Moving Ski Plane without wheels
My problem in the winter is
getting the plane turned around and backed into the hangar. It is a back
breaking job even with an S7 and requires snow shoveled into the hangar to
reduce friction.
This addition to my front end
loader is a better alternative.
Version 1:
Because the bucket is almost
as wide as the lifting frame and the ski cables angle inward, it is a little
fiddly getting it lined up and clear of the cables. Once it is carrying the plane, however, the
tractor easily maneuvers it with the castoring tailwheel. It’s like having a
long pointer out in front. Now, swinging
the plane around puts no stress on the gear and it is easily moved into the
hangar and set on the raised planks (to get it above the tractor parking spot
and to make it easier to walk around. Idea from David MacRae).
The tail is raised with a pulley/ratchet system.
Maybe plastic and side rails on the planks would allow
sliding it off manually.
Version 2 uses a different attachment on the tractor
and the end brackets have longer vertical guides:
While this did the job, if
the tractor wasn’t lined up just right it could take a few minutes to put the
end brackets on and get the retaining pins in. What I’d wanted were end
brackets that were self aligning with no removable pins to insert.
Here is version 3 which is
much better. The end brackets stay on the red shaft but just slide in to the
center to clear the cables. Set screws hold them in position:
Here is the latest version with over 80 lbs removed
and the width reduced so it fits between the cables easier::
