Road tow for Mini-max
 

I need to recover a Mini-Max aircraft, approximately 100 miles, by road. Does anyone know if I can hitch the rear and use the main undercarriage wheels to tow (wings removed) behind a car? Will the wheel bearings be OK with that?

The alternative is to rent a trailer.

Thanks for any information

John

Tow a plane for 100 miles behind a car ??? Don't do that to the poor little fellow, get a trailer, my heart is bleeding otherwise ...

Really, don't, you'll destroy it.

It's also very light.

It wants to be secured inside an enclosed trailer. A horsebox will probably do it.

You might be able to borrow something through the Minimax owners club. There are various trailers and caravans people have specially modified to take a Minimax.

G

I don't know about your whereabouts, but over here you'd only have to go to a field with a fair amount of microlight activity, talk to a few of the less arrogant-looking people, and you'd soon have the loan of a suitable trailer. For a quite reasonable sum, you might even have the trailer's owner/operator perform the ride in person, adding a lot of experience and expertise.

Trailer flyer
 

Since the plane would become a trailer when you start to tow it, the trailer regulations come into play.
Trailers up to 750Kg MAM do not require brakes, BUT, if brakes are fitted they must work! I would imagine the plane has brakes but cannot imagine how you could fit an overrun coupling to the plane!
So, in addition to the perfectly good reasons in the posts above, you probably cannot legally tow it.

Many thanks for the replies. Clear guidance; understood.

Regards

John

Would it fit in a long wheel based sprinter or transit van?

FWIW and bearing in mind it was some years ago so the regs may have changed, I have towed on their own undercarriage at least three different Evans VP1s and one VP2, on several occasions the longest distance being just under 50 miles of A-road and motorway. The Evans was actually designed to cope with that, as were some other 'gems' of the time such as the Fred. For the longest journey, which was with a VP1, the wings were aligned alongside the fuselage in a cradle, a towing-bar attached on a frame to the tail-end, and a trailer bar with brake-lights etc attached to the prop. On the motorway, in the pouring rain, a police motor cyclist pulled up alongside the airplane, had a real good look, then pulled up alongside me :eek:..... smiled and nodded :ok:...... and sped off, to my immense relief.

However, I would really not recommend it nowadays. I've assisted in moving by road a few aircraft recently using a van, horsebox, and open trailer as appropriate to the size of aircraft. It's certainly much easier on the nerves, as well as safer for the aeroplane itself.

Length 16ft (4.88m) so too long to fit in a Sprinter or Transit. A trailer or a rigid flat-back wagon I fear

I helped a friend move a Jodel D9 Bebe, for which we borrowed a Slingsby Capstan (two seat side by side glider) trailer. The D9 disappeared into this mobile cathedral so easily that another couple of D9s would have easily gone in as well.

It would certainly be worth asking at a gliding club if they have any empty trailers, although a lot have wing supports which take up a bit of space. With enclosed trailers for modern gliders, height may be an issue.

A car trailer is going to be around £35 to £45 to hire for a day.

Hi John

Where in the country are you moving it. I'm based central Scotland and may be able to help.
Fellow Rotary Type person !

R

Rinker


Many thanks for that kind offer. The other end of the country, I am afraid; Bedfordshire to N Surrey. I am flying in tomorrow afternoon to take a look and decide to buy or not (there is some damage but the pics suggest that it is repairable) and after that (if YES) then I have to sort out transport.


Regards


John

No worries John

Best of luck with sorting it out.

Rinker

You couldn't tow it as the tyres won't be road legal.

When I needed to move my Monnet Moni, about the same size as a Minimax, from Elstree to Fairoaks, I hired a lorry for the day. You'd need help to lift in on and off, but otherwise there was no problem.

Thanks, all. Sorted with a trailer.