[TowerTalk] US Tower HDX 555 Tower Cables

[jcowens1 at comcast.net]

Steve:

Comments imbedded below:

John

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: K7LXC at aol.com 

In a message dated 4/11/2007 7:00:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, jcowens1 at comcast.net writes:
>  I don't know what the newer US towers use, but my approx 14 YO tower has u groove aluminum outer pulley sections, swaged to a center section of harder material. I thought it was bronze, bit is is not of that color so I don't know what it is. A bolt goes through this inner section and when the pulley rotates, all of it rotates. There are no bearings as such. This makes lubrication very important as it is metal against metal (bolt against inner pulley section). 

    QSL. The older ones use a bushing. But a lightweight lubricant still doesn't last very long. 

What do you recommend in lieu of oiling them??

>  Regarding the wire rope lube, I have put it on 2 tower cable sets and each have lasted for years after ther first application. The stuff I use leaves a waxy graphite appearing coating which lasts for years. I did the cables on my current US Tower 3 years ago and they now look like they did when I originally applied it. 

    Umm, is that the stuff that the manufacturer recommends? What stuff is it? The typical cable lubricant soaks in and doesn't leave any outside residue which could attract grit and particulates. There is a PreLube product (recommended by wire rope manufacturers) that is for hostile environments that does leave a protective coating on the cable but hams make a mistake by using a grease on the cables.

The stuff I use is Sprayon p/n S00201 Heavy Duty Open Gear and Wire Rope Lube that I buy from Pacific Industrial Supply on 4th in SW Seattle. They sell a lot of wire rope and it is what they recommended. It works very well for me. It soaks deep into the cable strands, and the exterior coating looks like graphite grease that does rub off if you run you hand along it. I guess you coould wipe off that exterior coating after application, but I think it is more helpful than harmful.

Cheers,
Steve     K7LXC








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