[TowerTalk] TowerTalk Digest, Vol 133, Issue 3

[jeffhook at comcast.net]

I put in a foundation for a used HDX555 in Oct of 2013. (5'x5'x7.5') at a cost of approx. $18 00 . It adds up fast! (have lots of pics of it all) 



I did all the work myself and it took 2 weeks to complete.  I hand dug the hole to 4' &  shored up the first 4' plus 8 " form sticking out the top. 

I then finished digging another 3' down with no shoring. I built rebar cage in the hole, added "T " bracket with new ancho r bolts and poured the concrete . 

At age 50, It nearly killed me to hand dig it.  I ordered 8 yards of concrete as I didn't want to fall short over a few $$ savings and the pour was at 4:30 PM so no more trucks that night . 

I placed base so truck could access hole but I have some big 100 foot long  ruts to repair this spring.   

If I had to do it over again, I would have ordered harder & longer anchor bolts from Portland bolt . The short low grade bolts from US tower seem like a weak link to me and their overpriced . 



Free  -   Dig hole 

$10 0  -   wood forms/shoring/misc. 

$20 0  -   rebar cage 

$265    -  Three new a nchor bolts from US tower (225+shipping : -( 

$110 0 - 8 yards of 3500lb concrete 

$40  -    Rental of snake vibrator (don't forget this!) 

$4 5  -    Ground rods & wire  at bottom of hole (still need to add more grounding this spring) 

$40  -    Beer to get me thru it all !! 



Jeff - KDØORH 

  



Message: 1 
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 11:05:49 -0600 
From: "Marsh Stewart" <marsh at ka5m.net>k 
To: <towertalk at contesting.com> 
Subject: [TowerTalk] Tower Foundation (was Concrete Prices) 
Message-ID: <346BBB5A901D4A59AC66FB92F1954F0B at i7MarshSept13> 
Content-Type: text/plain;        charset="us-ascii" 

I live in NW Louisiana. I'm looking for a concrete contractor to install a 
base per specs for a US Tower HDX-555. I need a hole 5' X 5' 7.25', rebar, 
about 7 cubic yards of concrete, and 3 anchor bolts in the right place. I 
have the anchor bolts and base. (If the layout of my lot, house, and pool 
would allow it, I'd put up 60' of Rohn 45G, with 2 sets of guy wires.) 

A major consideration is that access to my backyard is 42.5" wide through a 
walk gate and between an A/C compressor and a brick wall. If the A/C 
compressor were temporally removed the width of access would increase 4" to 
46.5" - not wide enough I'm told for even the smallest of back hoes. 
Removing a section of fence for better access is not an option. 

Almost surely the hole will have to be dug by hand and the excavated dirt 
moved by wheelbarrow to the front yard to be scoped up by a front-end 
loader. 

Bid #1: $6,880 - contractor never showed up. The one time I did run him down 
to check with him he wanted to change the specs to a 6' X 6' X 6' hole. 
Right or wrong, I'm going to go by US Tower's specs. 

Bid #2: $9,000     

Do those prices sound reasonable? They sounds high to me, but I have no 
reference as to what concrete work should cost. 

73, 
Marsh, KA5M