[TowerTalk] USTower anchor bolts rusting

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2017 19:37:51 +0300
From: Ed <navydude1962 at yahoo.com>
To: Jim Thomson <jim.thom at telus.net>
Cc: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] USTower anchor bolts rusting

Can't go wrong with Portland Bolt. They sell the equivalent UST bolts in galvanized. Cheaper, too!


##  agreed.  That is where I bought the 12 x anchor rods for my UST- HDX-689.  I had em 
custom make them,  each rod is 60 inchs long, 1.125 diam..and with a 6 inch thread on each end. 
Then on went the 9x9 steel plates on the bottoms of each group of 4 x anchor rods.  For that job,
I had the local steel place cut three  9x9 x .375 thick steel plates, and punch the holes for me. 
After cleaning them up a bit, I  used the cold spray on the 3 x plates, with several coats, since it drys fast. 
Nuts + flatwashers on both sides of each plate, never to be seen again, embedded in 17 yards of concrete. 

##  I used Portland bolt for my 18 ... 1 inch diam  x 3 inch long tower leg bolts.  Zero rust after 5 years.  Ditto
with their flatwashers, split ring lockwashers etc. 

##  You can get the anchor rod material  from portland bolt in  36-57-104 ksi strength..and all galvanized.
For the smaller UST towers, they just used A-325 bolts, with the heads embedded in the concrete. 
A-325 is an astm spec.... which is the same as a SAE- G5 bolt. 

##  If something like a leg bolt ever rusted, at least its easily replaced.   But anything embedded in concrete
that rusts, is a pita.  

Jim  VE7RF