The Ground Handling Blog

Ranging from conventional tractors with a tow bar, via towbarless tugs, to tugs with a rotary table, there is a variety of different aircraft tug systems available. However, a Mototok tug has several advantages compared to any other tug in the industry worldwide. Find out more about the five key advantages of a Mototok that render its acquisition for your airport operations a viable business case.

The Top 5 Advantages of a Mototok Aircraft Tug

The unique features of a Mototok tug can help to significantly reduce costs and increase revenue in your airport operations. A Mototok tug has several benefits. Here, we will focus on the top five advantages that set it apart from other aircraft tugs:

1. Advantage: Unobstructed View Thanks to Remote Control Feature

With a conventional tug or an electric towbarless sit down tug, tug operators are in a fixed position. That means, they must necessarily look away from the aircraft to see where they are driving. They thus require a wing walker to guide them when moving, especially in tight areas. Nonetheless, there is still a certain risk of collision of the aircraft with another object, for instance due to miscommunication.

In contrast, a Mototok tug is controlled by an industrial radio remote control with worldwide safety approval. The remote control feature has the significant advantage of guaranteeing 100 percent visibility, as it allows the operator to move freely around the aircraft to see every vulnerable point. 

Thanks to this feature, the operator’s eyes never leave the aircraft while it is in movement. He or she may even stand some yards away from the nose or tail and walk with the aircraft, while pushing it towards its destination. That is, a Mototok allows the operator to go to any point and to move the aircraft with controlled speed and braking to that exact point. With a Mototok tug, the operator, then, is his or her own wing-walker, so to speak. This, in turn, frees up personnel within your operations to perform other important tasks.

Advantages of the Remote Control Feature of a Mototok Tug

Insummary, the remote control feature of the Mototok has the following advantages:

• Less line personnel is required, as there is no need for an additional wing walker. This also leads to a more efficient work force, since there is no need to take someone away from their job to help as a wing walker. 

• There is less risk exposure on movements: The fact that the operator can move freely and see every sensitive point around the aircraft significantly reduces the risk of hangar rash. Moreover, the nose gear does not shunt when it is turned in parked position.

• With the remote control feature, less time is needed to park the aircraft and connect to the aircraft – on average, a typical hangar to ramp movement takes only 3 minutes. According to reports, some operations such as parking the aircraft in tight areas took much longer before owning a Mototok.

2. Advantage: Automatic Connection to the Nose Gear

With a conventional tractor towbar tug, physical effort is required for both engaging and disengaging the nose gear. This is as well the case with electric towbarless sit down tugs, where a winch, strap or adapter is needed to connect to the nose gear. In both cases, the (dis-)connection process is not only time consuming. Given the physical effort, there is also a risk of injury. Moreover, in the case of tractors with a towbar, a specific towbar that fits the aircraft type is required, so that storage of towbars and clutter is increased in and out of the hangar.

For the last 25 years, the towing of aircraft with these two types of tugs has been more or less the same. However, due to the unsafe engagement and disengagement to the nose gear, many accidents both to personnel and aircraft have been documented. The examples are diverse and range from broken bones such as shoulders, collarbones, foots or elbows to losing part of a finger, when falling while carrying a heavy tow bar, tripping over a tow bar that was not properly stored, losing grip on the tow bar while trying to attach it to the nose gear or due to miscommunication in the (dis-)engagement process. Straps accidentally attached to the nose gear when disconnecting from a tow can cause severe damage to the aircraft landing gear doors.

In addition, there are cases in which the operator slaps the gear to connect to the nose gear if the aircraft is on a slope or in which the operator drives over the recommended speed limits when towing. Most of these accidents are, of course, due to human error rather than being the fault of the tug itself. However, they can be entirely avoided with a Mototok tug.

For, a Mototok allows for a “hands free” connection to the nose gear and connects to nearly 99 percent of all corporate aircraft, whether single or double wheel. Tow bars, straps, winches or adapters, and thus any physical effort, belong to the past. A Mototok tug therefore minimizes the risk exposure of both the operator and the aircraft. Since there is virtually no chance that an operator could get hurt while (dis-)connecting the nose gear, it helps you to prevent unnecessary medical costs, insurance rate increases and the loss of an employee for several weeks at a time, thus rendering your operations more efficient.

Aircraft connection and detaching process is more time-efficient with a Mototok the procedure of loading or unloading the nose gear only takes 10 to 15 seconds. The operator simply drives the Mototok up to the nose gear, presses a button on the remote control, and our hydraulic, sensor-monitored system does the rest of the work for you. The process is fully automated and can, given our microprocessor technology, never be altered.

3. Advantage: Improved Hangar Efficiency

With conventional tractors with a tow bar as well as with towbarless sit down tugs, space for uncoupling and removing the tug must be taken into account, when parking an aircraft in the hangar. Moreover, in standard towing operations, the aircraft has to be parked backwards so that the tractor or sit down tug can be removed again without problems. In both cases, the result is that valuable space in the hangar is lost which, in turn, results in a loss of revenue in parking fees.

Space-saving parking with an electric towbarless sit down tug is only possible with larger aircraft with sufficient clearance below the fuselage. However, the process of connecting and disconnecting the nose gear is not only cumbersome and time-consuming. It is also not safe and can easily lead to accidents, simply because of the fact that the operator, given his position under the fuselage, cannot – or barely – see the wing walkers.

With a Mototok tug, parking your aircraft in a space-optimized way in the corners of the hangar or close to a wall is much easier and safer. There is no need to consider an exit or entry path for engaging or disengaging the nose gear. Thanks to its small dimensions, a Mototok tug can be uncoupled from the nose gear in almost any situation – it is not necessary to consider any extra space. Moreover, thanks to its low and compact design, it is also not necessary to clear an access path, for instance by moving other aircraft or maintenance stands.

