[TowerTalk] TOWER CG HDX-589

Mon Feb 18 21:48:41 EST 2019

This is a solid possibility, I was too hard headed to think of this,  
but a good alternative it is .. mac/mc

On 2/18/2019 6:44 PM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
> I rented a 24 foot flatbed truck to move my HDX-5106 500 miles.
> Piece of cake.  Held it down with the ratcheting straps that
> came with the truck.  All 4000 lbs of it up and down over the
> Grapevine.
>
> Rick N6RK
>
> On 2/18/2019 2:57 PM, Mac wrote:
>> Speaking with very recent experience transporting a HDX-589 with 
>> raising arm fixture as well 'T' base plate over a 900 mile trek 
>> within the past 3 weeks. Using a 16' trailer is my words a High Risk 
>> effort.
>>
>> By way of background, a local ham pal when he heard of my NEED and 
>> what i was wanting to move showed and then offered to me a used boat 
>> trailer, with ONE caveat, I could not return the trailer to him or 
>> his property. EVER !
>>
>> When i reviewed the trailer i could see what was good looking tires 
>> but upon inspection 11 years old, the trailer offered however one 
>> very neat feature, the tongue was a 2 1/2" square tube with what i 
>> call a Bulldog hitch for a 2" ball. i bought 2 new tires repacked the 
>> wheel bearings, and along the way asked myself your very question 
>> where or how was all this going to lay out and pull safely with the 
>> 589 weighing prox 2,500 -2,800 #s .
>>
>> The tongue was removable normally slid into a 3" sq tubing and bolted 
>> into a fixed length but allowing the boat when carried to be weight 
>> balanced and pulling safely, but no way was my 589 going to fit the 
>> trailer single axle fixed location and not protrude 5-6' off the 
>> front and back. Remember please the 589 fully retracted is closer to 
>> 29-30' than 20 or so feet in length, so i was doomed at the outset 
>> with my then 16' boat trailer.
>>
>> My solution was pretty simple really i bought a new 9-10' piece of 
>> 2.5" sq tubing and welded a new coupler and drilled the receiving end 
>> out to match the original tongue bolt pattern into the 3" boat frame 
>> tubing.
>>
>> Arriving at my sellers location i knew he had ample lifting 
>> capability, we experimented a few tries to be sure we had the C/G of 
>> the tower and T plate, lifted up the tower and i drove the trailer 
>> back under the 589 and centered where my best experience said it was 
>> best and keep in mind i was shooting for 400 or so plus pounds tongue 
>> weight onto my truck [Tahoe] 2" ball receiver hitch. Being modest id 
>> say i nailed it damn good.. Looking at the truck/trailer combination 
>> profile it was very good ..  we tied the raising fixture along and 
>> toward the front side.
>>
>> When loaded it was however very obvious i had one giant flaw and this 
>> circus was never gonna make Texas in one piece. That near 9' of new 
>> tongue length had no support along it axis to hold the tower. But i 
>> had achieved the perfect C/G and weight ratios. problem pretty easily 
>> solved, we made up a block support the take up the void between the 
>> tongue and tower void, as it turns out a 2x6 was the perfect fit. 
>> then using the 2" ratchet nylon straps we just bonded the tower to 
>> the tongue and every problem was solved.
>>
>> Until the poor Mississippi I-10 roads and the entry and exit of 
>> bridges bounce began to shift the tower to one side. Where i had gone 
>> in and made a level line for every support point along the towers 
>> flat horizontal side, by Vicksburg it was 2pm it was gonna be dark by 
>> 6pm, the locals called it Home Depot but i found the name and credit 
>> card receipts said Lowes I didn't give a rats ass. I had money and 
>> they had materials ..
>>
>> In prepping for this venture i debated what tools to take and 
>> hopefully never have to use, it was too endless, i opted for a small 
>> hand tool collection and the 3 ton shop alligator jack. We hit the 
>> Lowes and bought a new battery drill package and 4x4 treated lumber 
>> plus screws. i asked that the 4x4 be cut,  crap you would have 
>> thought i was asking for the moon, Oh no !  we are not permitted to 
>> cut the stuff ONLY sell it [treated lumber] Ok fine i bought a small 
>> hand saw and we set up shop out in the HD  err Lowes parking lot. 
>> 4:30 and the sun is going down faster than i want it.
>>
>> I got my wife and GSD and making a mess out in the parking lot, I'm 
>> gathering a crowd and the every 5 minute question is   "Hey Man 
>> whatcha doin"   But in that group 2 of the nicest guys came forward, 
>> they had grasped the problem and understood the objective. By dark 
>> the tower was centered back onto the trailer and while the jacking 
>> process and pulling the tower back parallel to the trailer supports 
>> had shifted the tower forward about 6" we were set to go. The 6" 
>> shift effected road worthy a bit where it had been safe to reach as 
>> fast as 80 mph the extra load-shift forced us to never go beyond 
>> 75-76 or then trailer wagging would set up and that is not a pretty 
>> sight or safe condition. By Louisiana the rains had come back on our 
>> ass, when we reached Shreveport we called it good, had no hotel 
>> reservations, while willing to accommodate us the Marriott wanted 
>> $1.00 per pound for my GSD [=78.00] the Hilton offered a flat $30.00 
>> extra fee. But when it came time to park the truck and circus 
>> trailer, well that was another 30.00 "fee" $223.00 for the night and 
>> we got up next morning and hauled ass for Texas.
>>
>> Drury Inn was the best and always most accommodating for my GSD. I 
>> omitted i had bought and rigged up a set of magnetic lights to mount 
>> directly onto the very end of the tower as well keeping the original 
>> trailer lighting scheme.
>>
>> The trailer, well the tower is still on the trailer awaiting 
>> installing here at w5mc  I'm taking down a TM-90' tower and will give 
>> or offer the trailer to go with the tower in the very near future.
>>
>> But to wrap up this "fishing story" IMO a 16' trailer you wont be 
>> safe at all, too much overhang front and back, but i guess it also 
>> depends on your overall distance, in town maybe ok,  on the road not 
>> for me, and im a risk taker, but not as it is contemplated in this 
>> original post/question.
>>
>> If i can forward some pictures and measure some stuff let me know, 
>> presently i have the tower while still on the trailer run out about 
>> 8' feet trying to get measurements for the rotor plate and stuff.
>>
>> The bigger stumbling block for me is adapting my TM-90 base plate to 
>> accommodate the 589 T plate, me and the GSD did make a run to Houston 
>> last Friday and picked up a 1" steel plate 40"x40" to help adapt to 
>> the tm-90 base bolt pattern to the 589 T plate base.
>>
>> Best:  mac/mc  w5mc
>>
>> On 2/18/2019 1:42 PM, Wilson Lamb wrote:
>>> OK, that's about it.
>>> Of course I can estimate, but wonder if anyone has a CG location for 
>>> a nested tower, horizontal.
>>> Yep, I'm calculating ballast for my 16' trailer.
>>> Weight is trivial, but stability something else!
>>> Wilson
>>> W4BOH
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