Here is a copy of a post from a 2/25/2008 post on Tower Talk that Steve
replied to my similar question. It has the lube one should buy to lubricate
the cable. I purchased a can of it and have used it once.
In a message dated 2/25/2008 12:42:59 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
towertalk-request@contesting.com writes:
> Now that I have a new crank up tower less than 3 months old, what do
you all
recommend I inspect regularly, besides the cable/pulley integrity, winch
operation and overall structure? What should I look for besides the
obvious
signs of unusual wear? I also look at the antenna mounting, rotator bolts,
inv. Vee etc. every time I plan to have it cranked down and folded over.
That's about what you can inspect. Look for damage, cable kinks, etc.
It should be fairly obvious when you seen some.
> Is there some sort of lubricant that I need to apply to the winch and
especially the cables to assure long term reliability?
Yes, you need a cable lubricant that is light enough to penetrate
the strands without leaving any residual on the cable surface that'll
attract contaminants. Wire rope manufacturers recommend PreLube, available
from www.championradio.com.
It's really messy so start at the top of the tower and apply the
PreLube on all cables as you work your way down. When the tower is retracted
and blocked of course.
BTW contemporary pulleys in some crank-ups use sealed bearings so
there's nothing you have to do to the.
Cheers,
Steve K7LXC
TOWER TECH -
Professional tower services for hams and UST factory authorized installer
+++++++++++++++
Roger W5RD
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Mills" <w3yni1@gmail.com>
To: <jcowens1@comcast.net>
Cc: "Towertalk" <towertalk@contesting.com>; <dxdx@optonline.net>
Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2008 11:29 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Crank up Winch Cable Replacement
>I was using WD40 before buy recently bought the stuff Steve sells on his
> website. Have an Aluma Crankup and want to keep it "healthy" for as long
> as
> I can.
> Chuck
>
> On Sat, May 10, 2008 at 12:23 PM, <jcowens1@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> You are very likely to get a response from K7LXC on this one. I agree
>> with
>> him that unless the cable shows some indication of imminent breakdown
>> (broken strands, excessive corrosion, etc.) it is probably still ok. My
>> Triex 72 ft crank up had the original winch cable on it when it blew down
>> 3
>> years ago. It was over 20 years old. My current US Tower 72ft motorized
>> tower, which is about 15 YO, still has the original cables on it.
>>
>> I have purchased a replacement cable set and will put them on some day. I
>> inspect the cables regularly and they always look fine to me. I believe
>> that
>> UST recommends every 3 years, but that is probably out of concerns for
>> liability. On the US Towers, you have the option of stopping the tower
>> resting location at different points and that helps extend the cable life
>> by
>> shifting the pully stress points on the cables.
>>
>> I apply wire rope lube (spray on) to all my winch cables and that helps
>> extend the life many years.Be sure and use this stuff.
>>
>> John Owens - N7TK
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> TowerTalk mailing list
>> TowerTalk@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>
>
>
> --
> =====================================
> Charles L. Mills
> Email: w3yni1@gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
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> TowerTalk@contesting.com
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