There’s a good distance between my hangar and turf runway and I prefer to tow the airplane as opposed to taxiway up a long hill on a less than perfect turf taxiway. I normally don’t do anything more than mow and pack some dirt in the badger holes before I’m flying.

Several years ago, I owned a 7ECA. For towing it I welded a tow bar that bolted solid to the drawbar on a 40 hp tractor. This tow bar extended backward from the tractor’s drawbar a couple feet, and the airplane end of it did not rest on the ground. I simply lifted the tail of the airplane and set it into the tail wheel mount on the tow bar, and then secured the tail wheel with a ratchet strap. Then I could easily tow my airplane out to the runway.

I recently bought a C180, and my old tow bar won’t work with this larger airplane for a couple reasons. So I’ve been looking around for a simple design that would work for the C180. I came across the following tow bar listed for sale by a couple ecommerce vendors. It might work for me with the addition of a strap to keep the tail wheel secure to the tow bar.

Does anyone have other examples of tow bars for turf?

these are also great lawn mowers and snow pushers. Never get off the seat.

If the tow bar is to pick up the tailwheel, in order to turn and maneuver easily, the axle of the tow bar (about which it turns) needs to be as close to the tailwheel vertical pivot on the aircraft as practicable. The design shown in blue will not turn and maneuver easily due to the distance between the two points of rotation. Take a look at the "Taildragger dragger", that and it's variants is a far better design.



For my Husky, I made a clamp on towbar with both 2" ball coupler and interchangeable handle (similar to the "bogie bar".http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/p ... gibars.php

I pretty much copied Bogert's bogie bar design as far as the over-center bar spreader lever goes, as on the link above, but mine has Delrin bushings on the ends that clamp onto the tailwheel axle bolt. The bushings protect the finish on my AKB baby bushwheel. The bar is welded up so the clamp on ends are narrower than the tailwheel axle. The spreader levers them apart so they can be placed over the axle ends

bumper

Thanks gentlemen for the great examples. I see your point, bumper, about the placement of the pivot point in relation to the tail wheel.