[TowerTalk] Question about lowering a Fold-Over tower

[Rick Karlquist]

Gedas wrote:

> Anyway, while it is not as elegant as the falling derrick method, here is
> what I use on my 3 towers.  Just a couple pressure treated 6"x6"x18'
> timbers
> bolted together and sunk into 5'-6' concrete at a slight angle.  Heavy
> chain

That's fine if it works for you.  I think what is underappreciated
about the falling derrick is that you can have multiple ropes
going from the falling derrick to different heights on the tower.
This lessens the chance of the tower buckling.  With a simple
ginpole as you have, you can't have multiple ropes because there
is no way to control the take up of them to maintain even pressure
on the tower.  The tower you have is a wide spaced self supporting
one that would be less likely to buckle.  But a guyed tower would
be skinnier and more at risk of buckling.  Irrigation pipe is
totally as risk of buckling and the falling derrick become essential
for the taller installations.

The falling derrick also has the advantage that it can leverage
the concrete base that you already have for the tower.  On my
50 ft Glen Martin, a falling derrick pivot is frozen into the
concrete.

Rick N6RK