[TowerTalk] Repair HD-BX Tower?

[Bill Turner]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Sat, 12 May 2007 11:40:11 -0400, Mike Lafferty W2TB
 <mikelafferty at verizon.net> wrote:

>I have a HD-BX 48" Rohn, and a couple rivets broke on section 5, third 
>section from the top. I was going to drill and use stainless steel bolts 
>through a hole in the aluminum rivet, but I thought I would ask to see 
>if anyone has a better method of repair. Do I need new rivets, or does 
>my Stainless Steel work?

------------ REPLY FOLLOWS ------------

Stainless steel nuts and bolts will work fine, but be sure to do two
things:

1. Use a locking nut, the kind with a nylon insert. If you are really
paranoid about loosening, also use Loctite threadlocker. Do not rely
on lockwashers alone.

and

2. Apply an anti=sieze compound to the threads before tightening.
Stainless steel has a nasty habit of "galling", where the surface
deforms under pressure and causes the nut to jam, making further
tightening and/or removal impossible without breaking it. Your local
hardware store should have them, or a google search will find lots of
them.

Bill W6WRT