[TowerTalk] DROPPING A TOWER

[kq2m at kq2m.com]

Hi Bill,

I would approach dropping your tower the same way that I would approach 
chainsawing down an extremely heavy, very tall tree.

1) First I would carefully assess the direction of the "lean" of the 
tower.  Almost all towers lean in some direction, especially near the 
top.  If the lean is pronounced then you want the tower to fall in this 
direction, same as if you were chainsawing a tree to bring it down.  You 
want gravity to work FOR you not against you.

2) Then I would climb to about the 70' level and I would attach to 
temporary guys and tension them significantly to the two guy anchors on 
either side of where you want the tower to fall.  (You want the tower to 
fall in-between those two guy anchors) Then add tension to  the original 
guy wires on either side of where you want the tower to fall.

Increase the tension on all the other guy wires (at the different 
heights) on either side of the direction in which you want the tower to 
fall.  But increase the tension the most on the TOP set of guys between 
which direction you want the tower to fall.

Now you have 4 guy wires at significant tension in the middle of the 
tower as well at ~ 40' and ~ 120' and you want the tower to be leaning 
more noticeably in the original direction of the lean.

3)   Now loosen the guy wires behind the tower in the direction opposite 
to where you want the tower to fall. (If you want the tower to fall to 
the NE, then loosen the SW guy wire.  Start with the TOP guy, then 
loosen the middle guy and then the bottom guy.

4) Wear a hardhat and move back from the base of the tower very quickly.

5) Now the tower should be starting to fall and if you did it right and 
there are no other issues, the tower fall should take only ~ 5 seconds.  
LOL!

With trees of course you don't have back guys to consider so it is 
simpler and more dangerous.  The tower should be much easier to deal 
with.

Best of luck!

73


Bob, KQ2M




On 2024-09-21 09:19, cqtestk4xs--- via TowerTalk wrote:
> In a few weeks I will be taking down a 136 ft Rohn 55 tower with its 
> base set in concrete.  I won't be taking it down section by section, 
> but rather dropping the whole thing.
> I have some pre-conceived ides as to how to do it, but have never done 
> it beiore.  No issues with power lines or neighbor's property...noner 
> are an issue.  Lots of cleared space folr the tower to be dropped.
> Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
> Bill K4XS/V31XX