[TowerTalk] Split legs

[Jerry Head II]

Thanks for all the good advise!
On 4/20/2013 7:18 PM, Steve Maki wrote:
> After a little more thought, the simplest fix might go something like 
> this:
>
> Devise a clamp on leg reinforcement that would be SECURELY bolted to 
> the legs above the splits and would rest on the concrete via small 
> foot plates (to distribute the weight a bit). This would forever 
> relieve the bottom of the tower legs of any responsibility except that 
> the splits would inadvertently take over water dispersion duties. 
> Holes could be drilled at the leg-to-concrete interface to make that 
> process more certain.
>
> The only caveat is that during tower de-install at some future date, 
> temporary guys (or a boom truck or something) will be MANDATORY to get 
> the last few sections down, but that would apply to any pier pin 
> solution as well. Of course one can always just let the last 30' fall 
> over :-)
>
> -Steve K8LX
>
>
> On 4/20/2013 7:37 PM, Steve Maki wrote:
>
>> It COULD be done without a crane, but obviously by someone with 
>> experience.
>>
>> The idea would be to rig up clamps on the tower and three hydraulic
>> jacks. On a calm day the guys could all be loosened up enough to jack
>> the tower up enough to effect the modification of choice. There are a
>> number of upgrades that might be reasonable - I would favor a pier pin
>> mod of some sort.
>>
>> -Steve K8LX
>>
>> On 4/20/2013 12:20 PM, Gary K9GS wrote:
>>> Hi Jerry,
>>>
>>> Some head scratching here and some ideas.
>>>
>>> First, the towers legs split because the base was installed incorrectly
>>> without adequate drainage in the legs. Water/condensation filled the
>>> base section and when the water froze it split the legs.
>>>
>>> Even if you were somehow able to repair the splits you still have the
>>> drainage problem.
>>>
>>> Here's a suggestion...I'm not a tower guy but maybe others will 
>>> chime in.
>>>
>>> 1)  Rent a big crane.  I don't know what you have on top for weight and
>>> antennas but the idea is you want to be able to pick up the whole tower
>>> enough so that you can un-bolt the damaged section.
>>>
>>> 2)  With the tower suspended by the crane, torch off the stubs sticking
>>> out of the concrete.
>>>
>>> 3)  Drill a hole between the torched-off stubs and epoxy in a pier pin.
>>> While you're at it, seal off the holes left where the cut of stubs were
>>> to eliminate water getting inside the old buried base. This assumes the
>>> base is adequate to begin with.
>>>
>>> 4)  Replace the damaged tower section with a brand new Rohn 25 section
>>> fitted with a pier-pin plate.
>>>
>>> 5)  Lower the tower back onto the pier pin, re-tension the guys and you
>>> should be good to go.
>>>
>>> This is NOT a simple repair job and must be done by a professional that
>>> knows what they're doing.  A 180 ft tower, or any tower for that 
>>> matter,
>>> is nothing trivial to deal with.  You've got a very dangerous situation
>>> on your hands.
>>>
>>> It might just be simpler to replace the whole tower. Especially since
>>> the original installation was faulty to begin with I'd be worried about
>>> what other mistakes were made, such as inadequate base, guy anchors, 
>>> etc.
>>>
>>> Again...call in a pro and see what they say.
>
>>> On 4/20/2013 7:48 AM, Jerry Head II wrote:
>>>> I have a 180' Rohn 25g, the bottom section is cemented in the ground.
>>>> This section has developed a 1" split in two of the legs. Is there a
>>>> safe way to repair these splits?
>>>> My apologies if this has been covered before, I am fairly new here.
>
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