Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TowerTalk] [Bulk] Re: Fwd: Aluminum towers -- can you really "walk

To: Grant Saviers <grants2@pacbell.net>, towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] [Bulk] Re: Fwd: Aluminum towers -- can you really "walk one up"?
From: Patrick Greenlee <patrick_g@windstream.net>
Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:20:55 -0500
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I understand all the issues you are mentioning. If the 2x4 makes you nervous then 1. don't watch carpenters raise walls with them or Amish raise barn walls with them and 2 nail two of them (or 2x6) together at right angles to reduce bending. I understand the simple leverage issues. Hence using the "pole" to push at a higher level than the man's height. If using 2x6 at right angles then stagger the boards and use maybe 12 footers to make a 24 ft or longer pole for better leverage.

Patrick   NJ5G

On 3/9/2015 9:07 AM, Grant Saviers wrote:
nope, as you walk in, more of the weight of the tower is behind you. Another way to think about this is what size torque wrench would you need to raise the tower if it was attached to a hinge bolt? Ans: HUGE. A 300# 85' tower needs a torque (moment) of 300*42.5= 12,750 ft-lbs to move it just up from horizontal. Assuming the sections are uniform, we can use a mass one half the length, so with a tapered tower it will be less. Or you can weigh each section, and use the distance to eacg section center when assembled and add up the moments for a fairly accurate approximation of the initial raising moment.

Yes, the lifting load at the end is only 1/2 the weight (less for a tapered tower), but as you walk in the force needed increases. At 45 degrees a little geometry will show where you will be trying to hold the tower up. Then calculate the load - from the 12,750 ft-lbs of moment (actually not quite accurate since the changing geometry helps a bit).

A 16' 2x4 has very poor buckling strength, perhaps a recipe for disaster.

A walking or fixed derrick is the way to go.

Grant KZ1W

On 3/9/2015 6:29 AM, Patrick Greenlee wrote:
Say what? If the tower were not tapered (lets look at a simple model) and you picked up the top then you would support 1/2 the weight and the ground via the hinges would be holding the other half of the weight. The higher the top of the tower goes the greater the portion of the weight is held by the ground/hinges until when vertical the ground holds all the weight.

Buy a 16 ft 2x4 and either notch one end and apply duct tape to secure it to about 16 ft above the tower base or otherwise secure it with wire or... Then as you lift the tower the 2x4 can take the load while you rest, change hands, take a break or ... Once the tower is lifted so high the 2x4 is not securing the tower very well grab hold of the 2x4 and use it to push on the tower. The increased leverage pushing at the 16 ft level rather than at your head height or so will make a considerably easier time of it.

Archimedes said something like given a lever long enough and a place to stand he could bend the lever (move the Earth) or some such.

Patrick    NJ5G

On 3/8/2015 11:45 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
On 3/8/2015 5:36 PM, Hans Hammarquist via TowerTalk wrote:

If you don't put to much heavy stuff on the tower before you walk it up it should be OK. Just for your comparison, I have an 85 feet aluminum tower and the total weight of the tower, empty is 300 lb. It's tapered so the heavier section are at the bottom. No, I didn't walk this tower up but I easily carried around the top 40 feet during the assembly of the tower and could, probably have raised the by myself as a 40 foot tower, had I done that.

Hans - N2JFS


I made some calculations and determined that the
force you have to apply to a 40 foot tower of
uniform cross section with nothing on top works
out to 1.7 times the weight of the tower.  And
you have to be able to apply this force using
one hand at a time while you "walk".  It all
depends on the weight of the tower and the
strength of the walker.  Can you hold an 85
pound barbell over head and pass it back and
forth between your hands?  Then you can walk
up a 40 foot tower weighing 50 pounds.

Rick N6RK
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk



_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>