I have a chance to obtain an AB-105/FRC tower as long as I take it down and
transport it away.
I know the merits of AB-105 have been extolled here on Towertalk before.
This one looks to be about 70-80' tall, flat top section, guyed just below
the top and about halfway up with some stout guy wire (diameter of my
little finger). At the bottom it rests on a sort of articulated knuckle
bolted into the concrete foundation. No rotator, antennas or coax on the
tower.
Two methods of lowering the tower come to mind:
1. Rent a crane with a long enough boom to grab it above the center of
gravity, take a strain, disconnect the guywires and lay it over. Some work
with an impact wrench and it's in pieces ready to be loaded on my
snowmobile trailer, or
2. Attach two cables above the center of gravity (actually, a sheave with a
long cable running through). Each cable to a two-and-half ton truck. One or
two tending lines on the other side of the tower. Detach the guy wires and
slowly lower the tower by moving the trucks toward the base.
Questions:
Option 2 saves me some money since the trucks and cables are already on
site. Is anyone familiar with the "articulated knuckle" bottom piece, and
will it hold during the lowering process? We will be very careful not to
put rotational torque on the tower while loading. Additionally, the bottom
of the tower can be restrained with a safety chain in the event the fitting
does give way.
For the crane rental -- any estimates of how much the AB-105 weighs in this
configuration. Also, the weight of a section. This tower appears to be made
up of several four foot sections bolted together with flat plates at the
base, and the rest made up of 8-10 foot sections (measured by eyeball only).
Any other advice, caveats or cautions are gratefully accepted.
Thanks again for all your help.
Steve Zettel KJ7CH
Libby, MT USA
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