Hello Dick:
I have a US Tower 589MDPL....(the 89' version).
Although I have had it for only two winters, I have had no trouble with
cranking it up in VERY COLD condx...ie -30 deg C (almost-30F). I keep the
tower down all the time except when in use, so it has been up and down
countless times in temperatures colder than you are describing. I still
have the "stock", factory delivered oil in the gear box, but my guess is you
should consider a colder temp, lighter gauge oil? I assume you checked to
make sure the belt was not slipping? I keep belt dressing on hand. I also
lube the tower sections every fall. I have a 20' mast, 80m rot dipole, F-12
tribander and 2-el 40 on top.
I have had a problem with ice buildup/ frost forming on the cables and on
the pulleys and cable drum. I have since built an enclosure for the winch
and drum assembly which seems to help.
Good luck, de Steve VE6WZ.........
-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Flanagan <dick@libelle.com>
To: towertalk@contesting.com <towertalk@contesting.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Friday, December 03, 1999 9:33 AM
Subject: [TowerTalk] US Tower Motor Winch in Winter
>
>This morning for the first time in the almost two years I've had my US
>Tower HDX572-MDPL installed, I was unable to raise the tower up because of
>what appeared to be excessively cold temperatures. When I turned on the
>motorized winch, everything moved VERY slowly for about ten seconds before
>the circuit breaker feeding the motor tripped.
>
>Everything moved -- the tower didn't appear jammed or stuck -- but ver-r-ry
>slowly. Are there any known problems with the gear box or cable drum
>getting cold soaked and becoming too stiff for the motor to turn? The
>temps weren't THAT cold, perhaps 10 degrees F, and I don't recall having
>this problem last Winter.
>
>If this is a common or at least a known problem, are there ways to keep the
>affected components warm in the Winter. Heat tape or blankets or ? . . .
>
>73, Dick
>--
>Dick Flanagan W6OLD CFII Minden, Nevada (South of Reno)
>Visit http://www.cvrc.net/
>
>--
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>
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