Aircraft Tugs

First, determine the max weight of the heaviest plane that you will be moving and the amount of incline you are working on (See: Can these move up an incline).  Once you have determined the effective weight of your plane, choose the next highest capacity unit. The choice between gas and electric will mostly be up to preference (See Should I choose gas or electric for more information). If you are moving any planes with wheel fairings, you will need one of the NFE units to properly and safely attach.

Our NFE-4 and NFE-6 units will come with our NFE Attachment to connect to your wheel fairings. We actively keep stock of attachments for Cirrus, Piper, Cessna, Diamond, Columbia, and Vans aircraft. If you have a different plane not mentioned above, please contact us to see if we have an attachment for your plane.

If you have wheel fairings, the NFE Attachment will connect to the pins or above the wheel, depending on the exact unit. If you do not have fairings, our Strut Strap will wrap around the back of the nosewheel and will connect to the tug’s Winch Hook, which is then used to winch the plane onto the unit’s platform. Our J-Hook accessory allows for an easier attachment by simply attaching the hook to the nosewheel, rather than wrapping a strap around it.

Our NFE-4 and NFE-6 units are designed to work with planes both with and without fairings, using our NFE Attachment and NFE Adapter Plate, respectively. These are simple and easy to swap out as needed. Since our larger tugs are not compatible with wheel fairings, the heaviest plane cannot be heavier than 6,000 lbs for the NFE-6.

The -S, or Stationary, Units have a fixed, stationary load platform that sits close to the ground for easy loading. The -H, or Hydraulic, units have a platform that is equipped with a hydraulic jack, allowing it to be raised up to 7 inches. The raised platform lowers the plane’s tail by about double the amount that the platform is raised (i.e., raising the platform 4 inches will lower the tail approximately 8 inches), allowing the plane to maneuver under low doors or ceilings.