[TowerTalk] Help with Tower Bolt for my crank-up

Scotty Rathjen scotty at ashiko.com
Fri May 10 21:43:45 EDT 2013


Seeking your ideas on my tower hardware issue.

I have a US Tower TX-455 Tower that has a bolt that needs replacing.  This bolt holds two ends of the wire rope cable (one end of each of the 2 cables which allow the tower to telescope up and down).  This bolt is located at the top of the bottom-tower-section.

Originally this bolt is a Grade 5, Zinc Plated, Flat Head Cap Screw (countersunk so that it is flush with the metal surface), 3/8 inch diameter and 2 inches long, 16 threads per inch.

I cannot find an exact replacement bolt.  

I did get from Copper State Bolt and Nut here in Phoenix, AZ a bolt that is marked "YFS" on the head which I believe makes it a grade 12.9 and thus has a much higher tensile rating and a much higher yield rating than the original Grade 5 bolt.

Here is a link to information on the YFS Bolt     http://www.fullermetric.com/yfs/

First Question:   Is there a reason I should not use this "YFS" bolt?

Second Question:  Is it a problem that the "YFS" bolt is not Zinc Plated?
My plan is to cover this bolt with Cold Galvanizing Compound Spray both before installation and after installation in the tower.  The climate of Phoenix, AZ is very dry so rust is hopefully not a big issue.

Thanks for your help and 73,

Scotty
w7sw
W7SW at ARRL.NET


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