[TowerTalk] Erecting tower sections solo

Fri Dec 4 01:05:36 EST 2015

It bears repeating:
Tower climbing is dangerous! Even for those of us who did a lot of it.  
At least several times a year, I read where a professional climber fell 
even with the training and safety equipment.  Respect the safety rules 
and respect the danger.

When I was climbing, up into my 60s, I could lift a section of 25G above 
my head in each hand.  The hard part was keeping them balanced, but 
there was no way, I could safely lift a single section and place it on 
top of another section with out the aid of a gin pole. Even using a gin 
pole, I had temporary wire guys in place on the next section. Those guys 
were anchored and not removed until the next set of permanent guys were 
in place.  One of the most dangerous actions was staying "up there" too 
long to safely climb down.

I'm only 5'7" and tied off at the top of the tower, I could just reach 
the balance point of the new section. To me, that was just too close to 
my comfort zone limits.
A 6 footer would have more reach above the balance point.

At 60 I still could do a military press and bench press with 150# of 
free weights, but I did weight training from my mid 40s until 60.  I'm 
now 75 and after two strokes and one heart attack I'm lucky to lift and 
carry 30# with my left hand from the garage to the shop.  My back 
wouldn't support much more even if I could lift it..  Probably from all 
that weight lifting in prior years <:-(

There are few hams capable of safely doing tower work even with the 
proper equipment.  Doing it alone, but with someone serving as a safety 
man is for practiced climbers, not for the ham who might climb his 40 or 
50' tower once or twice a year.   One of the most difficult tower jobs I 
had was getting a ham down from 60 feet on a 200 ft tower.  Thing is, I 
had to pick up my equipment and then drive close to 60 miles to the 
tower.   He was a much younger guy, but he had never climbed. He found 
going up was easy until he looked down and froze.  At least it was 
summer on a calm day so he didn't suffer from hypothermia, or a bad 
sunburn. It took me about an hour and a half to get there after they 
called.  It took me close to an hour to get him safely down thay 60 
feet. How long he'd been there before that?  I don't know, but his arm 
were almost rigid.  I'll bet he only got up the next day to take pain 
pills.  I can only imagine how his arms and legs felt after being rigid 
that long.  That and I'm truly thankful he didn't get higher before 
looking down!

Go to a swap. Almost any ham swap. Most of the people there look like 
they should even stay off short stepladders let alone climbing towers. 
<LOL>

73

Roger  (K8RI)

On 12/2/2015 5:00 PM, Herbert Schoenbohm wrote:
> With Rohn 25, and a gin pole is not really required, it is very easy 
> to just lay the section around the base of the tower you have walked 
> up up like 3 sections. (Preferably guyed) and clip yourself on at the 
> top.  Lower a rope with an eye hook and snag one of the sections. Pull 
> it up and stack it. Normally on a calm day a single person can place 
> in a section easily by being above the top of the top of the tower 
> with half his body.  (Tie the pull up rope and pulled tower off so if 
> it falls it will only be a few feet.) Proceed to do the next two 
> sections before you guy the 60' spot. Then repeat the process for the 
> next 30 feet and guy again if needed. You can have the guy cable pre 
> prepared and take the up on your belt if they are Phylistran.  if you 
> have all your hardware and wrenches in a pouch with and alignment 
> punch and 2 lbs mall, a be tower should go up this way easily.
>
> Remember to have someone with in shouting distance if you run into any 
> trouble.  Always get a weather report before you do this without a TS 
> 100 miles away.
>
>
> Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ
>
> On 12/2/2015 5:22 PM, Zivney, Terry wrote:
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>>
>> I seem to recall a thread a long time ago about how Bill, KM9P, put 
>> up his towers without any assistance.  But, except for posting where he
>> stated he did so, I cannot find any details about how he did it.
>> In particular, once the tower section is hauled up with the gin pole
>> how is the tower section moved up and down as needed to seat it
>> on the existing tower?
>>
>> Terry N4TZ
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-- 

73

Roger (K8RI)

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