[TowerTalk] Pier pin vs. burying in concrete

[Tom Rauch]

> IF the Rohn flat plate were strong enough, one could simply place a
> small spacer, like a large nut, around the pin & under the plate.
> 
> So the obvious solution would be to beef up the Rohn plate to an
> appropriate thickness. I would guess 3/4" would do it for normal
> ham installs. Kurt?

I mig weld  2"x1"x 3/16 thk square steel tubing from the outside 
edge of the plate under each leg (short side flat on the plate) to the 
center hole, with two pieces side by side under each leg.

I weld another single piece on the top of the plate from each leg to 
the center, with just enough space to let the legs fit and bolt into 
place.

At the normal pier hole, I weld the tubing to a stubby thick-wall pipe 
that sticks down 2".   

I do this so I can set the towers on a single insulator, but it 
probably would work if the insulator was replaced by a short piece 
of solid steel with a shoulder of some kind. 

I'm not a mechanical engineer, but this base system held my 300 
foot tower when I had an inch of radial ice on it and the guy lines.
73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com 

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