[TowerTalk] US Tower Problems

[Alan NV8A]

On 04/20/07 01:53 pm jcowens1 at comcast.net wrote:

>> I have had the same problem you are having with the stall upon raising the 
>> tower and have resorted to doing the same thing you do. If I briefly lower the 
>> tower and then switch to raising, it usually takes off and raises the tower. 
>> Once it is under way, it doesn't hesitate or stall the rest of the way up. There 
>> is friction between the various sections and they told me to use bees wax on the 
>> tower areas where there is abnormal friction. I bought some and put it on and it 
>> did help the situation. 
>>
>> I don't have the docs. in front of me at the moment, but I thought they 
>> said to use automotive grease. They do NOT recommend automotive grease. They specifically recommended against using oil or lube, but recommend bees wax which is why I used it in the first place and it does help. Bees wax can be bought from a good hobby shop (used in floral aarrangements) and the block I bought for around $10 will last me a lifetime. Grease will collect dirt and only make the problem worse over time. 

I do now have the docs. in front of me, and on the back of the page 
headed "Installation and Maintenance Instructions" which I received from 
UST in October 2006 are the following words:

"Like anything that is subjected to constant weathering, your tower, 
raising fixture, and accessories must be inspected regularly for signs 
of wear and corrosion. . . . A thorough inspection immediately after 
every storm is always necessary. In addition, all moving parts should be 
well lubricated with _conventional automotive grease_ (or equivalent) at 
least twice a year." (3rd. paragraph; emphasis added)

>>> I guess it is kind of a tradeoff situation. You can't have an overkill on 
>> power to move the sections as that might put unreasonable stress on the cables 
>> and result in a breakage. Before I put the bees wax on the tower innter 
>> surfaces, it used to bind slightly towards the end of travel up. It is better 
>> with the bees wax.

>> Regarding oil, I changed mine last year and I am pretty sure I used regular 
>> automobile differential oil (90 wt?). The Hub City (gearbox mfr) literature I 
>> have says GL-90 for temps between 15 and 60 DEGF, or GL-150 for temps between 50 
>> to 125 DEGF. It says to change it after every 100 hours of use. For me, that is 
>> about every 20 years. I chose GL90 because of the lower viscosity. I talk with 
>> Gary Smith at UST when I have questions (559)733-2438. He has been there a long 
>> time and seems to be the most knowledgeable. 
>>
>> Again, I thought they said "gear oil." I know that differential oil 
>> could be different, but whether it's worse I don't know. Differential oil is gear oil that is designed to lubricate the gears in your automobile differential gear box. 

I was recalling that differentials that use hypoid gears (perhaps all do 
now) had to use oil with special additives. Whether it has a deleterious 
effect on non-hypoid gears I have no idea.

<snip>

73

Alan NV8A