[SCCC] Crank Up Tower Repair

[Bob K6ZZ]

Folks,

Curious if anyone has ever successfully repaired a crank up tower that had
cracked legs near the base.  I did some antenna work for a friend last
weekend and happened to notice that two of the three legs had developed
stress cracks just above the point where the leg bolt plates were welded to
the tower legs.  Cracks span about 25-30% of the leg circumference.  It's a
model TX-455 supporting a 4 element SteppIR.  Of course the best
solution would be to replace the broken section or the entire tower.
However, it seems as though it may be repairable if done the right way.

The only solution that sounds feasible to me would be to insert solid steel
round stock in each leg and tack it in place with a weld at the bottom.
Then run a bead over the cracks on the outside of the legs.  Perhaps do
this in the lower 2-3 feet of each leg.  Anyone done this before and had
success in doing so?  Is there a better approach?

Of course, if you have a used TX-455 at a reasonable price, that would be
even better!  Trying to help a fellow SCCC member fix his tower without
breaking the bank.

73, Bob K6ZZ