Depending on the rotor you can do it by prying up a quarter inch or so with
a screwdriver under the mast. Or attach a clamp to the mast above the lower
thrust bearing and lever it up with that. Also, don't forget that sometimes
its easier to lower the rotor plate a bit than to raise the mast... that can
also give you added room to tip the rotor if it's a tight fit.
David Robbins K1TTT
e-mail: mailto:k1ttt@arrl.net
web: http://www.k1ttt.net
AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:towertalk-
> bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of K7LXC@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 20:33
> To: wc1m@msn.com; towertalk@contesting.com; hoth2o@netecin.net
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Removing a Rotator
>
>
> In a message dated 6/18/2008 10:36:36 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> wc1m@msn.com writes:
>
> >> You need to jack up the mast just far enough to remove the rotator
> and
> >> you'll be good to go.
>
> > OK, that brings up something about which I've been curious: exactly
> how do
> you jack up the mast? Someday I'll have to do that to get my Orion rotor
> out
> for service, and I can't quite picture the process.
>
> > I'm assuming you attach a come-along cable to the mast and hook the
> come-along on a tower rung. But where and how do you attach them?
>
>
> Well, one end goes as near the top of the tower (rung or nylon sling)
> and the other end attaches to the mast with a nylon sling. I use nylon
> sling
> chokers to grab masts and other odd shaped items.
>
> > I have two thrust bearings, one in the top plate and one in a plate
> between
> the top plate and rotor shelf. There's about 5 feet of mast in the tower,
> with about 3.5 feet of it above the middle thrust bearing plate. The
> come-along cable would have to be attached between the top and middle
> thrust
> bearing plates. That doesn't leave a lot of room to attach the come-along
> to
> the tower above the point of attachment.
>
> You're right. It'll still work okay - you're not trying to lift the
> mast
> very far. An inch or two is all you need to do a rotor swap.
>
> > Seems to me a better idea is to run the cable up from the mast to a
> pulley
> attached to a rung, and from there down to the come-along. The higher the
> cable can run before encountering the pulley the better. Otherwise, the
> cable will be pulling sideways more than up.
>
> I'm not sure how your scheme relieves the slight sideways pull but it
> sounds okay. It's a good idea if you don't have much room at the top of
> the
> tower plus it gives you some additional mechanical advantage.
>
> > It's not a problem in my installation, but if you had a heavy mast
> with a
> lot of antennas, wouldn't attaching the come-along and pulley to a rung
> risk
> bending a rung? Would it be better to u-bolt a piece of angle steel
> between
> the legs and hang the come-along from that?
>
>
> I use nylon slings and carabiners for just about everything so I wouldn't
> use a fabricated piece of steel. It's more weight to deal with plus you
> have to
> fabricate it.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Steve K7LXC
> TOWER TECH -
> Professional tower services for hams
>
>
>
>
>
> **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
> fuel-efficient used cars.
> (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
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