Hi Barrie
I bought a 3rd-hand Triex H354 2 years ago.
Apart from routine maintenance - new raising cable, sheaves,
re-galvanise base and rotator plates etc. all OK. Antenna is
Force 12 C3, rotator Ham M IV, mast 20', 10' inside, 10'
above.
I fitted a heavy duty thrust bearing above the rotator for
insurance - the sleeve at the top of the tower was a sloppy fit,
and the Ham M IV was 30 years old - of course, I overhauled it
before installation.
The tower has an electric winch - this has been added to the
original manual winch - a good idea for the operator's safety,
in that the operator can raise and lower the tower outside the
radius of any falling debris from antennas if the raising cable
fails for any reason. Nothing special - just extend the power
cable from the winch to a safe position - this lets you observe
the situation, especially the slack guys as the tower is being
raised.
N.B. I would not operate an electric winch while standing at
the base of the tower. If the raising cable fails, you'll have only
your safety helmet to protect you. A manual winch will at
least let the operator know when there is a problem.
When your tower is vertical but "nested", and accessible by
ladder (I use light chain to secure the base of the ladder to the
tower, and rope to lash the top of the ladder) you can attach
the guys if it is a guyed tower. I wear a safety belt at the top of
the ladder - 20 feet is a long drop if you land on your head.
Having raised and lowered your tower for a test, you will no
doubt have determined the overlap for each section of tower
when fully raised. My Tri-ex has safety stops, which must be
placed in position from the ladder as each section is raised.
It is MOST important that the bottom section of tower is plumb.
tWhen raising, the top section comes out first - when just
above final setting, the safety stops are placed in position.
DO NOT REACH THROUGH THE TOWER TO PLACE
THESE STOPS IN POSITION, OR FOR ANY OTHER
REASON. If you cant reach around the tower, climb down the
ladder and set it on the other side. A cable failure turns the
tower into a guillotine - Steve LXC has warned us all many
times about these hazards.
Assuming your tower has three sections, raise the first section
to just above the point where you can insert the safety stops.
Then repeat for the second section and insert the safety stops.
Then, lower the tower until the raising cable slackens slightly.
If all is correct, each section of the tower should be resting on
the safety stops, which is where it should be. To the best of
my knowledge, no crank-up tower should be held in position by
the raising cable in tension.
If your tower does not have safety stops, seek help from a
professional.
I am not a professional - just 66 years old, and taught to be
cautious. If I'm careful with towers and lucky with genes, I'll
enjoy a few more CW contests yet. HI
Good luck, and please take care,
73 Ken ZL1AIH
From: "Barrie Smith" <barrie@centric.net>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Crank-up tower limits
I have a Telex Hy-gain HG-70HD crank-up tower installed with
four
6M 7 element yagis on an H-Frame. I have an electric winch
attached for raising and lowering. The tower has been raised
and
lowered from fully retracted to about 20 feet up, and then back
down.
Everything seems to run very smoothly, with no
odd noises,
shudders, grinds or bumps.
I'd like to be able to raise the tower to it's full
height, but I
don't know exactly what to look for as it approaches
maximum
travel.
Does it just "stop"? Could it bind at full extension?
Anyone
have clues for the clueless?
TNX, Barrie, W7ALW
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