Conventional Tugs vs. Towbarless Tugs

At Tronair, our customers commonly ask, "What type of aircraft towing vehicle should I purchase?" Because we manufacture both electric towbarless tugs and conventional tractors, we're in a unique position to give a fair assessment of each. Both towbarless and conventional tugs have advantages and disadvantages that depend on your unique needs and objectives as an airline, fixed-base operator (FBO), private hangar or individual plane owner. This article will discuss their differences in operation, performance and safety to help you better understand which is the right fit for your needs and the scope of your operation. Keep reading to learn more.

Operational Requirements

Regarding the efficiency of conventional and towbarless tug vehicles, we've found that it largely depends on the customer's unique operational requirements. Some tug vehicles are more suited for larger, well established operations, while others can provide a host of benefits for smaller ones.

Conventional Tugs Are Better for Small Operations With Limited Aircraft Types

For pushback operations, conventional tug vehicles are generally more efficient when an operation only services one specific aircraft type. Conventional tractors require aircraft towbars to attach to the nose landing gear, and each aircraft has a unique design that will need a different aircraft towbar for a proper connection. As an operation services more types of aircraft, the efficiency of conventional pushback tugs diminishes exponentially. Aircraft towbars must be inspected daily, weekly, monthly and annually to ensure they are in proper working condition before a tow. The more towbars an operation must use, the more time ground personnel must spend doing these inspections.

Towbarless Aircraft Tugs Excel In Larger, Fast-Paced Operations

In some busy airports, ground personnel cannot use conventional airport tugs during peak hours or while aircraft are taxiing. This is because conventional tractors can't maintain the same speed as taxiing aircraft due to safety concerns with aircraft towbars and engine horsepower constraints.

Electric towbarless aircraft tugs can maintain these faster-paced speeds, meaning towing operations won't interfere with the movement of other aircraft on the flightline. The first towbarless tugs introduced in the 1980s were initially designed for towing live aircraft from a terminal to the edge of the runway to reduce fuel costs, leading the way for high-speed towing operations. Today, large airlines understand they can save thousands of dollars in engine cycle times, fuel costs and manpower when using towbarless tugs to move aircraft at high speeds for maintenance or aircraft spotting.

Visibility

In terms of safety, visibility is one of the more important features of aircraft tug vehicles. This section will highlight the visibility offerings of both conventional and towbarless aircraft tugs.

Conventional and Towbarless Aircraft Tugs from Tronair

Conventional Tractors Offer Great Visibility for Pushback Operations

Visibility in a conventional airport tug can, unfortunately, be minimal. In terms of actual working visibility, conventional airplane tow vehicles only provide visibility in one direction – forward. They offer visibility of the pintle hitch and aircraft towbar, but often the driver is so close to the body of the aircraft that they cannot see much beyond it. Additionally, if the driver must tow the aircraft using the rear pintle hitch rather than the front hitch, they will not be able to monitor the hitch or the aircraft during the tow.

Towbarless Tractors Offer Better Visibility for All Operations

The design of a towbarless tractor eliminates most of the blind spots an operator will struggle with during conventional towing and offers complete visibility for ground crews. Towbarless tugs are purposefully designed with a lower body to give the operator maximum visibility from the driver's seat during aircraft transport and pickup.

Braking

Braking is another essential factor that can help determine whether a towbarless or conventional tug vehicle is better for your operations.

Conventional Tug Braking Requires a Brake Rider

Conventional tugs use a centralized hydraulic braking system with an automotive-type shoe or disc brake system, while towbarless tugs utilize a hydrostatic drive with dynamic braking. During conventional towing, it's required to have someone in the cockpit to ride the aircraft brakes for emergency stops. This also means the aircraft might need power from the (auxiliary power unit) APU or airplane tow vehicle to supply hydraulic pressure. Conventional towing with an aircraft towbar mainly depends on the aircraft brakes if a sudden stop is required, as the towbar will not be able to take the aircraft's total weight on its own.

Towbarless Tug Braking Offers More Control

Towbarless tugs don't require a brake rider and have more overall control due to dynamic braking. With dynamic braking, towbarless tugs will not coast when the operator removes their foot from the accelerator like conventional tractors. Instead, a towbarless tug will "brake down" slowly, allowing operators to come to a smoother stop.

Another element of braking safety to consider is the possibility of jackknifing the aircraft when braking on slippery surfaces. Conventional towing procedures are more prone to jackknifing during inclement weather conditions (like snow, for example) when the tug isn't in a straight line with the center of the aircraft's nose wheel. The further the conventional tug is off-center, the greater the risk of jackknifing. At Tronair, our towbarless aircraft tugs come standard with an oversteer protection system to avoid this risk, making them the recommended option for operations that frequently experience inclement weather.

Maintenance Factors

When it comes to the cost of maintaining conventional and towbarless tug vehicles, it's pretty straightforward. The minimal amount of operating components and relatively simple design of conventional tractors make them far less costly to maintain than towbarless tugs.

Towbarless tugs require technicians with greater knowledge of hydraulics and electronics to maintain the nose wheel pickup system, making them the more expensive option for routine maintenance and inspections.

Conventional Tugs vs. Towbarless Tugs: Which Should You Choose?

Based on the factors above, we hope that you can now better determine which type of airport tug is the right choice for your operation. Here's a summary of what we've discussed:

Conventional Tugs: Conventional tractors are better suited for smaller operations with few aircraft types. Conventional tugs are also better suited for operations that want to spend less on routine preventive maintenance and inspections. Using aircraft towbars can be a challenge for more extensive operations that work with different aircraft, as each towbar will need to be specific for the aircraft itself. Aircraft towbars can also hinder fast-paced operations during peak operating hours. Conventional tugs are also much more limited in visibility and braking, especially in inclement weather such as snow.
Towbarless Tugs: Towbarless aircraft tugs are more suited for bigger operations that require high-speed towing. They offer greater visibility and better braking, so operations with a large quantity of aircraft and obstacles will benefit from the increased safety features. Towbarless tugs also require more specialized maintenance that only larger airlines may be able to afford.

If you're still having trouble deciding which tug is best for you, you can always reach out to a Tronair sales representative to discuss your options. We'll take an in-depth look at your financials, operational requirements and specific needs to recommend the perfect tug for you.

Find Towbarless Tugs & Conventional Tugs at Tronair

Now that you know everything about towbarless and conventional tugs, you'll need an equipment provider you can trust to improve your pushback and towing operations. At Tronair, we're ready to help you find the best aircraft towing vehicles for your specific operations. Browse our full line of towbarless and conventional tugs, and find the perfect GSE for your facility today. If you want to learn more about our airplane tow vehicles, feel free to contact us. Our customer service team is here for you.

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