OK, I dont normally give glowing reviews ... but dang, this thing is amazing. Performs well above my expectations. My aircraft (C82R) is very heavy when full of fuel. My hangar has a slight incline and at the very end a 3 inch rise that is impossible for me to get over without at least one other person helping me. Not with this device! I do it now with very little effort. I took the plane out of the hangar, down the tarmac to the washing bay and back again. No problem at all. Thank goodness for this device because, honestly, this hangar would not be an option for me otherwise. Thanks to Aircraft Spruce and the Sidewinder team for making such a useful product. It makes a big difference in my ability to move my aircraft on my terms.

John W Verified Purchase

Sidewinder S.E Cessna 2 With 15 Extension

Hello we have The sidewinder, for the Cessna 1972 310-Q works great very easy to hook and un-hook unit light weight and easy to handle even with full fuel (5) star rating

Bought for my Bonanza B36TC....works like a charm. However, you may need to modify the inserting lug that goes into the wheel due to cross bolt offset. Call factory and they will explain. Clean out wheel with 1 round sanding drum. Best piece of equipment I have bought in years. Handles my Bonanza easily up the incline into my hangar. Very impressive

Love it - just what I needed for my new V35B!!

This works well on our B-95 Travel Air. Before using, we highly recommend you get checked out by someone who already owns one. Other than a single piece of paper warning against connecting or disconnecting the device with the battery installed, there were no instructions provided at all. It is a very powerful device, and used incorrectly, you can do damage, or hurt yourself.

Have owned my Sidewinder for five years and its a life saver. Worth every penny.

Best thing I ever bought for my Mooney. Pushes up hill with ease. Works well as long as there is no ice or snow on the ramp, so not a substitute for a larger tug, but much easier than anything else to use most of the time. Folds up nice and fits in the baggage compartment well, so nice to travel with.

Great piece of equipment! I can easily maneuver my Bonanza anywhere. Well made. Heavy enough to get the job done but light enough to carry on a cross country. Highly recommend.

Works as promised on my P Baron. Quite surprising that a small unit can move a large airplane. The battery seems to drain rapidly, so I’ll likely get a 2nd to have for longer pulls across the ramp.

very pleased with my electric tug and tow bar ! Delivery was very fast from the US to Europe .

the best tug out there and simple!

This is the most amazing tool to move an aircraft. Slow, fast but not faster than a comfortable walk. Release the trigger and the aircraft stops instantly. It may be a little spendy but saving one crunch will more than pay for it.

I bought the Sidewinder for my new-to-me Baron B55. I tend to depart and arrive from my home airport at odd times when the line-guys are not there - this little device, while pricey, is heavy-duty, easy to use, and has a great quality feel to it. It give great controllability in moving the aircraft into and out of a fairly tight hangar, folds up to travel with the airplane, and is easy to attach/un-attach to the nose gear. Based on the quality of build, I suspect it will last as long as I keep the airplane. As always, Aircraft Spruce shipping was excellent. I wish they offered FedEx as an option, but you cant get everything!

Excellent product and would recommend it to anyone with a Piper Lance!

I recently purchased the Sidewinder because I thought it would be more portable than my existing Robotow. Both the Robotow and Sidewinder work well, but I give the edge to the new sidewinder. It will pull my Bonanza out faster, it folds up and is definitely more portable, and I like the way it attaches to the airplane better. Time will tell how the battery holds a charge and how long it will last. But currently Ill give the unit 5 stars. well done

This is an amazing product, hands down. I have a tight hangar situation with another airplane above mine, on a lift. When putting my Debonair into the hangar, alignment and vision is critical. The Sidewinder enables me to stop pushing and pulling on a tow bar, straining with my head down. I dont need to use multiple setup attempts and break a sweat now! The Sidewinder has significantly more power than needed, but the controls enable smooth application of that power to enable a methodical movement of the plane. I can make slow alignment movements and then speed up once everything is ready. Being lightweight, this is a real game changer. The only fault I can find is that there were no instructions in the box. That being said, there is an FAQ on the Redline web sight that clarified any remaining questions.

