[TowerTalk] Starting with the rerod.

[K8RI]

The contractor removed and delivered the tower (LM470) to the apron in 
front of my shop.  They cut the rerod holding the base attachments off 
at the concrete.  Unfortunately, like many things the mounts weren't 
quite right with the 1/2 inch plate with all the bolt holes being 
partially in the concrete .

Backing up a bit, this should have been an east removal, except they had 
added onto the house, so the tower could not be laid down on the mound 
as it was designed to do.  There was 8 feet of house where I needed to 
put 8 feet of tower, thus the reason for hiring someone with the 
equipment to easily lift the tower off the base in the "tilt over Position"

Sooo. I've looked at various ways of removing the 4 X 16 X 1/2" plates 
from the #10 ( 1 1/4") rerod.  The fastest is to use the plasma torch 
and then clean up the 1/2" plate with the mill. A grinder would also work.

I pick up the rerod around 3:30 this afternoon.  Price,(cut to length) 
~$56.00.

As I still have only one working hand I'll have to get someone to hold 
the pieces in place as I wire them.  I have clamps that will let me do 
the welding without help.  It just takes longer.

The base will be just off the West end of the shop and at the edge of a 
rather large compost pile ( 50 X 75').  I have a volunteer to dig the 
hole with a small back hoe, or I can bring the contractor back to dig 
the hole, place the rerod cage according to spec, coordinate the 
concrete pour, haul away the excess dirt, remove about the top foot of 
the compost pile, and repair the damage the work does to the yard. They 
will do that pretty much in one day.

They will also place the tower so once the concrete is cured, it should 
be a relatively easy job to pull the tower into place so it can be 
raised with the installation fixture...I hope.

We will be past the hottest part of summer, so the cure should require a 
bit less attention.

At least that is the way things are set up now.  How they actually 
proceed is yet to be determined<:-))

73

Roger (K8RI)