[Towertalk] Rohn tip-over base failed

[Ford Peterson]

A few weeks ago, my 68' tiltover tower failed in a huge wind from a
microburst that came through.  One guy failed and the tower was helpless
against 100+MPH winds.  I was disassembling the base section today and
discovered something very interesting.

For the last few years, I have been perplexed by the need to forever be
tightening up the guys.  All the guys would loosen about the same so the
conclusion I came to was that the base itself was sinking in the moist loam
each spring.

What I discovered today is that the tip-over base section (Rohn's) had been
overloaded by the weight of the tilt-over with all the hardware.  If you
have never seen the swivels on a tip-over base, they are single 3/8"
diameter bolts pinned through the 25G type base section tubing.  The whole
weight of the tower rests on a single set of 3/8" bolts.  The holes in the
base section tubes were elongated downward by about 3/16" in only a few
short years.  All three legs were worn about the same.

I thought Towertalkians might want to know this so that you can run out and
check your hinged base bolts.

Now, on to how to fix this base so I can use it again...

Ford-N0FP
ford@cmgate.com