[TowerTalk] Advice on crank up winch problem

[Jon Casamajor]

I recently completed a major upgrade of my antenna stack. My tower is a
Tristao HDX-572. It has the original 1500 lb pull strength winch which I
probably should have replaced while the tower was down for the work.  The
only thing I have done to the winch is to lube the exposed gears and inspect
the cable carefully.  In the 20 years it's been up, the raise lower duty
cycle has been minimal, probably less than 15 cycles.

The winch has now locked up and will not lower. It will raise and feels
normal but will not lower.  A friend who has had several crank up towers
suggested hot soapy water bath for the winch and a good rinsing after that
allow to dry and pray. :-)

What do my options look like? Can the tower be supported somehow and the
winch replaced in it's current position?  Are there any experts who do this
type of tower work?

The tower is up maybe 40 feet of its max 72 feet. The pressure on crank up
feels normal.

Any experience or expert opinion will be greatly appreciated.

 

73,

Jon- K6EL

k6el at comcast.net