[TowerTalk] Taking delivery of crankup tower

[David Hachadorian]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kelly Johnson" <n6kj.kelly at gmail.com>
To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 4:32 PM
Subject: [TowerTalk] Taking delivery of crankup tower


> Any recommendations on how to take a crankup tower off the delivery 
> truck
> and transport to the back yard without a crane or 10 strong men? 
> They are
> heavy and need support on both ends and the middle to prevent 
> damage. There
> is less than 10 feet (probably closer to 7 or 8 feet ) between the 
> house and
> side fence so transporting it to the backyard on a car carrier (or 
> similar)
> is not an option.

--------------------------

You can use three short lengths of 2" pipe to roll the tower around 
on. They don't roll very well on grass, but the friction between the 
pipes and the tower is low enough that two or three people can slide 
the tower across the pipes if the pipes bog down.

To get it off the truck:
Rent an engine puller from your local rental place (a long boom with a 
hydraulic lift, mounted on a pedestal with wheels).

Lift one end of the tower about a foot so you can put a pipe or two 
under it. Roll the tower toward the back of the truck until its CG is 
just inside the truck. Using the engine puller, grab the tower near 
its cg, so that it is level, or slightly tilted off the floor of the 
truck. Have the truck drive away. lower the tower onto the pipes, and 
start rolling. Make sure it doesn't roll itself down the driveway and 
into the street! It will roll very easily on hard surfaces.

While you have the engine puller, you can use it to flip the tower 
winch-side-down and put it on its base. You can dig a big hole in the 
ground so the raising winch clears, or you can put the tower up on 
sturdy blocks or sawhorses.

Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Yuma, AZ