Gear Box Oil chg on UST TX-472:
Assuming this is what you are asking about.
- Gearbox has Allen Wrench compatible plugs when twr is Vert or Horizontal that
will drain the gearbox oil. Easiest draining is w/ the tower horizontal since
the drain plug is easily accessible. However, I have a shortened Allen wrench
that I use to drain the box w/ twr vrt. You have to be creative to catch the
oil. However, I re-fill w/ twr vert. Pull the side Allen wrench plug and fill
from the top until the oil level starts to run out the side hole.
I put the plugs back in w/ plumbers tape to ensure a good seal.
- Gear Box Oil: I use Mobil Synthetic Gear & Bearing Oil - SHC634, ISO VG 460
.. . .avail at any auto store; I change the oil annually.
73,
Alan K9MBQ
-----Original Message-----
>From: Drax Felton <draxfelton@gmail.com>
>Sent: May 13, 2016 4:04 PM
>To: Bob K6UJ <k6uj@pacbell.net>, towertalk@contesting.com
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tower maintenance person wanted - MN
>
>Could you post a procedure of how this is done? Where to open it, drain
>hole, etc?
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>On Fri, May 13, 2016 at 12:50 PM -0700, "Bob K6UJ" <k6uj@pacbell.net> wrote:
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>I would like to add something to the list of maintenance items. The
>reduction gear used
>for the motorized winch on the US Towers is a worm drive unit. The lube
>in these worm drive
>gear boxes should be changed periodically. Because of the sliding
>contact with the worm gears,
>the lube becomes contaminated. I had never thought of the gearbox and
>never changed the lube
>on my US Tower HDX589 tower since I had it installed 12 years ago. It
>was giving a high pitched
>squeal and the case was getting hot. Anyway, I drained the old lube,
>(looked like dirty motor oil
>when you change the oil in your car) and filled the box up again, ran it
>for awhile to flush out any
>remaining crapola, drained it again, then put in fresh lube. Hub City,
>says for our usage, they recommend
>doing this every 5 years or sooner depending on how much we run the
>gearbox. I plan to
>change mine every two years now. Its easy to do.
>
>73,
>Bob
>K6UJ
>
>
>On 5/13/16 11:44 AM, Alan Swinger wrote:
>> Thanks all. - Alan
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Fred Hurd
>>> Sent: May 13, 2016 12:51 PM
>>> To: K7LXC@aol.com
>>> Cc: towertalk@contesting.com, awswinger@earthlink.net
>>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tower maintenance person wanted - MN
>>>
>>> Hello Awsinger - I totally agree with Steve (K7LXC) regrarding the need to
>>> replace cables on a crank-up tower. I have used the same cables on my US
>>> Tower TX-472 crank-up for well over ten years and they are in great shape
>>> because I lubricate them twice a year with Pre-Lube 6 Preservative Cable
>>> Lubricant (which you can buy from Steve).
>>> You do need to grease the motor drive system periodically to keep smooth
>>> operation especially during tower raising and also don’t forget the thrust
>>> bearing at the top of the tower. You don’t need to replace the cables
>>> unless upon close inspection you see one or more of the problems as
>>> indicated in Steve’s email.
>>>
>>> Best 73, Fred (W4PKU)
>>>> On May 13, 2016, at 12:24 PM, K7LXC--- via TowerTalk wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I am also looking for someone who can change the cables on my US Tower
>>>> TX-472 MDPL in Charlottesville, VA sometime in the next few weeks. Will
>>>> pay
>>>> a reasonable fee and tvl costs.
>>>>
>>>> I guess the obvious question is why do you think the cables need
>>>> changing? In the crank-up chapter in my UP THE TOWER book, I list 3
>>>> reasons why
>>>> you would need to have them changed.
>>>>
>>>> 1. Excessive broken strands. With 7x19 cables such as the ones
>>>> typically used in crank-ups, that would be 6 broken strands.
>>>>
>>>> 2. Serious rust. Cancerous rust - not surface rust.
>>>>
>>>> 3. Damage. That would be a kink or flattened part of a cable.
>>>>
>>>> In my over 25 years of tower work, I've only seen one crank-up tower
>>>> that I would have recommended on having a cable change.
>>>>
>>>> Tower manufacturers are insurance driven enterprises. US Tower says
>>>> you need to change the cables and pulleys every 2 years. This is a 'weasel
>>>> clause' - that is, if you don't do that and something happens to your
>>>> crank-up, UST can weasel out of any responsibility. They are very risk
>>>> averse.
>>>>
>>>> This is NOT an exception to the LXC Prime Directive to "DO what the
>>>> manufacturer says." That's because UST is NOT the manufacturer of the wire
>>>> rope cables.
>>>>
>>>> I doubt that your cables are in such serious shape that they need
>>>> replacing and I just wince at things people do or money they spend that
>>>> they
>>>> don't have to.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Steve K7LXC
>>>> TOWER TECH -
>>>> Professional tower services for amateurs
>>>> US Tower factory authorized installer
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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