[TowerTalk] Erecting tower sections solo

[Chuck Dietz]

I used to stack 25 by myself by pulling it up, standing it up on the cross
braces, then lifting it onto the tubes.  I always felt I could drop a
section if I got into trouble.  When I tried it with two climbers, both
holding the section, we had to drop the section to the ground.  Seems we
were fighting against each other to balance the section.  After I passed 70
years of age I thought I could still do it, but I guess I'm not quite as
strong as I was.  I use a gin pole now (but I still do most tower work
solo, or with the wife driving the truck to pull stuff up.  :-)

Chuck W5PR

On Wed, Dec 2, 2015 at 9:16 PM, <john at kk9a.com> wrote:

> I have always tied a loop in the rope to attach the come-a-long. This is
> not
> always easy if there is a load on the rope. I was never aware that rope
> grabs existed. It seems like a rope grab would be a handy thing to have.
>
> John KK9A
>
> To:     towertalk <towertalk at contesting.com>
> Subject:        Re: [TowerTalk] Erecting tower sections solo
> From:   Steve Maki <lists at oakcom.org>
> Date:   Wed, 2 Dec 2015 20:23:57 -0500
>
> Terry,
>
> Rope grabs aren't all that expensive. The lower priced ones are usually not
> favored by climbers because they often don't travel downward very well of
> their own accord. Such as the top item at:
>
> http://www.sitepro1.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=72
>
> for $68. For your purpose this one would be fine.
>
> AFA ascenders, some require that the rope be wound thru the mechanism in
> some way, which eliminate it as a contender for your purpose. Any device
> that will grab the rope without having to bend or wind it in any way should
> work OK.
>
> -Steve K8LX
>
> On 12/2/2015 7:22 PM, Zivney, Terry wrote:
>
> Thanks for all the suggestions so far.
> Steve K8LX's suggestion to use a rope grab may
> be along the lines that I fuzzily recall.
> What is the functional difference between
> a rope grab (probably OSHA approved) and
> a rope ascender (used by climbers and substantially
> less expensive)?
>
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