I have only used this unit a handful of time, but it works flawlessly. I have a robotow and it works well, but I wanted something a little more compact for transportation purposes. At this point, if I could only have one, I would keep the sidewinder.

Item is as advertised, but requires one to reverse a mount point. Not a big deal as it took about 5 minutes to do and tow-bar works well. Quick delivery and well packaged...

Easy to use right out of the box. Just charge the battery and it’s ready to go. No assembly needed. Very well constructed. Can adjust speed with how hard you pull the trigger...ease it on! Folds up and storable in aircraft. I use it on a 1979 PA32RT-300 Lance. I could not physically push my Lance up the slight incline and over the hangar door tracks but the Sidewinder does it effortlessly. Be sure to measure Inside Diameter of nose gear axle before ordering. Mine was the smaller version. Should have purchased when I first researched it...would have saved my back! Highly Recommend!

I just received the Sidewinder and it lived up to its reputation for usefulness. It has plenty of torque and is very easy to use.

Works perfect on my V35B right out of the box. Cant believe I waited that long to get one. Absolutely great product. Fits in the plane if needed, and tows great. Far superior tow than gas powered for GA aircraft.

High quality, heavy construction. I use this with my Piper Saratoga and the standard length is fine. I dont see any need for the extension bar for my plane. Im really glad I bought this!

Just got it and have used it a few times. The product is wonderful. It would have been nice if it had come with some instructions! They included a manual for the drill motor and battery, but nothing for the unit itself. The video on their website was helpful, though.

The product works great but Aorcraft Spruce has no idea what adapter to sale for your airplane. After visiting w 3 customer service people finally got ahold of sidewinder company and they laughed at what I’d been going through and sent me the correct adapter. Call sidewinder first! Don’t rely on AS to get it right.

Possibly the most useful tool I have for my Bonanza. Extremely well engineered and useful. It makes moving the Bonanza around a one handed operation. I like that I can carry it in the baggage compartment too and use it at out stations.

This thing is well designed and beautifully made. Im proud to own it.

My Bonanza seems to be much heavier these days. This tow-bar is the Bees-Knees.

Bought this for my Bonanza, I have a 5 bump to get out of my hangar and have found it getting tough to move the plane by myself sometimes. Although this is pricey (hence why I have waited), I should have bought this day 1. EXTREMELY well made and very easy to use. I highly recommend anyone buying this to move their plane around.

I bought the sidewinder for my Piper Saratoga Turbo. It does a great job of moving the plane in and out of the hangar. I can easily move the plane by myself several times on a single charge. I have two hangars in different locations, so I bought another one for the second hangar. Great tool. Highly recommend. If you are buying this for a Saratoga, I recommend getting the extension.

I am 73 and over the years moving my Piper Saratoga has become more difficult. Santa brought me a Sidewinder and now I have absolutely no trouble moving my Saratoga in/out of my hanger. What a fantastic invention. It can move my plane about 10 times on one charge. If I had to find one thing that could be improved it would be the center handle could be a little more smooth. I put a split 4 piece of garden hose on the handle to solve the problem.

Best thing ever. I have two planes in the hanger and have to constantly pull them in and out, the sidewinder makes moving the heavy piper arrow a breeze. Well worth the investment. I highly recommend it.

I've used a Sidewinder for years to move my Bonanza up a slope into the hangar. High quality construction. Folds in half for portability. Worth the price.

As others have said, this unit sorely needs an instruction manual. Some features are not intuitive and after spending around 2k I was surprised to find this basic requirement lacking.

Great product! Could be a few pounds lighter, however I’m sure the weight ensures durability. The has no problem moving my Debonair up the incline into my hanger. So glad I purchased this. Makes it easier to go fly when I want and not have to worry about getting the Beech put back in the hanger.

Handle is a little bit short for comfort. Understand you can order an extension but seems like since it was ordered for a Mooney it should have been long enough.

This tug works great. I highly recommend it. I use it in my PA32R-301T. The ability to vary speed with the drill trigger is excellent.

Very impressed, I wish there was a video or instructions included on how to use it. For a Beach, you have to have the Doofer that goes into the wheel hub all the way in to have everything rig up just right. The first time I tried it, it was there was still about a 1/2 inch to go and it would not stay securely on when I used it, once I figured out it had to be all the way in (it takes some force) it worked great. Its difficult to control the speed of the drill, its either on or off. You have to softly squeeze the trigger and when you release it the airplane will come to an abrupt stop.

