Aircraft Towbar Part Numbers Online Inventory

Conventional tugs use a tow bar to connect the tug to the Nose Landing Gear of the aircraft. The tow bar is fixed laterally at the nose landing gear but may move slightly vertically for height adjustment. At the end that attaches to the tug, the tow bar may pivot freely with lateral or vertical motion. In this manner the tow bar acts as a large lever to rotate the nose landing gear. Each aircraft type has a unique tow fitting so the towbar also acts as an adapter between the standard-sized tow pin on the tug and the type-specific fitting on the aircraft's landing gear. The tow bar must be long enough to place the tug far away enough to avoid hitting the aircraft and to provide sufficient leverage to facilitate turns.

For large aircraft, the towbar wheels are attached to a hydraulic power jacking mechanism which can lift the towbar to the correct height to mate to both the airplane and the tug, once this is accomplished the same mechanism is used in reverse to raise the tow bar wheels from the ground during the pushback process. The tow bar can be connected at the front or rear of the tractor, depending on whether the aircraft will be pushed or pulled. The towbar has a shear pin which prevents the aircraft from being mishandled by the tug; when overstressed the shear pin will snap, disconnecting the bar from the nose gear to prevent damage to the aircraft and tug.

Towbar heads are specifically designed for each aircraft to attach to a multi-head towbar and the plane’s nose wheel. The towbar head is fabricated to withstand the forces of pushback and towing operations when attached to the nose gear of the aircraft.

We supply towbars from top manufacturers around the world. Some of the manufacturers that provide high-quality towbars are: Tronair, Bracket Aircraft Company and Clyde.