The operator can simply turn the Mototok around the lowered nose wheel if necessary. The process takes only 30 seconds. Given the low overall height of the Mototok, the space below the fuselage is, in contrast to conventional sit down tugs, secondary. To get even more space, it is also possible to attach the nose gear from behind without having to detach the nose gear pin.

Whether a G5 or a small Cessna – the additional space created and the enhanced safety when operating a Mototok, is a valuable asset for any hangar operation. Mototok operators are reporting 40 to 60 percent more space in their hangar. The Mototok allows them to park additional aircraft safely with less time, less risk of accidents, and less personnel by bringing the aircraft in nose first. Hangar fee charges for 2 to 5 additional aircraft create an increased profit. Moreover, increased room in the hangar allows you to park other vehicles and equipment, as well as to conduct maintenance where previously not possible.

Tip: We offer hangar efficiency consultations for free to show you how the Mototok makes parking an aircraft as easy as parking your car. Just contact us, if you are interested.

4. Advantage: Low to No Maintenance Required

Unlike conventional tractors, a Mototok tug is virtually maintenance free and thus requires low to no maintenance costs. There is no need for greasing or lubing of the machine nor do the batteries require fluid replenishment, which saves valuable time and renders your operations more efficient.

With regard to the batteries of our fully-electric tug, there is no need for certain charge levels for charging, nor for special 3 phase connectivity. You can charge anywhere at any time – a simple 100-253 V outlet will suffice. Moreover, you can simply leave the Mototok in the charger whenever it is not in use and no damage to the battery will occur. That way, the Mototok is fully charged whenever you need it. With other electrically driven towbarless tugs, battery life may be lowered if not maintained regularly.

The charger is the same for all models from our M to TWIN series. It is very small and weighs only 15lbs – this is only about 1/10th the size of the chargers of many other electric tugs.

Mototok tugs incorporate the latest in battery development. The average life span of our batteries is six to seven years and the replacement cost is minimal if compared to other electric towbarless sit down tugs. 

In case there should ever be a problem with your Mototok tug, there is no need for time-consuming diagnostics – our built-in diagnostic system helps the operator to troubleshoot the problem within no time. Our techs are available 24/7. Since the Mototok tugs were specifically designed to allow for quick and easy replacement of parts if needed, our techs can guide anyone on how to perform the check and replace a part, there is no on-site specialist required.

5. Advantage: Uniquely Designed and Microprocessor Controlled Tugs

With only one Mototok tug, you are able to move up to 99 percent of all corporate aircraft and helicopters. The Mototok uses the same technology that is incorporated in aircraft themselves: It is a computer that is, via our microprocessor, constantly controlling and regulating the information that the remote control transmits to the hydraulics and the electric drive system. This allows us to apply safety guards while moving your aircraft and greatly reduces the opportunity for human error – rather common with conventional tugs as seen above.

The safety paddles on the nose gear can be adjusted to every wheel size. They are hydro-pneumonic, so that there is no unnecessary pressure when turning or starting and braking.

The unique design of the Mototok allows the operator to take the natural weight of the aircraft’s nose and to apply it to the same point on the ground as our drive system. This has two important advantages:

1. A Mototok tug is able to turn the nose gear with 30% lower capacity of the motors. This prevents an overstearing of the nose gear in a stopped position. Our tug is able to turn the aircraft’s nose gear with no shunt on the spot in its own footprint. This creates several more options inside your hangar.
2. A Mototok tug has a very high traction surface, so that you do not have to expel a tremendous amount of energy to move smoothly and safely. Given the small footprint and low to ground clearance of the Mototok tug, the operator can drive it under other aircraft to get to the aircraft in question.

Thanks to the unique design of the Mototok, then, less time is needed to access an aircraft. Take the following example: At an MRO location, it used to take 45 minutes to move all of the obstacles out of the way in order to reach the aircraft that is parked at the back of the hangar. With the Mototok, it was only 15 minutes, that is, one third of the time.

Business Case Example for the Acquisition of a Mototok: Cost Savings and Increased Income

The unique features and advantages of a Mototok electric tug can provide cost savings and an increased income for your operations that were previously impossible to achieve with other tugs.

Please find listed in the table below a few selected examples of potential costs saved and potential income generated by operating a Mototok, rather than a conventional tractor with a tow bar or an electric towbarless sit down tug. These have each been factored based on our customer’s feedback, their previous history prior to owning a Mototok tug, and their type of operations.

In total, the costs saved by operating a Mototok, rather than any other tug, could potentially amount to $175,000.00–$204,500.00 per year, while the increased income could amount to $20,000.00–$70,000.00 per year.

Conclusion: Why the Acquisition of a Mototok Tug is a Viable Business Case

Our fully-electric, towbarless Mototok tugs have several advantages compared to any other tug in the industry. Case studies and reports demonstrate that thanks to its unique features, a Mototok can significantly enhance the efficiency of your operations, and thereby provide valuable cost savings and generate an increase in income. Obtaining a Mototok can, therefore, be a highly viable business case.

The five key advantages that set the Mototok tug apart from other aircraft tugs, such as conventional tractors with a towbar or electric towbarless sit down tugs, are: its remote control feature, the automatic connection to the nose gear, the improved hangar efficiency in operating a Mototok, low to no maintenance costs and the fact that it is uniquely designed and microprocessor controlled.

We are happy to help you find out more about how a Mototok tug can help you improve the efficiency of your operations, thereby saving costs and generating additional income.