[SCCC] Hauling Ideas Needed

[Dino Darling]

Steve, you have all the right ideas. A shooting boom articulating fork lift will also work easily. If you want help getting this done, call me.

Dino - KX6D
562-665-6286

Dino - KX6D
________________________________
From: SCCC <sccc-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of Steve Harrison <k0xp at k0xp.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 6:34:33 PM
To: sccc at contesting.com <sccc at contesting.com>
Subject: [SCCC] Hauling Ideas Needed

This is a solicitation for ideas.

I have a lead on a 90 ft telescoping tubular Sky Needle, presently
located some 200 miles from my QTH in 29 Palms. It has a large log
periodic on it that will have to be lifted off by an available crane,
which will then lift the tower off its base and onto a trailer, which is
also available. I don't intend to reuse the LP, although pictures I've
seen show it in good condition.

But I can't figure out how we'd get that 4000-pound tubular tower off
the trailer and onto the desert once here. Total length is in the
neighborhood of 28 feet, likely a bit longer. I'd imagine the tower
weight is fairly evenly distributed due to the winch at the base and the
rotator assy at the top. The sand where the tower is to be unloaded is
basically soft, although my 4"-thick driveway is adjacent to that
location, offset by about 15 - 20 feet to the side. I can have the area
for the tower compacted and lay gravel, which works pretty well out here
for my driveway. This soft sand could also be a problem when attempting
to back up the trailer to get the tower where it can be refurbished.

One idea that I have to remove the tower from the trailer is to try to
rent an AWD semitruck boom wrecker truck and operator (which would have
to come from Yucca Valley, I think), which should be able to move over
the sand, particularly if I have some gravel placed where the tower will
be set. Seems to me that the major problem will be to just lift the
tower up high enough for the trailer to drive out from under, then let
it down onto the ground. A pair of overhead hoists would accomplish the
same task, at around the same estimated cost.

Any other ideas?? (No, hitting the gas and letting the tower fall off
the back is a no-go from the start.)

Once the tower is lifted off the trailer, I then have to evaluate the
inner wall condition for rust and corrosion due to the tower having
lived on the SoCal coast for at least 51 years. Any ideas how to
accomplish this? It seems the tower sections will have to be extended on
the ground. I would imagine the military would then drill holes along
the length, measure the wall thickness and perhaps insert an endoscope
to look further at the insides, then weld the holes up. Any other ideas
about this? I could, of course, simply erect it, extend it, and see
whether it withstands our (sometimes high) desert wind.

I've been spending my mornings out on the desert before the heat sets in
building Beverages, and have two more to put up. The others will have to
wait for installation of the Sky Needle.

Thanks,

SteveH K0XP

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