[TowerTalk] Questions->cable cutters

[Dave Zeph]

We just replaced the 20+ year-old guys wires on both of my towers.  The first time I cut the 5/16 wire with bolt cutters.  I survived after several days recuperation, but I'm not sure about the DRC Bolt Cutters.

The second tower was guyed with ancient 1/2" guy wire which originally came in 18 large crates and was made to guy rhombic antenna poles.  20 years ago at $100 is was a bargain, and some of it still was free of rust.

I had no desire to use the bolt cutters on that.  K9UWA brought down a chop saw with a carbide blade,  K9UWA's employer buys the blades 3' in diameter and discards them when they get gown to 12" diameter.  My xyl and two other ladies cut the 12 110-170 foot guys into two nice neat piles of 4-6' scraps.  My only regret is that I don't want to spend the time cutting out the HUGE insulators, and feel a bit guilty about putting them into a landfill.

One thing that I've not seen mentioned here is another advantage of guy grips - your xyl can easily help by making up guy wires!

Of course I once induced my wife to climb during a contest and loosen the bolts on a failed side-mount Ham-M rotor, then tie a rope to the boom so I could armstrong it.  She wanted me to watch, but 10M was wide open, so I did the next best thing.  We had a Black Lab named Daisy at that time. Daisy was planted at the base of the tower looking UP.  So I watched Daisy.  If she looked DOWN, we were in big trouble!



73 ---> Dave, W9ZRX

  

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From:  force12@interserv.com[SMTP:force12@interserv.com]
Sent:  15 September 1997 08:52
To:  K7LXC@aol.com; k9rz@probe.net; towertalk@contesting.com
Subject:  Re: [TowerTalk] Questions->cable cutters

Good morning.

Steve (K7LXC) commented on cable cutters and parenthetically mentioned "not 
EHS" in regards to what one can cut with them. If you are looking at cable 
cutters, they will often be labeled something like "Not For Steel". This is 
common on the type that can be used in one hand and are intended for cutting 
copper. If you attempt to use these on EHS, even 1/8", you will not be 
successful in cutting, but will be successful in dulling/mashing the blades! 
Your hardware store will like you.

A cable cutter for EHS is fairly expensive. They have two handles and are 
usually painted red with black blades. They run about $100 (maybe more) for 
something that can cut up to 3/16" EHS. Larger ones cost more, of course.

Another way to cut EHS is not so sophisticated. One can tape the location to 
be cut with duct tape (or black tape). Then, wearing goggles and gloves, use 
a small disk grinder to cut through the tape and cable. A 4" grinder works 
fine. If you can hold the cable in a vice, or pair of vices, it will be much 
safer.

There is also a hammer driven cutter, but I haven't seen one for a while.

In any event, be careful.



Have a good day and 73,
			Tom, N6BT
			Force 12 Antennas and Systems
			(Home Page   http://www.QTH.com/force12 )



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