[TowerTalk] Aluminum vs. Steel Tower

[John Smith (KI7V)]

Hello all,

I have never had a tower, so I am currently in the exploration stage of determining what type of tower to purchase.  I recently ran into an ad for a 60 Ft. Universal free standing aluminum tower that has been disassembled and is on the ground.  I don't plan on putting up a monster array or anything, so this seems like a pretty good choice?  I like the idea of an aluminum tower because it would be easier to hoist up the sections during assembly.  I wanted to know if there are any disadvantages to an aluminum tower vs. a steel tower.  Are they as strong as steel towers?  This tower is a 9-60 series tower, however the top two sections are larger which adds to the strengh and increases the load rating somewhat.  I only plan on putting up a 3 or 4 el yagi tri-bander or maybe a 2-el multiband quad like the lightning bolt.

Thanks,
John - KI7V