The asphalt in front of my hangar has a small rise that must be climbed in order to move the Piper Arrow inside. In addition, the hangar floor is about 1 - 1 1/4 inches above the asphalt. This made it nearly impossible for me to push the Arrow into the hangar manually. The Redline Sidewinder handles it with ease. Even with the unit throttled to a very slow creep, it can handle the 1 inch bump at the door very smoothly. The unit is fairly heavy though. It would be nice if it had a caster or wheel on the end so that some of the weight would not have to be carried. After all, the point of the tool is to make ground handling the aircraft to be less work. Perhaps one could be sold as an accessory. Just a thought.

I have a Cessna 1966 182 Skylane with wheel plants can you use the redline unit to hook onto a 182 with whell pants? Please email back rockeyis@msn.com

Nice unit. Works well on my V35, even pulling it slightly uphill out of the hangar over a 1/2 threshold bump. Some basic operating instructions for the unit would be helpful for initial setup and operation.

The sidewinder is well build and works great on my 1966 Debonair. I would have given it 5 stars but I had to modify the pin that fits into the wheel hub. The diameter of the pin was too large and had to be ground down about 5 thousandths of an inch to fit. Likewise, the cutout in the center of the pin was too narrow to accommodate the bolt through the center of the hub that holds the wheel on the landing gear. It may be that these dimensions in my debonair are slightly different than in newer model bonanzas even though the landing gear design is the same.

We ordered the Sidewinder for our Cessna T206, as indicated on the website. It does not work with the T206 with fairings, and no instructions were included. The order arrived with a defective battery charger. Multiple attempts to contact Redline for alternatives and replacement were futile. On other aircraft the towbar is useful. Aircraft Spruce was awesome handling the return - thanks.

Richard P Verified Purchase

Sidewinder S.E Cessna 2 With 15 Extension

This is a great idea and for some, Im sure its perfect. I live in a cold climate and this tug does not like any snow in cold weather. It freezes into ice when the motorized wheel spins and then it just slips. Also, leaving the charger in an unheated hangar will leave you with a dead battery and no tug. Very frustrating. Now I have to bring the entire charger home to charge it so Ill be able to use it. I thought for a couple thousand dollars it would work flawlessly year round. If these two items werent a problem, I would have given it five stars.

Product works great although when i opened the package the head of the angle drill looked as if it was put in a vice or dropped with noticeable gouges. I contacted the company direct and also sent photos. I was told they would get back to me. Two phone call attempts later and no response. Sure hope if there are any warranty issues i get better service.

I purchased the Redline Sidewinder about a year ago for my Beechcraft Bonanza. Right away there was a problem getting the stabilizing hook to remain attached to the tow pin on the nosewheel column. Tech support advised filing the inside of the split tongue axle bar insert to allow it to slide into the nosewheel axle further, ensuring the hook remained on the pin. I must have filed that tongue for two hours and it never made a difference. I was still able to use the Sidewinder but had to use concerted muscular arm strength and control to keep the Sidewinder stabilized while towing. If I hit a dip or hole in the pavement, the loose stabilizing hook of the Sidewinder would gouge into the trunion, scraping paint each time. Today, the Sidewinder stopped working. The motor spun fine, but the chain drive did not move. Tech Support gave me instructions on an easy fix which was anything but easy. After numerous texts back and forth I decided to try and find a bicycle shop that would be willing to work on such a device. It is a great idea and mostly works well, but it definitely requires some mechanical skill and knowledge to keep it functioning. I would keep a standard tow bar handy for the time where the Sidewinder will unexpectedly break.

Long story short, its very heavy, very clunky, difficult to clamp on, guaranteed to take the paint off of your gear fork (at least on a 210), and unless you are 5 tall, you have to haunch over to use it. I found it hard to steer with. I called Redline and the guy was a total jerk, completely insulted that would say anything bad about his product. In short, I would not buy a Redline Sidewinder. Its a shame because it is very well made.