[TowerTalk] Moving HDX689 Tower

[Jim McDonald]

Dan,

I moved my HDX-589MPL twice without a hitch.  I shipped mine with a moving
van load of furniture (and a few antennas) from Phoenix to Albuquerque and
back (thanks to my employer).  I don't know how much a 689 weighs, but you
could adapt my solution if you want.

I had a tower dolly custom built by a local trailer manufacturing company.
It's on two car tires with leaf springs.  I don't have a digital camera, but
I could give you dimensions, etc. if you want to call me (480-354-2870).
(It's raining now.)  It's very handy, as you can lay the tower on it and
push it around like a wheelbarrow.  A 1500# tower can be moved pretty easily
by one person, though this 2500# tower (+ the mast) is more like a 3-4
person job (on dirt).

Anyway, I had a crane use two loops of nylon webbing around the dolly and
tower together and lift it into the moving van. The process was reversed at
the destination.  To get it into the van, since it's covered, the crane op
lifted the tower over to the opening of the trailer as we pointed it into
the trailer.  When the wheels got onto the edge of the trailer, we gave it a
nudge as the crane gave us a bit of slack.  Obviously, you have to have the
tower with the center of gravity in the center of the dolly. (I put a piece
of tape on a leg the second time I did this so I wouldn't have to guess
again.)  This way, you don't have to get the crane to stick the boom into
the truck.

The dolly is the secret of being able to use a closed trailer easily, in my
case anyway.  With an open trailer, I'd use a crane and nylon webbing, but
wouldn't need the dolly.  You'll need another crane to move it later to the
tower base.  Even though the lightest crane can move 2500# onto or off of a
trailer, it'll probably be $120 for the 20 minute job.  A dolly can be
reused again and again.  I think I heard that US Tower may have one for
rent.  I think I paid about $600 to have mine made; it is pretty nice; I'm
no welder.

BTW, I had a 2" OD pipe welded with the receptacle thingy to mate with a
large ball hitch.  With a lighter tower, a lot of guts, and not much common
sense, you can tow a tower behind a vehicle using the pipe in place of the
mast.  I did it once but it wasn't relaxing.

GL,
Jim N7US



----- Original Message -----
From: "K0FF" <K0FF@arrl.net>
To: <dhearn@ix.netcom.com>; <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, October 27, 2000 8:44 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Moving HDX689 Tower


Dan, what is the horsepower on the John Deere? My 3 cylinder Ford Diesel
tractor wouldn't even budge a HD 589 delivered here. It took my Ford AND a
big backhoe to get it off, and that's about 800 pounds lighter than the
HD689.
On the other hand we recently slide a HD 572 off a trailer with just the
Ford alone, no problem. That last 1000 pounds makes a difference.

Happy Building, Geo>KØFF
http://homepages.dstream.net/K0FF

----- Original Message -----
From: dan hearn <dhearn@ix.netcom.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2000 9:45 AM
Subject: [TowerTalk] Moving HDX689 Tower


>
> I have made a deal to purchase a used HDX689 tower. It will be moved
> from Reno,NV to Spokane,Wa. The plan is to rent a 24 ft straight van for
> the job. I am concerned about how to do this without damaging the van or
> the tower. I believe the weight is about 3000 pounds. There will be
> nothing else in the van to be concerned about. I am thinking of making a
> crate around the tower using 2x4 lumber and using rope to secure it to
> the van tie downs near the floor. I am concerned about the strength of
> the tiedown points among other things. Fortunately, the travel route is
> not mountainous. Has anyone done this type of move and does anyone have
> any tips on how to do it safely? The seller says he has equipment to
> load the tower and I have a spot to unload it with a dirt bank at the
> right height. I plan to slide it off and set it on railroad ties using
> my John Deere 850 tractor 3 point hitch.
>   I moved a much lighter TX472 up here from Texas using a similar van
> with no problems.The van was full of other stuff and the tower was kept
> in place by the surrounding objects.
>
> tnx, Dan, N5AR
>
> --
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