Crankup safety

[dick@pobox.com]

13 FEB - 1635 CST

To All...

I climb my crank-up (TRIEX DX-70) *ONLY* when it is fully retracted and 
blocked.  I have used the ladder against the bottom section technique 
(tower fully retracted) and have come to the conclusion there is far 
more hazard using a ladder which can easily slide off the side of the 
tower.  Yes, I tied the ladder to the tower after I got to the top of it 
- but it is still an iffy proposition.

As for the blockers, I use two pieces of angle iron.  It takes a few 
minutes to work the tower slightly up and down to get the iron properly 
placed. But when it is inserted and the tower "nudged" a wee bit lower, 
they are locked into place and almost all of the strain is removed from 
the cables.  One piece of angle iron is probably enough - but I believe 
in using both a belt and suspenders - and this spreads the load across 
two sets of the diagonal braces.

FYI, my crank-up has "positive pull-down" and there is a mechanical stop 
only for the first moving section.  The other tower sections are 
supported by the cables full-time.

73 - Dick Isely, WD9GIG


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