Best Tugs

What Best Tugs does

Best Tugs LLC is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of electric aircraft ground handling equipment headquartered in Spanish Fork, Utah. Founded in 2016 by Mark Patey as a family project and now co-led with his son Mike Patey, the company designs and assembles its products in the United States, selling through a direct sales model (website, phone, email) with no disclosed distributor network. Best Tugs targets individual pilots and owner-operators, Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), corporate flight departments, military operations, and helicopter operators.

The product portfolio spans five electric tug series — Alpha (dragger-style, up to 3,600 lbs), Bravo (flagship loader-style, up to 18,000 lbs), Romeo (remote control, up to 18,000 lbs), Echo (ride-on, up to 18,000 lbs), and Sierra (commercial, up to 99,000 lbs) — plus the PAPA remote-controlled helicopter landing pad and tug system. Underlying technology centers on a proprietary "Tug Smart Technology" stack: plane-specific software, torque control that samples force 100 times per second, Load Aware Technology making thousands of real-time decisions per second, smart auto-throttle, hill start assist, automatic park brake, and smart battery management. The company has extended into adjacent hangar verticals via the Best Scrubbers sub-brand (floor cleaning equipment) and the Best Power sub-brand (ground power units, power carts, and avionics power supplies).

Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time hardware sales of tugs priced via quote request (not publicly disclosed), fixed-price accessories ranging from $25 to $695, safety add-ons such as the ETSO system at $2,500, branded merchandise, and floor scrubber and GPU units. The company has not disclosed institutional funding, revenue figures, or partnerships; its only named customer in the available data is Julep Aviation. Marketing relies on the founder's aviation media presence, industry publications (Sport Aviation Magazine, Twin & Turbine), the company's YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook, trade shows, and a mailing list.

Name

Best Tugs

Legal name

Best Tugs LLC

Website

https://besttugs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Best Tugs manufactures electric aircraft tugs and ground support equipment from Spanish Fork, Utah, serving pilots, FBOs, corporate flight departments, military, and helicopter operators. The family-owned firm offers five tug series from light aircraft to 99,000 lbs plus scrubber and power product lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Ground Support Equipment

NAICS

Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)

SIC

Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Airport Ground Support Vehicles (Tugs, Baggage Tractors, Deicers) (IMAHAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lifting Attachments & Material Handling Accessories (Fork Attachments, Slings, Rigging) (IMAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Electric aircraft tugs
• Ground support equipment
• Aircraft ground handling
• Aviation ground equipment
• Hangar equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Spanish Fork

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electric Aircraft Tugs: Sale of electric aircraft tugs across multiple series (Alpha, Bravo, Romeo, Echo, Sierra) with capacity ranging from 2,600 lbs to 99,000 lbs. Tugs sold as one-time purchases with various customization options.
2. Tug Accessories: Sale of accessories including aircraft-specific adapters (Cessna, Piper, etc.), connecting arms, quick-lock forks, trailer attachments, snow chains, winch straps. Prices range from $25 to $695.
3. Ground Power Equipment: Sale of Best Power products including power carts, GPU units (ground power units), and power supplies for aircraft support.
4. Floor Scrubbers: Sale of Best Scrubbers line of floor cleaning equipment for hangar maintenance, including walk-behind and ride-on scrubbers.
5. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel (hats, t-shirts), flight bags, accessories, and books.
6. Safety Equipment: Sale of ETSO (Emergency Tug Stop) safety systems at $2,500 for emergency shut-off capability.
7. Customization Options: Additional customization options for tugs including custom colors, LED lights, jumpstart units, air compressors, tundra tires, and advanced loading systems (Lazy Susan, EZ Load).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Best Tugs designs and manufactures electric aircraft tugs organized into five product series — Alpha, Bravo, Romeo, Echo, and Sierra — with tow capacities ranging from 2,600 lbs to 99,000 lbs gross aircraft weight, serving everything from light private aircraft to heavy airliners. In addition to tugs, the company sells complementary ground support products including helicopter landing pads (PAPA Pads), floor scrubbers (Best Scrubbers), ground power units (Best Power Cart, Best Power Supply, DISPATCH BPH GPU 2300), tug attachments/accessories, and the ETSOS emergency stop safety system.

Product overview

Best Tugs is a manufacturer of electric aircraft ground handling equipment featuring a multi-series product portfolio. The core offering consists of electric tugs across five series: Alpha (dragger-style for light aircraft up to 3,600 lbs), Bravo (flagship loader-style up to 18,000 lbs with smart technology), Romeo (remote control tugs), Echo (ride-on tugs), and Sierra (heavy-duty commercial tugs up to 99,000 lbs). Supporting products include PAPA helicopter landing pad systems, Best Scrubbers floor cleaning equipment, and Best Power ground support units (GPU/power carts). The company also offers a comprehensive line of aircraft-specific attachments and accessories. All tugs integrate proprietary Tug Smart Technology with plane-specific software, torque control, and smart charging systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Best Scrubbers: Floor scrubbers and floor maintenance products for hangar cleaning, featuring walk-behind and ride-on models in various sizes.
• Best Power

Products and services

• Alpha Series Electric Aircraft Tug Electric aircraft tug in the Alpha Series designed to move lighter aircraft within the company's lower tow-capacity range. Targeted at individual aircraft owners and operators of small private aircraft.
• Bravo Series Electric Aircraft Tug Electric aircraft tug in the Bravo Series positioned for the lower-to-mid portion of Best Tugs' tow-capacity range, suited to small-to-medium private aircraft.
• Romeo Series Electric Aircraft Tug Electric aircraft tug in the Romeo Series targeting the mid-range of Best Tugs' aircraft weight coverage for medium-sized business and commercial aircraft.
• Echo Series Electric Aircraft Tug Electric aircraft tug in the Echo Series designed for the upper-mid portion of Best Tugs' capacity range, suited to larger business jets and regional aircraft.
• Sierra Series Electric Aircraft Tug Heavy-duty electric aircraft tug in the Sierra Series rated for aircraft up to 99,000 lbs gross weight, intended for airliners and the heaviest aircraft in the company's coverage range.
• PAPA Pads (Helicopter Landing Pad) Helicopter landing pad sold by Best Tugs as a complementary ground support product for helicopter operators and helipad facilities.
• Best Scrubbers (Floor Scrubbers) Industrial floor scrubbers sold under the Best Scrubbers brand for hangar and aviation facility floor maintenance, extending Best Tugs' ground support offering beyond aircraft movement.
• Best Power Cart Mobile ground power cart manufactured by Best Tugs to supply electrical power to aircraft while parked on the ramp or in the hangar.
• DISPATCH BPH GPU 2300 Ground power unit (GPU) model BPH GPU 2300 sold by Best Tugs as part of its DISPATCH ground power equipment line, used to power parked aircraft.
• Best Power Supply Ground power supply unit manufactured by Best Tugs to deliver electrical power to aircraft on the ground.
• ETSOS (Emergency Tug Stop) Emergency tug stop safety system developed by Best Tugs that allows operators to immediately stop an electric aircraft tug to prevent ramp or hangar incidents.
• Tug Attachments Interchangeable attachments and accessories for Best Tugs' electric aircraft tugs that adapt a single tug to different aircraft types and ground handling tasks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Torque control makes 30 decisions per second for nose gear protection
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BestTugsYT
• Facebookfacebook.com/besttugs
• Instagraminstagram.com/bestaviationproducts
• Xx.com/best_tugs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/best-tugs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Best Tugs