K0WA wrote:
> The issue I have with this senario is drilling the mast. I have done
> this in the past, but if I had my druthers, I would never...
> never... never pin a mast if I could help it. I don't care how
> tight you drill the hole, or how hard the bolts are...the wind
> moving the beam around will wallow out the holes and the whole
> thing will get loosy goosy. Once you get a degree of arc (slop)
> in the mast, you will take out your very expensive rotor. Just a
> warning...cause it has happened to me.
Two points:
1. Any idea what would have happened under these conditions if the
mast was not pinned? I would think that the kind of torque
that could cause this much play would have allowed the mast
to turn in the rotator, necessitating several trips up the tower
during the lifetime of the system. Maybe those same trips could
have been used to do some routine maintenance instead.
2. Following healthy engineering practice and using a pair of thrust
bearings above the rotator would remove anything but torque from
the rotator. That being the case, I cannot see how the mast
could damage the rotator if there is play in the mast.
Chris R. Burger
ZS6EZ
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