[TowerTalk] Mast Material

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

Rather than an alternative, I found it to be much better than pipe. 
Lighter, stronger, and resistant to side load bending.

I used 16' of the stuff for a gin pole.  Used it for years with no 
problems  Of course the pull rope went straight down to a snatch block 
near the base of the tower.  This did two things. IT allowed those 
pulling on the rope to stay a safe distance from the tower and 
guaranteed a vertical pull on the gin pole. This should be standard 
practice when using any gin pole.

73

Roger,(K8RI)


On 3/13/2016 Sunday 9:27 PM, Steve Maki wrote:
> On 3/13/2016 9:01 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
>
>>> A good alternative to schedule 40 pipe is the tubing used nowadays for
>>> fence top rails, known as SS40. It's lighter (thinner wall) but 
>>> stronger
>>> and actually less expensive than galvanized sch. 40 pipe if purchased
>>> from the right place.
>>>
>>> We routinely use it on cell sites for antenna masts in place of sch. 
>>> 40.
>>>
>>> Here are the specs:
>>>
>>> http://www.hooverfence.com/catalog/chart.htm
>>>
>>> -Steve K8LX
>
>> Note that the outer diameter of fence tubing will always
>> be the same as the outer diameter of some standard water
>> pipe size.  E.G. Both "1 7/8 inch" fence tubing
>> and "1 1/2 inch" water pipe (any schedule) actually
>> have an outer diameter of 1.900 inch.  Either can be
>> shimmed with standard 2" OD aluminum irrigation pipe with
>> 0.050 inch wall to fit standard 2.000" mast clamps
>> or bearings.
>>
>> I don't know why they make fence tubing and pipes the
>> same size.  One theory is that you if you want to build
>> a fence on steroids, water pipe can be substituted for
>> fence tubing very easily.  (Attention:  Donald Trump :-)
>> Or maybe they make both of them on the same equipment.
>> (Obviously, I have spent way too much time loitering
>> in hardware stores.)
>
> Hehe.
>
> But I'm not sure why substituting schedule 40 for SS40 in fence 
> applications or any other (except plumbing perhaps) would be an 
> *upgrade*. A quick search didn't yield specs for sch. 40 that would 
> lend itself to an applicable comparison, but the fence people claim 
> that SS40 is *stronger* than sch. 40.
>
> In the fence business there are numerous tee couplers, etc. already 
> sized for stand sch 40 OD's, which probably drove the size constraints 
> for SS40.
>
> -Steve K8LX
>
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-- 

73

Roger (K8RI)


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