[TowerTalk] TOWER ROTOR

[VE6JY Don Moman]

I'd venture to say that any "Bush Hog" or similar mower in the junk yard is
there because the gear box is broke!  Everything else is fairly minor to
repair/replace except that!  But one never knows why something is in the
junk yard so it's always worth looking.  I find industrial auctions are a
much better place to find these sort of items.  Conveyor belt drives, large
overhead doors and other industrial drives often use a large worm drive,
some with a motor attached. An obscure motor voltage (or not working) may
reduce the value drastically.  At such a sale last fall, there were about 20
large worm drives, some with motors,  that sold for 5$ each. I bought the
only two that I could actually lift, the others would have taken a forklift
to handle.  But they sure would have handled a rotating tower nicely!

Good hunting.

73 Don
VE6JY



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "RICHARD BOYD" <ke3q at msn.com>
To: "J.Hector Garcia M" <Hector at telecom1.net>
Cc: "towertalk reflector" <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 12:40
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] TOWER ROTOR


> Hector, we admire your resourcefulness!
>
> I had recent experience working on a "Bush Hog" rotary mower that many of
us
> are familiar with, that are widely used and widely available.  The typical
> one attaches on a "three-point hitch" and "PTO" (power take off) of a
small
> to medium farm tractor.  They are about the width of the tractor,
sometimes
> wider and typically have a single large blade.  Particularly the "Bush
Hog"
> brand is well made and capable of mowing even saplings (trees of up to an
> inch or two diameter), in addition to just grass and weeds.  This is the
> mower of choice when brush and grass have gotten to be tall -- several
feet
> high.  I've mowed brush as much as eight feet high with them.
>
> Getting to the point, there is a gearbox, transfer case, in them that
could
> be salvaged from old ones, could be found at junk yards, etc., that will
> give you a 90 degree turn.  It also strikes me these gears could be
adapted
> to (welded) prop pitch rotators, etc. for that application as well.  If
you
> can find one of these it could give you the 90 degree turn you want.  (It
> seems to me that finding a different way to mount the motor would
accomplish
> the same thing but keeping the motor in the orientation you prefer and
> making the turn with a gear assembly may indeed be the easiest and best
> way.)
>
> I am going to start "keeping my eyes open" for old "Bush Hog" mowers with
> the idea of salvaging the gear box.
>
> 73 - Rich, KE3Q
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "J.Hector Garcia M" <Hector at telecom1.net>
> To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 1:32 AM
> Subject: [TowerTalk] TOWER ROTOR
>
>
> GUYS:
>
> I WILL LIKE TO KNOW WHAT TYPE OF TRANSMITION AND MOTOR ARE THE BEST TO USE
> TO ROTATE A TOWER, I HAVE A  FEW PHOTOS OF HOMEBREW ROTORS AND OTHER
> COMMERCIAL OUT OF MY BUDGET.  I WILL LIKE TO BUILD THIS  AT LOW COST BUT
> HIGH QUALITY , FOR THAT REASON I WILL TAKE MY TIME AND LOOK FOR THE RIGHT
> PARTS.
> I FOUND HERE IN A LOCAL JUNK YARD  SEVERAL TRANSMITIONS WITH MOTOR IN VERY
> GOOD CONDITIONS AND GOOD PRICE 100-150 DLLS COMPLETE , THIS ONES COMES IN
A
> MACHINE  THAT WAS USED IN  SOME AGRICULTURAL PROCESS.  VERY STRONG AND
THE
> SHAFT IS AROUND 1 1/8 INCH  , THE ONLY PROBLEM IS  THIS IS MOUNTED
> HORIZONTAL.  IN THE LEFT THE MOTOR AND THE RIGHT THE LOW SPEED SHAFT , NOT
> ABOVE LIKE THE ONE THAT APPEARS IN THE NCJ  THAT HAVE IN USE  A CONTEST
> STATION IN OH0 LAND.
>
> I WILL APRECIATE  IDEAS AND  YOUR OPPINIONS.
>
> TNX IN ADVANCE
> HECTOR XE2K
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
> Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with
any
> questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
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> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
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