How much is a used tower worth?

[KF1Z]

I have a friend who has a 100 foot tower, used, all down and stacked.

I ASSUME it is a Rohn 25, because he gave me dimensions of 12 1/2"  between uprights, and those are 1 1/4" diameter.

He wants to sell it, but not sure how much it's worth...

Assuming it's in real good condition.... (?)

What do you think?

[K1JJ]

In this day and age of older hams, many will give the tower away free if you take it down.

Also, much will depend on the tower's condition. How is the galvanizing - any signs of rust coming through yet?

Rohn 25 is light tower and Rohn 45 would be a better overall choice, but if the tower is not rusted, $20-$30 per section is a decent price. Even $500 for 100 feet with ALL the guy wires, turnbuckles, etc will save you a ton of money vs: buying it all new.

The concrete will cost you as much as the tower -  but you can do that yourself with a lot of work.  A backhoe and some rebar will go a long way.

Download the Rohn tower manual with sample anchor design prints as well as for the base. Use a pin and floating base plate. You can make this yourself.

BTW, for guy anchor "rods," I went to the scrap yard and got steel I-beams.  Mine are about 7' long and 8"X8".  I welded a 'T' on the end of each to resist pulling out of the concrete.  Drill holes on the other end for the turnbuckles.

T

[WA1GFZ]

Rohn 25 was my biggest mistake when you look at the total cost.
Maxed out with 1 antenna.

[ve6pg]

..i get requests all the time from people....i tell them, it's worth nothing...they want rid of it, and if i will take it away, i'm doing them a favour...

..sk..

[k7yoo]

make sure it is really Rohn 25 (if that is what you want). There is some stuff out there that appears identical, but has a thinner wall. I think is .045" vs .065".
Skip

[WQ9E]

Skip, I think Rohn called it 20G and it is basically sturdy enough to hold a small TV antenna in a light wind so he would definitely want to avoid it.  The only positive is an arthritic 85 year old could probably hand stack 20G.

There should be about 15.75 inch spacing between the horizontal rungs of 25G while 20G spacing is around 18 inches.  It is easier to identify 25G versus 20G this way rather than trying to measure the metal gauge (16 vs. 18) because of varying thickness of the galvanizing.

Although the price of the sections is one thing, the cost and bother of installation is a major part so calculate that when deciding whether to go with 25G or a heavier version over the long run.  I went with 55G when I put mine up in 1995 due to high winds and the desire to be able to go with large antennas.

Rodger WQ9E

[k4kyv]

Rohn doesn't recommend guying 20G, but I would think it would be OK up to 120 ft. or so if you only planned to use it as a vertical, or to hold up a simple wire antenna.  You can mix 20G with 25G, but they will only go in one sequence, due to the difference in wall thickness and inside and outside diameter of the ends.

Unless it is in mint condx, I wouldn't pay much for used tower sections.

My 25G has been up for about 28 years.  Quite a bit of rust is showing through the galvanising and some of the EHS guy wire.  I could paint it, but that would take care of only the exterior surface, and it could still be rusting away from the interior.  I have heard stories of painted hollow towers that were little more than a coat of paint over solid rust. But I think mine is only surface rust since I don't see any deep pitting of the metal.  I recall years ago some of the people at Rohn said that a tower still has years of life left on it when the rust begins to show through.  He recommended that if you use cable clamps on the guys and they begin to rust, the best thing to do is to LEAVE THEM ALONE and not attempt to tighten or otherwise mess with the U-bolts.

[KF1Z]

Thanks for the replies.........

I have no use or want... EVER... to have a tower.

I got enough of tower climbing when I was climbing 60 foot +  ski-lift towers in sub-zero temps....

Besides, I live in an area where there are trees... so all set for my ants.
(Maybe someday, I'll get bitten by the VHF bug...    and decide I need one.)

This tower was used for a wind-turbine , obviously "home-owner" sized.

Just trying to find out for the guy if he's going to get his $ out of it.
Seems doubtfull.

Time will tell.


By the way if anyone's interested...
It's sitting on a trailer around Rutland, Vt.

[WA1GFZ]

Try and mount a beam on a tree.
My R 25 has been up for 30 years and painted once and changed guys about 11 years ago. Still looks good.

[Opcom]

I got a Rohn 25, 60FT plus top section coming for about $200. It's in good condition. There is an HBX self-supporting 56FT in the back yard I would like to sell for $200.