[TowerTalk] Bearings

[Dave Thompson]

Years ago when I bought the Tristao 71 foot crank up.  Bob Henry tried to sell me a Rohn thrust bearing.  I corresponded with Lou Tristao and he said since the tower had what he called a side bearing or sleeve bearing which kept the mast straight. He recommended a radial thrust bearing to protect the down push to the rotor so the rotor would rotate the beams easily. 

I bought a Fafnir 2 and 1/6 inch bearing that lasted for over 40 years, Lou told me that if the tower did not have the sleeve bearing in the top section then a thrust bearing was best as it also protected the side moment. I put a Rohn 45G tower with a straight top and bought the heavy duty DX engineering bearing.

Dave K4JRB