[TowerTalk] Loose Rotator Bolts

[Stan Griffiths]

Hi Matt,

I suspect you have some misalignment in the rotator system.  I also think
you can probably fix it by loosening up the rotator mast clamp bolts, the
rotator to shelf bolts, and the shelf ubolts.  Then when everything is quite
loose, tighten things in this order:

1.  Rotator mast clamps.  This assures the rotator is perfectly in line with
the mast.  (If it is a 2" mast, don't forget to shim it.).
2.  Rotator shelf bolts.  This assures the plate is snug against the bottom
of the rotator.
3.  Shelf ubolts.  This assures the rotator shelf finds the best place on
the tower legs without causing binding when the rotator turns.

If you tighten the hardware in any other order, binding can occur and one
result is that bolts back out.  On a Ham 4, it is usually the bolts holding
the rotator together that back out and that is when you find the rotator
bearings on the ground around the tower base . . .

Stan  w7ni@teleport.com

Matt T Powell wrote:

> Hi,
>     Has anyone experienced rotator / plate  mounting bolts loosening up,
> to the point of falling out ?  I have had 2 cases of this happening,
> which were discovered this weekend.
>
>      Both rotators were T2X's. One turns a 2 element 40 meter yagi and
> the other turns a stack of monobanders on 10-15-20 meters. Each rotator
> was installed this spring. All mounting bolts had 1 flat and 1 "split "
> lock washer on them. All were installed with a small amount of grease on
> the threads.
>
>     Maybe a "star" washer would correct the problem ? Thoughts or
> comments.
>
>                                 73   Thanks   Matt   W3UUM
>
>
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