[TowerTalk] Tower maintenance person wanted - MN

[Fred Hurd]

Hello Awsinger - I totally agree with Steve (K7LXC) regrarding the need to replace cables on a  crank-up tower. I have used the same cables on my US Tower TX-472 crank-up for well over ten years and they are in great shape because I lubricate them twice a year with Pre-Lube 6 Preservative Cable Lubricant (which you can buy from Steve). 
You do need to grease the motor drive system periodically to keep smooth operation especially during tower raising and also don’t forget the thrust bearing at the top of the tower. You don’t need to replace the cables unless upon close inspection you see one or more of the problems as indicated in Steve’s email.

Best 73, Fred (W4PKU)
> On May 13, 2016, at 12:24 PM, K7LXC--- via TowerTalk <towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:
> 
>> I am also looking for someone who can change the cables on  my US Tower 
> TX-472 MDPL in Charlottesville, VA sometime in the next few weeks.  Will pay 
> a reasonable fee and tvl costs.
> 
>    I guess the obvious question is why do you think  the cables need 
> changing? In the crank-up chapter in my UP THE TOWER book, I  list 3 reasons why 
> you would need to have them changed. 
> 
>    1.  Excessive broken strands. With 7x19 cables  such as the ones 
> typically used in crank-ups, that would be 6 broken  strands.
> 
>    2.  Serious rust. Cancerous rust - not surface  rust.
> 
>    3.  Damage. That would be a kink or flattened  part of a cable. 
> 
>    In my over 25 years of tower work, I've only seen  one crank-up tower 
> that I would have recommended on having a cable change. 
> 
>    Tower manufacturers are insurance driven  enterprises. US Tower says 
> you need to change the cables and pulleys every 2  years. This is a 'weasel 
> clause' - that is, if you don't do that and something  happens to your 
> crank-up, UST can weasel out of any responsibility. They are  very risk averse. 
> 
>    This is NOT an exception to the LXC Prime Directive  to "DO what the 
> manufacturer says." That's because UST is NOT the  manufacturer of the wire 
> rope cables.
> 
>    I doubt that your cables are in such serious shape  that they need 
> replacing and I just wince at things people do or money they  spend that they 
> don't have to. 
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve     K7LXC
> TOWER TECH -
> Professional tower services for amateurs
> US Tower factory authorized installer
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