weeks (not as much as many), but have not moved a tap since Sunday night, am going to give corn a try later today, but know I won't be happy with the mud. Have been down here since the first of September trying to get the crop out, have made progress, but still have a pile to do. After the last field is harvested I will hit the road and go home (hopefully before the end of moose season). I will try to meet up with you next spring when I come back down for planting.

Steve

PAMR MX wrote:Cool! I have always wanted one like that. They seem to be common on the big tail draggers like dusters and warbirds. I can't tell how you attach it... A sleeve over an axle nut?

Looks like the same set-up a buddy used to have on his 180-- a set of tow eyes off a Cessna L19 that attach via the axle bolts. He not only used his for towing, but they made for a handy spot to place a floor jack for tire changes etc-- no paint-scarring jack pad required.

I built one like this for my dad. I've thought about marketing them, since I have a good model to build from. Would anyone be interested in one of these with a set of L19 rings for the gear legs?

180BarkinWagon wrote: So awhile back I had this tow bar made based off a larger one we use in AG planes. I think it works pretty good. ......

I'm curious what the t-handle is on the top of each arm of the towbar rig. Looks like it's for adjusting or clamping down on something, except nothing's there.

The t-handles pull up, they're spring loaded, then the inner tube slides out to be hooked to the plane. From there you can move forward to lock them in. It basically makes it easier to hook up without getting the exact distance right. The tractors a little heavy to move back and forth.

Ahh...pretty clever.

Aeropod - This is an older thread that I just came across. It would be helpful to have a tow bar for the mains for my 185. You asked if someone would be interested back in 2014. Do you still have any interest/parts/drawings/dimensions? Interested in sharing/selling? I'm in Seattle.
Thanks,
Greg

G2Gorder wrote:Aeropod - This is an older thread that I just came across. It would be helpful to have a tow bar for the mains for my 185. You asked if someone would be interested back in 2014. Do you still have any interest/parts/drawings/dimensions? Interested in sharing/selling? I'm in Seattle.
Thanks,
Greg

I've still got it on the potential projects pile but I've been fighting other things. I may be able to get some measurements in a few days, but I don't think they are critical.

Thanks. Good luck on the other battles.

Anybody know whether the L19 has the same gear spacing as a 185? I kind of doubt it, but one never knows. Looking for a towbar for the 185 using main gear lugs. I have never seen the attachment method and the photos in this thread are long gone apparently. Thanks.

I would be interested in either a bar or the drawings. The ones they use for T6s are usually heavier than I need for a 185. There are a bunch of T6s at my airport.

I use the L19 tow lugs on my 180, and made a tow bar out of 1" round tube. It works great, I use an ATV to pull it out of the hangar.