Aircraft Tow Bars

Like all-terrain vehicles, general aviation airplanes need to be moved about by their pilots while on ground, around airport hangars and on ramps. For aviation crew, moving and hauling aircrafts to get them started is a back-breaking task, and it is where the aircraft tow bar comes in handy. They are also especially helpful for a single-crew pilot and elderly pilots

Aircraft tow bars are designed by aviation engineers and technicians, with inputs from pilots and aviation crew who have first-hand knowledge on what pulling and pushing on the ground entails, and the challenges of moving different kinds and models of aircrafts. Aircraft tow bars must have optimum flexibility and strength because of the precise ground movement that planes demand, as well as guaranteed weight support and cushion mechanisms with the delicate assembly that is being handled.

Two most typical aircraft tow bars are the tail dragger and nose dragger, which attaches themselves to the plane on the rear or the front, respectively. There are also wheel dragger which attach themselves to planes with wheels. Aircraft tow bars have varying power features like manual, gas-powered, motorized and electric, depending on the type of aircraft to be used.

Popular aircraft tow bars fit most general type of general aviation aircraft, and include those for the following: Cessna (telescopic tow bar that attaches to a Cessna nose); Mooney (T-handle with axle); Cherokee (one-piece bar with lock feature); Arrow (offset T-handle for the arrow axle), Beechcraft (compact, fork-designed bar); Piper (two-piece gear with telescopic features); Tailwheel (for aircraft series with tailwheel design); and the Universal tow bar (fits common types of aircrafts).