[TowerTalk] US Tower snow/ice warning

[Jim Thomson]

Does anyone know why US Tower now has a snow or ice warning on their
website?
http://www.ustower.com/subpages/ham-towers.php 

Jim N7US

##  I saw that snow and or ice warning on their site a few months ago.  The kicker is
the cables are under constant tension, even if the tower is cranked all the way down !
At least with the tower nested, it will have minimal windload..with ice on it..vs  fully
extended..and ice on it. 

## the cables on the hdx series are under constant tension, you have to treat the tower
like a loaded gun at all times.  IF I knew I was going to be hit with an ice storm in XXX
hrs.... I would nest the tower,  and slide some rectangular steel tubes  just below the
2nd section  up from the base.   And maybe the sectionS above that too.   Then lower
it a tiny bit more... so a bit of tension comes off the cables.    You don't want em
totally slack, or they might jump the pulleys. 

## My guess is, it's some  kind of legal disclaimer thing they cooked up.  The quality
control fellow  from  UST in Kansas  phoned me the other morning, and tells me the
cables have to be changed out every 3 years min....and that  ALL the  pulleys  have to 
be changed out  aprx  every  2nd or 3rd cable change.    He also insisted that the
gear box oil is checked  once per month...and changed out every 24 x months. [ it needs  
6 x pints of  Mobil oil  SCH-634  synthetic oil, viscosity of 460]   Both threaded drive rods 
have to be coated with  bee's  wax  and not  grease.  All  6 x bearings have to be pumped full 
of grease on a regular basis.   The big double roller chain requires normal chain lube on a regular basis.  
And the tower legs have to have bees wax on em..so the guides slide nice and smooth.  If you under fill
the gear box, it will run hot, if you overfill, it will blow seals.  That's why there is 3 x plugs on the
gearbox.   Top one is the filler.   The next one down the side ensures the correct level, and is an overflow
port.   The 3rd and lowest plug is the drain plug.    Funny thing is the lowest one, the drain plug..is well
above the bottom of the gearbox !   I think a suction / syphon is required to get the last of the oil out.  It also
requires a special flushing liquid to be used, after the oil is drained out.  Then you gotta  siphon the flushing
liquid out the bottom,same as the oil.   Bottom plug installed, middle plug left out.   New oil poured in the very
top.  Fill till it starts coming out the middle, open plug, then stop and install middle plug.   The very top plug
also has a vent stacked above it. 
That's what was told to me by several UST  folks. 

later......... Jim    VE7RF