first post on this thread that i have been monitoring for quite a =
while... =20
extremely useful forum...=20
I just purchased a used UST HDX572MDPL. The tower was used for =
commecial purposes to test small S-band type antennas. Raising =
fixture, Yaesu 2800 and Az/El 5400 rotators, thrust bearing, rotor =
plate, chrome mast, base, cable hangers/arms(??), etc... the whole kit =
and kaboodle, heck of a deal that i couldnt pass up... =20
The paperwork suggests that it was new in 1996, and it has been down =
inside a barn on skids for the last 4 years so it is virtually new and =
the duty it had been exposed to before was very light. Further, from =
the engineer who worked on it, he said that most if the time it was up =
it sat in a lowered state. Your typical "only driven on sunday to =
church" deal.... cool...
However, there is some visible rust on the surface of some portions of =
the cables. I have not tried closely inspecting (bending it open etc) =
the cable/wire to see if the rust simply is surface or worse...... =
otherwise it is in excellent condition even though crank-ups are not my =
preference for a tower.
=20
In thinking about what needs to be done other than the obvious of =
diggin' a big hole... I thought it may be good practice and prudent =
to replace all the wire rope/cables ( and any sheaves if necessary) =
before putting the thing up. This is my first crank-up. Although i =
have volunteered to climb/work on a number of towers and other crank-ups =
before, I have no idea how to go about replacing the cables. I am going =
to be contacting UST this week to inquire, but I wondered if there was =
someone out there with some experience in this regard...=20
In particular :
What are the techniques/procedures for doing this ? Anyone have written =
procedures they could send me ??
Any experience based recommendations/hints kinks that you have and could =
share??
Any useful modifications to the "stock" procedures that can make this =
job easier ?
What kind of response can I expect from UST ?? Anyone have past =
experiences with them directly in this regard ? Any particular approach =
with them more fruitful than others ? Or has the unfortunate successes =
of the "dump the hot coffee in the crotch" litigation squelched UST's =
desire to speak to me ??
Are there other options ?? different grades/types of wire rope etc, that =
may improve the breed from "stock" ?
I am assuming it's easier to do this when it's down, is this true ?
Are there other things to do on it that may also be prudent prior to =
erection (like changing the cable on the raising fixture)?
Im not sure how to posit this question... On any of these crank-ups, do =
they have only two positions down and fully up ?? I realize I can stop =
it anywhere in between, but does the tower "lock-up" tighter when fully =
extended vs. wobble when ony partially so ? Or is the "fit" the same =
all the way up?
Should I replace the limit switches ? One of them is fairly hard to =
turn, but this may simply be because of storage and would loosen up with =
a bit of wd-40 or equiv....=20
And as a preemptive measure....
No, I wont be climbing it.... =20
I know where true north is.....=20
I'm not gonna polish the thing for if God oxidized it, he must have =
known what he was doing... :-))
Cheers,
-bob, w9zv
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