Air Tugger Hire
Alongside our lifting winches, we supply air tuggers for hire. An air tugger is a compact air winch designed for pulling, hauling and positioning loads rather than lifting them. You will find them on drilling rigs, in shipyards, and on offshore installation work, wherever loads need to be moved in a controlled way in environments where electric motors are unsuitable.
What Is the Difference Between an Air Tugger and an Air Winch?
Every air tugger is an air winch, but not every air winch is a tugger. Tuggers are usually fitted with a manual band brake, so the operator controls both the speed and the braking of the load by hand. This gives excellent feel when inching a load into position, but it means a standard tugger should not be used for lifting.
For lifting duties, you need an air winch with an automatic brake that holds the load the moment the control is released. For personnel, a dedicated man-riding winch with additional safety features is required. If you are unsure which your job calls for, our engineers will talk it through with you before anything leaves the yard.
Where Are Air Tuggers Used?
Our air tuggers are regularly hired for:
- Moving pipe, tubulars and equipment across the rig floor
- Hauling and skidding loads on deck and in shipyards
- Positioning heavy items during offshore and onshore installations
- Pulling duties in oil and gas hazardous areas
Because they run on compressed air, air tuggers can work continuously without overheating, and they keep running reliably in wet, dirty and corrosive conditions.
Choosing the Right Air Tugger
When selecting an air tugger, we will look at the line pull you need, the length and diameter of wire rope, and the air pressure and volume available from your compressor. Our tugger range covers the lighter end of our fleet, from compact 150kg units upwards, and we can pair any hire with load monitoring equipment and rigging so you have everything you need for the job in one delivery.
