[TowerTalk] UST bolt Torque question

Dick Green WC1M wc1m73 at gmail.com
Tue Jun 25 13:35:45 EDT 2013


My approach to tightening nuts when no torque setting is specified is to pay
close attention to the "feel". Screw the nut onto the bolt by hand until you
can't turn it anymore. Slowly turn the nut with the wrench until it begins
to give a little resistance, then *slowly* continue to turn with only as
much pressure on the wrench as you need to keep the nut turning. All through
this, you pay close attention to the level of resistance. Turning *slowly*
with minimal pressure is the key. At a certain point, there will be a sudden
steep increase in the resistance. That's where you want to stop. Another 1/4
turn and you'll probably strip the nut and/or bolt.

I learned this from a motorcycle mechanic. It takes a little practice, but
it's always worked very well for me.

73, Dick WC1M

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Grant Saviers [mailto:grants2 at pacbell.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 10:31 AM
> To: Jim Thomson
> Cc: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] UST bolt Torque question
> 
> Jim,
> 
> When I asked UST for the torque on my HDX589s, the answer I got was
> "what a man can apply with a standard wrench." Very techie, those UST
> engineers!
> 
> I used a torque wrench set for 140 ft-lbs (w/o lubrication) for
> everything, about 1/5 of what Portland Bolt specifies for the leg bolt
> grade/size.  I found it took 3 cycles to get all leg bolts about the
> same.
> 
> Grant   KZ1W
> 
> 
> On 6/25/2013 5:39 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:
> > I asked UST  how much Torque should be used on both the 12 x  1.125
> inch anchor rods....and also the 18 x  1 inch leg bolts.
> > I also told em I used never seize on both anchor rods and legs bolts.
> Also told em the anchor rods are 104 ksi yield strength..and
> > came from portland bolt...and are 60 inchs long each.... with 6 inch
> threads on each end.   Told em that the 18 x leg bolts are
> > A325 bolts and are 3 inchs long each.    Everything has heavy duty
> flat washers and slightly oversized nuts on em.
> >
> > Their reply was...... snug fit !    This is for my UST  HDX-689 tower.
> This is the old style 689..that weighs 5000 lbs..without the ants and
> mast, but that
> > weight includes the bearings  and small  PP  rotor.   The crane
> operator weighed the tower when it was unloaded.
> >
> > What is  ..snug fit ?     Trying to get  answers from UST at times can
> be exasperating.
> > Does anybody even know ?    I was thinking  perhaps  125 ft lbs for
> the anchor rods......and 100 ft lbs for the leg bolts.   Leg bolts can
> always be replaced...
> > anchor rods cant.
> >
> > Tnx...  Jim   VE7RF
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
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> 




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