[Fwd: Re: [TowerTalk] mast weight]

[Bill Hider]

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I should add that I raised the mast through the tower to near the top of
the tower using a long rope through a hole in the tower top plate using
a gin pole. I then secured the mast, attached the cable from the winch,
and raised it into position.

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Message-ID: <3353E304.5B1E@erols.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 13:20:20 -0700
From: Bill Hider <n3rr@erols.com>
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To: K4OJ@aol.com, lburke@wt.net, towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] mast weight
References: <970415012053_940072480@emout07.mail.aol.com>
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K4OJ@aol.com wrote:
> 
> if the winch is at the top of the tower, and the cable passes through the
> middle of the mast (the catch) it will NOT be able to go any higher than
> flush with the top - IF - (thanks to several who responded) you place the
> cable on the outside of the mast and lift from the bottom (with the mast
> somehow tied to the lifting wire at its top - a temporary rope, etc) the
> lifting will be such that when you get to the top you can undo the temporary
> tie and proceed to go all the way - conceivably to a point where the mast is
> almost OUT of the tower...
> 
> I get it now....my vision was of the cable being run inside the mast, which
> would preclude "past the winch" lifting.
> 
> SO, I am visualizing this as I type, the trick is to prep your top plate to
> have a place to bolt on a winch capable of holding as much wire rope as your
> tower is tall....and there should be a hole a little off center for that
> wirerope to pass through.........I think I can see this
> now......................................the only catch then would be that
> the end of the cable will have to use wire rope/Crosby type clips to hold the
> hook that attaches to the mast since once it is up and you wanna take the
> wire rope out it has to be able to pass through the hole in your top
> plate...ok, I see it now.
> 
> Question - what type of winches are best, I assume the type used to pull a
> boat onto a trailer are what is being talked about...................can you
> rent electric winches ..............I suspect this will be a classic "turn
> the crank Frank"
> 
> Did I get the idea right....I wanna do this later this Summer and am
> visualizing.
> 
> Tnx, 73
> 
> Jim KOJ
> 
> --
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I've done exactly that on my tower.

If you use a hand winch, be sure to use one with a worm gear drive (like
the one I got from Harbor Freight Tools) or one with a positive brake,
otherwise you're asking for trouble if the mast weighs a bit. What
you're asking for would be for the winch to "backlash" and the mast to
start falling with the winch handle turning backwards so fast you
couldn't catch it, with imaginable consequences. 

Why one would want to use an electric winch at the top of the tower is
beyond me.

Bill, n3RR@erols.com

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