[TowerTalk] US TowerHDX-555

[Doug Rehman]

Junior:

I'm not specifically familiar with that tower model, but unless it has
positive pull down, what you are describing is normal behavior. 

For positive pull down, the winch will be connected to a spool. The spool
will have two different cables on it- a pull up cable and a pull down cable.
They will be wrapped in opposite directions so that one wraps as the other
unwraps. In the retracted position, the pull up cable will be fully
unwrapped from the spool while the pull down cable will be fully wrapped.

Towers without a positive pull down rely on gravity. They typically have a
single winch, looking like a boat trailer winch.

Positive pull down is typically found on higher end towers, especially
motorized ones.

The only real time of potential problem with a gravity operated crank-up is
when it is windy or if the tower has ice on it. The wind or ice could cause
the tower to bind on its descent; if you keep cranking, making the cable
slack, the tower could suddenly fall a few feet. In normal operation, the
weight of the tower will cause it to descend as you turn the winch (assuming
the tower is vertical).

Doug
K4AC

> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:towertalk-
> bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Junior
> Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2007 12:11 PM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] US TowerHDX-555
> 
> Hello All,
> 
> I just completed putting the rotator on the tower.
> 
> The tower is in a horizontal position and I cranked the inner tower out
> approx 4ft for easy access to install the rotator per the instructions.
> 
> 
> 
> When I go to crank (retract) the 4ft all I get is loose cable off the
> crank
> reel. I can push the 4ft back into the tower just fine
> 
> and it tightens up the loose cable.
> 
> ( Tower cranks out(up) just fine).
> 
> 
> 
> My question is if I crank the tower all the way up(with antenna
> mounted)
> once I get it into the vertical position and I go to crank
> 
> it back down am I going to get loose cable and the tower starts to
> "freefall" back down?
> 
> 
> 
> The instructions indicate you should be able to retract (the 4ft) tower
> without cranking it to 55ft first then crank backdown.
> 
> But it appears that comment is if the tower was already in the vertical
> position and you mounted the rotator with it in the vertical position.
> Nothing in the instructions on trouble shooting to much.
> 
> Is it a gravity thing when you start cranking(retracting) the tower to
> it's
> nested position.
> 
> US Tower is closed today.
> 
> I would appreciate it if you could reply direct also. For some reason I
> don't get all the list posted messages on the various list servers.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Charles
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
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