Thread: Tow bar attachment fitting

Although the aircraft is very light, there are times when the need arises to move the plane several hundred feet across possibly sloped areas of a ramp.

I heard that some people tow the plane using ropes tied around the propeller spinner, but I think this may damage the plane and it would be much nicer if we had an attachment point for a tow bar somewhere on the nosegear.

Excellent suggestion.

I often stop at the larger airports where the FBO wants to park you near the FBO entrance and then tow the aircraft away to a remote tie down area later. So far I have by radio convinced them to let me taxi to the tie down area before stopping, but it is always a hassle.

Hi Guys,

Here is a good working tow bar set up.

First you need to get some longer screws for your front wheel-pant. Make them about 1" longer. Then go to the hardware store and buy a piece of white plastic thick walled tubing or buy some white plastic rod and cut it at 1" and drill out the center to fit you new screw. The O.D. should be 1/2" on the rod or plastic. When you put your new longer screw in with your new white plastic stub make sure you locktite it with some blue Locktite. Now go to Aircraft Spruce web page and buy a towbar. It works very well. This is straight forward for the guys with the smaller wheels, if you have the larger wheels you will need to put a slight bow out, by bending the lower towbar limbs to fit around the larger wheel pant.
This is very easy to do.

Roger,

Have you done this and if so do you have pictures?

Roger H

Hi Guys,

Yes and no. I did not want it on my own plane. I have helped install them and they work out just fine. I will have to take some pictures when I go back out to the airport. It is quite easy and takes about ten minutes to do.

Roger,

Which towbar from Spruce fits the extended bolt? I would want the lightest and smallest one which would fit.

Russ

Hi Russ,

This depends a little on which tires you have on your CT. If they are the stock smaller tire then use Cessna part # 13-01800 or Deluxe Cessna part # 13-01540. If you have the larger tires use the Twin Cessna
part #13-01850. You can use the smaller Cessna towbars with the larger tires, but you have to slightly bend them or bow them some in the middle to clear the larger wheel-pant. From what I have read in Aircraft Spruce it looks like several different models would work.