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Re: [TowerTalk] neverseize on tower legs

To: Tek Supp <teksaport@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] neverseize on tower legs
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:25:19 -0500
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Generally scissors jacks have 4 holes in the top and bottoms. If it 
doesn't, drill them. Then using small lag screws or plain old carriage 
bolts, bolt the 2 X 4's to the jack, top and bottom.  You can use small 
J-bolts to hook the bottom 2X4 to the cross members of the lower tower 
section. That way when the top section jumps up the jack will stay put.

Even a stuck tower doesn't take a lot of force when it is applied evenly 
and in a straight line (the correct straight line) <:-)).  So a light 
duty, light weight jack will work just fine. Even a very small hydraulic 
jack will work as you will normally onlly need to move the upper section 
a couple inches at most before it comes loose and the tension on the 
rope will lift it clear of the lower section.  Again, fasten the jack to 
the 2X4's, Aluminum channel or what ever.

I had forgotten this but, I  mentioned this quite some time back. The 
only towers I ever had to use force to get apart were old American Steel 
towers that had been overloaded.  They were all 90' and had very large 
tri-banders plus 1/4" steel guys.  The tension from the over size guys 
was enough to overload the base sections, let alone the weight of the 
big tri-banders. On these the legs had "belled out" between the bolts, 
so the bottom 3 sections virtually had to be pressed apart. As the 
construction made it very easy to let the bottom 3 sections down by 
hinging them over at the base, we let them down and then with 2X4's and 
a hydraulic jack took them apart.  One person could easily lay down the 
3 sections, but 4 sections took 3 people to let down...or put up.

73

Roger (K8RI)


Tek Supp wrote:
> I second the "...but it's hard to manage aloft...".  It was not pretty nor 
> fun in getting those up there and using them, but it was all I had at the 
> time, and I made sure to tie off everything to a lanyard (the jack, the 2x4's 
> and the jack crank arm).  Most importantly (if I may offer this adivce), 
> watch your face/head when the section you are trying to get loose, does come 
> loose.  As I mentioned previously, that section was being pulled from below 
> (via ginpole), and when the section came loose, it shot up (and back down), 
> and the jack and 2x4's took a leap off the tower and ended up against me with 
> a few bruises to match (luckily though they were still attached and didn't 
> hurt anyone or anything below.
>
>  
>
> I looked into the TowerJack and didn't buy it, but wished I had something 
> easier than what I ended up doing.  So whatever you do use, tie it off and 
> watch out.
>
>  
>
> Thanks
>
> John
>
> K7ALA
>
>  
>
>
>  
>   
>> Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 22:14:27 -0500
>> From: jimjarvis@optonline.net
>> To: towertalk@contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] neverseize on tower legs
>>
>>
>> Tony,
>>
>> Get yourself a "TowerJack". 
>>
>> You'll need to overcome gravity, plus whatever alignment distortion
>> generated friction there was when you assembled, plus corrosion. 
>>
>> Towerjack works.
>>
>> Car jack and 2x4's works, too, but it's hard to manage aloft.
>>
>> N2EA/Jim
>>
>> ps: it's actually easier to take this stuff apart vertically than 
>> horizontally,
>> so laying it over intact and then disassembling isn't fun. Vertical 
>> disassembly
>> obviously requires a ginpole. And a ground crew.
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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>>     
>                                         
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