[Towertalk] How To Hold Up A 20' Mast On The Ground?

[Jerry Kincade]

It also helps to pay attention to the size crane you order up. I thought a
100' boom truck was fine for my 80' R45 + 15' of mast, but because of the
headache ball and attached rigging, we lost about 3-4 feet of actual lifting
height. Since at max height the boom is near vertical, maneuvering the beam
around up there was a bit touchier than I liked. At one point we had to
swing the antenna boom over the top of the mast, which was at 95' plus 18"
of copper air terminal, for a total clearance height of about 96-1/2 feet. I
guess I needed another 1/4" of boom truck, because the antenna boom actually
scraped the tip of the copper air terminal - it was that close with the boom
maxed out. :-)  It all worked because of an experienced boom operator, but
I'll make sure I have something in the 125' range next time, so I'll have a
little more leeway and working room up there.  Gotta love those cranes,
except when you have to write the check!
73, Jerry W5KP

----- Original Message -----
From: <K7LXC@aol.com>
>
>     WAY too much work and screwing around. Since you're going to have the
> crane there, have him do all the work. What you need is a man-basket and
> someone in it. To install the mast, you need to be on the tower as the
crane
> lowers it.
(snip)
> This whole process will take about an hour or so - much less time than
> you'll spend fooling around with the mast on the ground. Couldn't be
easier.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve    K7LXC
> TOWER TECH -
> Professional, affordable tower services for industry and amateurs