[TowerTalk] ROHN TOWER BOLTS

Patrick Greenlee patrick_g at windstream.net
Thu May 8 18:18:08 EDT 2014 

I have taken to lubricating new stainless steel nuts/bolts before 
putting them together for the first time, especially in the larger 
diameters greater than say 1/4".  Why? Because it is darned inconvenient 
to have one of them gall and prevent their being tightened into position 
the first time. I don't know if this is a common problem but I don't 
want to find out as it is most inconvenient to have a 1/2 inch or so 
diameter SS bolt and nut gall badly when first assembling them and 
thereby prevent squeezing the parts together properly for which the 
bolts were employed. A good anti-seize product such as Never-Seez or 
similar is a good choice to put on the threads before assembling.

Symptoms of the problem:  You are tightening the nut on the bolt and 
before reaching significant clamping force between the parts being 
bolted together the nut gets really hard to turn potentially fooling you 
into thinking you have bottomed out and are clamping the parts together 
although this is NOT the Case. So you start to back the nut off thinking 
maybe you can lube it and all will be OK.  Not so pilgrim, trying to 
back the nut off brings more galling.,  I hope you have means of 
removing the ruined nut and bolt without damage to the parts being 
bolted together.  The only way to remove the bolt with sockets or 
wrenches is to literally twist the bolt in two.  If you have access and 
a plasma cutter or cutting torch you might be able to do the job and 
avoid hurting the parts. A SawzAll (reciprocating saw) with the right 
blade and maybe a spare blade might be a good choice.  However you do it 
you are out significant time and effort and a nut and bolt.  I have had 
this happen a couple times and with luck and a good anti-seize product, 
never again.

Oil, WD-40 etc may let you assemble SS nuts and bolts without galling 
(maybe) but much later when these options are long gone from the threads 
you may very much regret not using a good anti-seize which will outlast 
silicon spray, WD-40, etc.  by a great margin.

Patrick NJ6G


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On 5/7/2014 2:46 PM, Tom Nicholson wrote:
> Just my 2 pennies here, but I'm going to be using SS hardware but I'll 
> be using SS Nyloc Nuts. Also if using SS, be sure to use never seize 
> compound, if you don't, the nuts will almost for sure seize up if you 
> try to remove at a latter date. Lesson "hard learned" with SS bumper 
> bolts on my Hot Rod!!!
>
> Tom W1ALZ
>
>
>
>
> On 5/7/2014 9:50 AM, Mark Pride via TowerTalk wrote:
>> Heard a story many years ago about a tower that was installed in KH6 
>> with stainless steel hardware and after time, with the constant trade 
>> winds, the nuts all fell off.
>>    There is vibration to contend with in certain places around the 
>> world.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Mark, K1RX
>>
>> On Wednesday, May 7, 2014 9:44 AM, Mark Pride via TowerTalk 
>> <towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:
>>    One other point on the tower hardware from Rohn these days. They 
>> have changed their hardware where the nuts are designed to be put on 
>> the bolt ONE time.  To remove the nut, one will damage the thread of 
>> the bolt (sorry - forgot the description of this design - lock 
>> nut?).  Guess the concept is, you put up a tower one time and never 
>> take it down!  However to their point, it prevents nuts from backing 
>> off (good thing).
>>
>> Regarding the new hardware you find in the tower leg of the new 
>> material - you might want to change it.  The current nut design has 3 
>> indentations on the surface - pretty easy to spot. Bolts are fine, 
>> just need to change the nuts.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Mark, K1RX
>>
>> On Wednesday, May 7, 2014 7:43 AM, Mike Ryan 
>> <mryan001 at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>>    Larry is correct in that both the 25 and 45 use different size 
>> bolts and if
>> my memory serves me, this would be 4 different sizes in the case of 
>> these
>> two tower types. I have never seen washers used with these. It is
>> noteworthy, that should you be putting tower sections up, to be 
>> ABSOLUTELY
>> sure that the legs are clear inside. Run a garden hose through the 
>> leg to be
>> sure there is no blockage, or even push a ground rod through each one 
>> for
>> example. I can't tell you how many times I have found blockage in the
>> legs...dirt, mud, bugs, etc. And while on the subject, occasionally 
>> found
>> that the blockage was TOWER BOLTS that were packed in the legs by the
>> manufacturer which had never been found/removed. -Mike
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Larry
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2014 5:47 AM
>> To: towertalk at contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] ROHN TOWER BOLTS
>>
>> 25G and 45G use two different sizes at each joint on each leg. I 
>> forget what
>> size they are offhand. DX Engineering sells leg bolts and their web 
>> site may
>> tell you what the sizes are or the perhaps the Rohn web site.
>>
>> 73, Larry  W6NWS
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Cal Zethmayr
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2014 12:02 AM
>> To: towertalk at contesting.com
>> Subject: [TowerTalk] ROHN TOWER BOLTS
>>
>> There is quite a debate at one of our local Saturday morning breakfasts
>> gabfests about Rohn Tower Bolts.
>>
>> Some say that Rohn uses two different size bolt sets for each tower 
>> section.
>> Some say that Rohn uses only one size bolt-washer-nut sets for all 
>> towers.
>>
>> So what are the facts?
>>
>> Are there different size bolt sets for Rohn towers, and are they 
>> different
>> depending on the tower ?  25G, 45G and 55G?
>>
>> Cal Z
>> W4GMH in Crestview, FL.
>> _______________________________________________
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