[TowerTalk] Fall Harness-My Choice

[David Gilbert]

I have an AN Wireless HD-70 freestanding tower with the foot pegs ... 
slippery enough to require caution when wet, but not treacherous.  I 
climb with a full body harness with two relatively short safety straps, 
neither of which are fall arrest lanyards.  Each safety strap has a 
self-locking gorilla hook on the end (required because of the large 
steel cross braces on the tower), and one or the other hook is ALWAYS 
attached to a cross brace as I climb.  I even have a third strap and 
gorilla hook coming from a separate belt around my waist that I affix to 
the tower while I am working.

The hooks I use are made from a high strength aluminum alloy ... very 
light and extremely strong. *http://tinyurl.com/25dns9a*

In general, I'm afraid of heights but don't feel ill at ease on the 
tower with this system.  If I die falling from it, it will be because I 
was stupid.

73,
Dave   AB7E



On 8/13/2010 4:34 PM, Jim Thomson wrote:
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:09:25 -0500
> From: "Noid Wilson-NM5I "<noid1037 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Fall Harness-My Choice
> Dear Group,
>
>
>
> Better to be safe, I have tried several different brands and use the Elk
> River Tower harness with a spreader between the waist D rings and have a
> lanyard to attach for fall protection.  If you want to really be safe, take
> a class on tower climbing.  They are usually around $1000 and take just a
> few days but you will climb safe and do safe things.  If you get a chance to
> try on the harness, it makes a difference.  I love the seat on the harness
> to do work and 'relax' on the tower.
>
> ##  How many folks on here run the 3/8"  winch cable  from top
> to bottom of the tower,  and use the positive locking device, hooked to your
> climbing gear of choice?    IE: if you slip, get stung by a wasp, get dizzy from
> the heat, etc, what's  stopping you from falling 100'....aside from the next set of
> guy wires below you ?   I see the Trylon version of this device uses a shock absorber
> at the top of the tower.  Some versions use a 3/8"  cable..and some versions use a
> square tubing rail, running the entire height of the tower.
>
> ## Of course, if the entire tower rotates, or if you have tic-rings, it would be
> more difficult to implement.   The safety cable would have to start and stop at each
> ring.   Just wrapping the lanyard around the tower
> is better than nothing at all, but still won't prevent you from falling XXX feet.
>
> ## IMO... you would be better off spending the $1000.00  on  proper fall arrest
> systems.   On the Trylon titan, and super titan towers, and AN wireless towers,
> those angle steel braces are like  greased lightning, when wet..extremely dangerous.
>
> ##  I can see in most cases, in the commercial world, that the worker's compensation  board
> would not allow anybody to climb any structure that didn't have a  fall arrest device  employed.
>
> Later... Jim   VE7RF
>
>
>
>
> http://www.elkriver.com/html/tower_matrix.html
>
>
>
> PinnacleR Tower 6 D-ring Harness
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Noid Wilson
>
> Semper Fi
>
> 813-532-9708 Primary Cell
>
> 918-935-7700 D's Cell
>
> noid1037 at gmail.com
>
> noid at nm5i.com
>
> The family is in Tulsa, we will be in contact.  Thanks.
>
>
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