When we scanned the market for electric hangar tugs in the April 2024 issue of Aviation Consumer, one standout was the Best Tugs Alpha series. Utah-based Best Aviation Products was founded in 2016 by Mark Patey, who originally built his own tug to make the airport experience easier. If anyone should know how to build the perfect tug it should be Patey. He’s owned 46 aircraft, built over a dozen of them and is the designer and builder of Scrappy and Draco STOL aircraft.
To see just how the Best Tugs Alpha series might perform, we put an A2 model through the wringer and here’s what we found.
Electric—an easy sell
In previous reports, we discovered that while gasoline-powered tug makers are quite sensitive to the need for reliability and ease of starting in cold weather—there’s lots of appeal in hitting a battery-powered tug’s On button when the temps are subfreezing. No treating the fuel and no changing the oil—simply plug it in and it’s ready to go no matter the climate. Upkeep is easy because these days, you should expect the batteries to last well over five years when treated right.
Alpha series
Looking at specifications alone, the Best Tugs dragger-style A2 is right at home in the typical personal T-hangar. With a maximum towing capacity of 2600 pounds (the model A3 is good for 3600 pounds), it has a 2-MPH top speed and weighs 135 pounds. Thanks to programmable software, it has variable speed throttle control and it’s compatible with both tricycle gear and tailwheel models, plus it works on planes with and without wheel fairings.
We were surprised to see a long list of compatible aircraft. The short list includes Cessna singles from the 120 through the 400/TTX, Cirrus SR20 and SR22, Beech Bonanzas, Diamond DA20 and DA40, the Piper PA-12/14/18/20/28 series, Mooney M20, plus the entire line of Van’s RV models. The dual-speed (high and low) model A3 with a 3.1-MPH top speed and a weight of 140 pounds works with the same list.
Uncrating it
A big expense that tags along with any hangar tug is shipping, as you might expect with an oversized (60 by 31 by 24 inches) crate weighing 230 pounds. The A2 tug itself is 39 inches wide by 40 inches high. Freight costs to our location in Connecticut were over $600.
Best Tugs gives detailed instructions on how to remove the tug from the crate, which is color- and number-coded. You remove the tug’s kickstand from inside of the crate and with the provided Allen wrench, screw the kickstand to the back of the Alpha’s control arm. Then you simply drive it out of the crate. Worth noting is that the tires are foam filled, so don’t be freaked out to see a screw in the tire. The instructions say to remove it.
The tug comes with the appropriate connecting arms, quick connect pins for attaching them and a smart trickle charger and cable with a 3-pin XLR connector that plugs into the charging port on the upper portion of the tug’s main frame. With trickle charging and battery maintenance cycles, you won’t overcharge the battery if you use the supplied charger.
Best Tugs suggests charging the tug’s battery when it drops to roughly 70 percent while at rest. The battery display on the control head will show sizable fluctuations when the tug is pushing and pulling the plane, and the battery’s charge state could drop considerably when the tug is working hard. For a true read of the battery’s remaining charge, let it sit for a minute or so and take a reading. In our trials, battery endurance wasn’t an issue and you’ll want to be sure the tug’s master power switch is turned off during charging.
Attaching the connecting arms is simple with the quick-disconnect drop pins.
Using it
The A2 and A3 have a pivoting base on the lower portion of the tug’s chassis and you’ll probably want to utilize this pivoting action because it eliminates the need to pick up the tug and reposition it when you turn it. But it will take some practice and some brain training because it can be awkward at first—like learning to drive a vehicle pulling a trailer. And like backing up a trailer, it drives the opposite direction of where you turn. You could, however, use the tug with the pivoting base locked by inserting a locking pin. But again, be prepared to lift the weight of the tug—with the arms attached to the aircraft’s nosewheel—when you turn.
By all means, practice in an open area—not in the confines of a tight T-hangar or busy ramp area. You’ll also want to get used to operating the throttle and its effect on start and stop speeds. Best Tugs offers instructional videos on its website (www.besttugs.com).
You’ll not only want to be familiar with how the tug turns the airplane in forward and reverse, but also with how long it takes the plane to stop when you come off the tug’s throttle. The built-in software incorporates a coasting mode to hopefully protect the nosegear from abrupt stops. Still, we found that the tug can turn the nosewheel well beyond its maximum turning radius. If you don’t know the actual turning radius, it’s time to find out before connecting the tug. In one of our trials moving a Cessna 150, we over-turned enough for the tug’s control arm to hit the nosewheel tire. That’s operator error and not a fault of the tug, or Best Tug’s responsibility if there’s damage.
The over-center locking arm on the upper left of the tug’s main frame is what you’ll use to lock and remove the connecting arms from the nosewheel or tailwheel. The handle travels in an arching motion and locks when it’s placed in fully down (forward) position. Even this takes some practice and might require manually guiding the arm/adapter onto the nosewheel’s attachment point and then rotating the locking arm to lock it.
The drill is to drive the tug within a foot or so of the airplane and crank the locking arm aft (up) to open the left connecting arm. Position the arms on either side of the plane, and when in pivoting mode, the suggestion is to offset the tug slightly off center. First insert the right arm to the tow connection and use the locking arm to close the left arm and lock it all in place. With a check that the arms are firmly connected to the plane’s attachment points, it’s time to roll.
Thanks to well-placed and well-designed controls, the Alpha-series tugs couldn’t be more intuitive to drive. This is made even easier with variable-speed throttle control, and right thumb pressure moves the tug forward and left thumb pressure moves it backward. We had no issue moving both a Cessna 172 and a 150 on slight inclines in both directions—plenty of low-end torque thanks to electric propulsion. We didn’t try the tug on snow- or ice-covered surfaces because it’s not that miserable time of year in New England yet—but it’s coming and we’ll provide an update. Best Tugs offers optional tundra tires, which may be worth it for some. You can also hang a fire extinguisher on the main frame.
There are also a variety of optional connecting arms, including ones for side load (for aircraft with no way to clamp to the wheel assembly) and longer arms that provide more room in front of the aircraft for better visibility when moving. For our Cessna test aircraft, we had the $325 Long Bent connecting arms (that also work on Piper and Mooney models), plus the required adapters to fit the nosewheel. Got a tailwheel aircraft? The Down Standard connecting arms work with most models less than 3600 pounds, but also require adapter cups depending on the tailwheel assembly.
How much for all that?
The A2 we evaluated with hardware that’s compatible with most Cessna singles, which had the LED headlamp option, was $2677, including shipping. While not chump change, we think it’s a good value given the tug’s performance. We also found that the company’s tech support was attentive, and it helped us sort out an adapter problem we had after receiving some wrong hardware.
Do you really need to buy one of these things to move a small single like a Cessna 150? Owner Manu Ramesh, who graciously helped with our trials, pointed out that she absolutely needed a tug to move her 1100-pound Cessna in and out of a standard-sized T-hangar that shares space with another plane.
“Getting the plane out of the hangar isn’t the issue, it’s getting it back in and to an exact position on the floor, especially with the lip that’s at the entrance. I simply needed more power than I could push myself,” she said. She liked that the A2 can work with and without wheel pants. The pivot plate was also a selling point so she doesn’t have to lift the tug.
Like any tug, we suggest trying before buying. We’ll check in with a long-term report as we put more time on the Best Tugs.
Contact www.besttugs.com.
Our special thanks to Manu Ramesh and Steve Socolosky for helping with this trial.
