[TowerTalk] Turnbuckles with Rod Sides

[Tonno Vahk]

Oh, hold on guys!:) The 15m array is still up and running! Good way to get those rumors going:) I did lose another 45m rotating tower 2-3 years ago though due to the turnbuckle failure. The tower went back up last autumn with new antennas. It was a painful lesson and certainly I am using safety wires on all my turnbuckles now!

I did learn about the saddling of the dead horse thing and have fixed the wire rope clips. The only thing that I am probably not doing right is the distance between wire rope clips on the wire. Given I had quite long ends of the wire left over I left also half a meter or more between 4 wire rope clips (the first one right after the thimble).

Is it and why is it crucial to keep the wire rope clip close to each other on the wire (2" or so)?

73
Tonno
ES5TV

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bob Shohet, KQ2M
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2017 5:25 AM
To: Wayne Kline <w3ea at hotmail.com>; Keith Dutson <kdutson at sbcglobal.net>; k1ttt at arrl.net; towertalk at contesting.com; Grant Saviers <grants2 at pacbell.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Turnbuckles with Rod Sides

I’m sorry to learn that Tonno lost his tower and incredible  8 x 5 L array.  It’s terrible that it happened when it was so easily preventable!

For each of my tower guys, I always cut them so that each guy has an extra 5 ‘ – 10’ of 1/4” EHS left over, and then, rather than cut off the excess, I simply run the extra through both ends of all the turnbuckles and then through all the bolts on the equalizer plate.

It doesn’t make any sense to allow the turnbuckles to potentially turn and undo themselves and thereby jeopardize the tower.  I even use ice clips for the same reason on every guy wire – to potentially prevent yet another mode of failure – especially one that is so prevalent at my qth.

73

Bob  KQ2M

From: Grant Saviers
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 9:43 PM
To: Wayne Kline ; Keith Dutson ; k1ttt at arrl.net ; towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Turnbuckles with Rod Sides

The wire rope clips are also completely misplaced on the ES5TV guys.  
They should be about 2" apart and first one tight to the thimble.  I can't tell from the video if he saddled a dead horse. l'd also bet there was no torque wrench used.  It looks like pretty skimpy wire and turnbuckles for that load even with 5 levels of guys.  Sad.  So easy to do right.

A figure eight of EHS thru the eyes/jaws and center not only prevents rotation but covers several turnbuckle failure modes as well (done on my tower).  If the thimble and anchor shackle are large enough to thread the EHS thru then with any turnbuckle failure the guy is still attached.

Grant KZ1W

On 9/11/2017 16:34 PM, Wayne Kline wrote:
> If my gray matter recalls,  ES5TV  lost his fantastic  8 -  5 element   H frame ARRAY  because he did not use safety wires  on the turnbuckles and lost  the installation    !    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9fDlbIFhMs&t=7s
>
>
>   Wayne  W3EA
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of Wayne 
> Kline <w3ea at hotmail.com>
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 7:26 PM
> To: Keith Dutson; k1ttt at arrl.net; towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Turnbuckles with Rod Sides
>
> I Ditto that Dave.
>
>
> The Bible ( Rohn Catalogs ) as  far back as I can remember always had 
> a diagram in the  "general " Tab of the catalog  regarding
>
> A: the Safety Wire ( through the turnbuckles Bodies and Eyes   )
>
>
> B: and if not using  PLP Preforms  Serving the EHS guy wire   . after the last cable clamp .
>
>
> Wayne W3EA
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of Keith 
> Dutson <kdutson at sbcglobal.net>
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 5:43 PM
> To: k1ttt at arrl.net; towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Turnbuckles with Rod Sides
>
> Same here.  That 1/4 EHS works great.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of 
> David Robbins
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 4:01 PM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Turnbuckles with Rod Sides
>
>> When using turnbuckles, *don't forget to safety wire them*.  I have 
>> never
> seen a ham safety wire a turnbuckle.
>
> My turnbuckles are all wired.  I just take a cut off piece of guy wire 
> and loop it through the bodies of all the turnbuckles and then through 
> the live side eyes, that way neither side can turn.
>
> David Robbins K1TTT
> e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
> web: http://wiki.k1ttt.net
> AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://k1ttt.net:7373
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of 
> Roger
> (K8RI) on TT
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 20:39
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Turnbuckles with Rod Sides
>
>
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