[TowerTalk] Tower Leg Maintenance

[Jim Cassidy]

Good source for a bore scope is Harbor Freight.  They have one model thats usually on sale for about $80.  Works well and can be used to look in all kinds of tight places.
73   KI7Y

----- Original Message -----
From: "K8RI" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net>
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 9:32:06 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tower Leg Maintenance

On 12/7/2011 8:29 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:
> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:44:17 -0500
> From: K8RI<K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tower Leg Maintenance
>
> On 12/6/2011 4:39 PM, Frederick Vobbe wrote:
>   ## U could also,[ if the tower is all in sections], stuff the TV 
> camera into each leg, like the plumbers all do, and see the inside of 
> the legs... in colour. Dunno how small an ID those things will fit 
> into though.
Better yet is a "Bore Scope". It's a tiny TV camera on a flexible shaft. 
They are used to look at the inside of aircraft engines, pipes, and 
other inaccessible places.

>    IF it's not that bad inside, you might be able to hit it with a pressure washer,
> or fabricate something that will fit inside each leg...and fit onto a pressure washer.  IF you use
> the rotating brush, you may just tear off zinc left and right,
If the Zinc coating is that fragile I'd worry about rust underneath it.  
Normally a wire brush just makes it shine.

>   and make things worse in the process.
> Then pour in a ton of cold galvanizing   from a 1 gal container.  If you capped off the bottom legs
> 1st, then poured it in the top legs, then capped off the top legs, then balanced it on a single
> saw horse, you could pivot it like a teeter-totter..and get it fully coated really good.  Then
> roll the tower onto another face, then repeat.

I've used that method to coat the inside of DOM masting.

>
> Then open off the 3 x caps  on the bottom, one at a time, and let any excess drain into a container.
> Now I can see why solid legs are popular. Pi-rod uses em.
>   Trylon also makes a 10' tower section,  http://www.trylon.com/lightdutytowers/stgtowers.asp
> 18" wide, but 129 lbs per section, solid legs, and stronger than 65G.   7/8" solid legs..and  1/2"
> solid bracing.  Not cheap though. I have never seen one. The way the connections bolt together
> looks slick though.  A single 5/8" A-325 bolt [6" long]  for each leg, via a welded spigot. Just
> 2 x hollow tubes welded to the tower legs, one at the bottom of the upper section....and the 2nd one
> is at the top of the lower section.  6" bolt just drops in.  The solid legs butt against each other.  I have seen
> that exact splicing technique years ago, at one of our telco sites, on a 26"  wide tower.  It makes
> for a fast assy.
ROHN 45G and up are listed as available with solid legs.

73

Roger (K8RI)
>
> I have also see towers, like rohm 65G, where square  plates are welded to the bottom of each leg, and
> 4 x bolts join the 2 x plates.  A drain hole is on each leg, facing the inside of the tower.  Seen these things
> get plugged up, fill with water, then split wide open when it freezes, what a mess.... with a 16" rip right
> up the leg.  The tower engs finally said screw it, and went to solid legs...or  angle legs.  Angle leg towers
> were either 60/90 deg..and of course  either 3 or 4 sided. On 4 x sided towers, 8 x guy wires were used per level,
> 2 x per face.  They don't budge, and no star [TQ] bracket required.   Some of these installs  are on mtn tops,
> or way out in the bush, or on small islands etc.  They only get inspected 1-2 per year, wx permitting. That
> orange/white paint only last so long too.
>
> later.... Jim  VE7RF
>
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-- 
Jim Cassidy   

KI7Y