Move Your Tower the Easy Way

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Yagi, rotor, and all.

Ingredients:

 - 1 hydraulic lift work platform

 - 2 suitable Straps (strap)

 - 1 big-ass crane

 
Hop onto platform with necessary tools and straps. Raise platform to top of tower/ant.

Attach straps securely to tower taking care not to tangle in Yagi elements.

Raise crane to tower top, attach straps to crane.

Make sure all mounting hardware (including support brackets) are removed.

Lift tower vertically until it clears base, swing crane (gently!) to locate tower over new base.

Set tower onto new base, attach mounting hardware, secure mounting bracket(s) (or guy wires, if used)

Remove crane, platform, celebrate success with appropriate beverages (only after all tools are put away).


This is part of a renovation project I've been consulting on. The end of the building is going to be opened up, built out about 100 feet, and widened on the end to include a new, larger Emergency Operations Center and Command Post. The comms center is being doubled in size as well, but has to remain viable through the renovations. So to save time, the Rohn 45 tower system was moved intact. We also had several wire ants strung between light/power poles that had to be moved, they yanked those poles as if they were planted in butter.

Your tax dollars at work (sorry - no stimulus dollars involved). 

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

The most important ingredient: the crane. Sorry Tom, I don't think it'll work at Area 51. Maybe the lower Yagis? 

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Was Brentina running the crane?

[w3jn]

Where the hell is the fun in doing it the right way?  A home made gin pile, 30-year old climbing belts, and a gang of guys well-lubricated with Miller Lite ought to suffice.

[K1JJ]

I like the "Falling Ice Zone" sign.  I feel so much better now knowing it was hi-hi FB general public safe. We sure didn't want 24" icicles spearing old ladies.


Well, at least they put another TRAP antenna to it rightful resting place.   Todd, maybe you can cornvince them to replace it with a full-size 75M rotary Yagi?  Tell them the town needs a  "Whirl Class Amateur Radio Station" in case of emergencies....


You're right, Todd-  TOTAL overkill as usual - top dollar salaries.  That first picture looks like they're having a gay convention up there.  As Johnny said, gin pole.  Heck, I coulda taken that whole thing down by myself in one 12 hour day. (OK, maybe the Huzman as a ground crew to help lower the tower sections)   Saved the town mega bux...   

T

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Hey that's cool. Looks like it was the best way to Safely move a Tower Fast.

I was watching a tree service use a crane to take out a bunch of 50ft pines from a neighbors yard. (it helped that the other neighbor owns a crane).  Pretty amazing the way they lifted those whole trees up over the house like they were giant broccoli!! Dropped em in the street where they were attacked by 3 guys with chainsaws and a few hours later there was just a stack of logs and some sawdust.

Why screw around with gin poles and tower climbers?  It's cheaper, but let's face it, the longer time you are up in the air, the higher the probability of an accident.  Now I know, we'll get all the anecdotes about how someones been climbing for 50yrs and never dropped a wrench etc. but really sometimes getting a job done as efficiently as possible is best al round, even if it costs a little more.

[WD8BIL]

Was Brentina running the crane?

He was last seen here in Ohio a few weeks ago pulling 40,000 lbs of Snapple behind him!

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Come on Buddly! Brent has lost weight. Give him a break. 

Was Brentina running the crane?

He was last seen here in Ohio a few weeks ago pulling 40,000 lbs of Snapple behind him!

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

LOL!! You are quick, Steve.

Johnny, I immediately flashed back to the the bent mast held up with strapping tape and you on that crooked ladder, and thought....man has come a long way. Still wish I'd had a camera handy that day.

Tom, the radio side of this project has actually saved the taxpayers a lot of dough overall. When we built the huge Delta Loop for the FNARS station, we got the poles donated, delivered, and set by one of the local power companies. Same for the other wire ants. Actually the overall project is a cost saver as it uses an existing building when some wanted to move the entire HQ 30 miles away to an entirely new building not yet built (and won't be, now). I don't do gov't pork. As far as the TH7DXX goes, they're not into corntesting or DXing, mainly talking on HF to other states as needed during times of local, state, or national emergency. They wouldn't have any appreciation for your handiwork. Like the simple 35mm auto focus/flash cameras that came out in the 80s referred to as 'point & shoot', this station was built in the latter part of that decade as a 'point and talk'. They do have a TL-922 amp behind it. Not as cool as Fabio, Dr Love, or Mr Ugly, though. 

Of course, all the savings we realized will probably get eaten up by cost overruns from the building contractors.

Why screw around with gin poles and tower climbers?  It's cheaper, but let's face it, the longer time you are up in the air, the higher the probability of an accident.  Now I know, we'll get all the anecdotes about how someones been climbing for 50yrs and never dropped a wrench etc. but really sometimes getting a job done as efficiently as possible is best al round, even if it costs a little more.

In this case it was necessary as comms needed to be maintained and could only be out briefly. Also the needed attention to other systems like the HAZMAT folks, State boys and the rest made it well worth the expense. I've been up the tower a number of times, it had plenty of 'stuff' sprouting out the sides and wasn't going to get any easier.

When you think about it, it's a lot like finding old boatanchors. There are times when throwing money at something is nice due to the convenience. But the skills you build up over years of using the 'hands on approach' can't be bought for any price. Like the Tom Vu/Armstrong method vs crane, it definitely separates the men from the boys.

Buddly, Steve's right - cut Brent a little slack, hm?

[K1JJ]

Todd,

Yes, the crane and bucket truck were the correct method as you describe it.  We must not forget that the town also requires insurance that no hambone tower mug has.  All in all, when it comes to gov't spending, might as well haul in the big guns, sit back and watch... :-)  Like you said, they wuda just spent the money somewhere else anyway - might as well be on civil defense.

T

[WA1GFZ]

You could have really saved money with a floor jack and hand truck with 1/3 of the town on each guy. A little to the left.....

[KM1H]

In 98 my 45G was at 160' with a 4 el 40M KLM and a 4 el HB 20M 15' above. The main mast was 2" DOM with 1/4" wall and the Orion 2300 was down about 9'.

Im not sure of the sequence but there was a hell of a wind and thunderstorm overnight. In the morning I see the mast leaning at about a 20* angle.

I got ahold of a well known commercial tower guywho I assisted a few times. A skinny and short Portugese Jew from Fall River who was 65 at the time. Anyway I describe the damage and he says he will be there in 4 days as he had to finish a FBI job in CT. Said he didnt need to see it in advance.

There wasnt much I could do to secure things. One leg had broke off at the flat plate and the 2300 mast clamp had shattered. I could see a blackened area from a lightning strike where the tower broke.

So he shows up towing his gin pole behind the pickup. This pole is made from 3 25G sections and mounted on a 69 Olds Toronado FWD cut down axle housing with a motor for turning it.  This gets assembled and goes up in one piece using one of the the trucks winches with him on top and me working the controls. At the top it gets tied off with nothing but hemp ropes. He climbs the gin pole makes attachments and levers the mast vertical. Then removes the Orion, and drops the mast down the tower and tying off the beams to the gin pole. Off comes the top section (luckily I had the top guy set at the top of the next section). Then 2 straight sections of tower and another top section go on bringing it to 180'. This top section was custom built by Rohn for something heavy duty (not in any catalog I have) as the plate is twice the thickness plus gussetted to the legs. I got it from a local who got it from, etc, etc and had never been used. It had a center hole plus wide spaced mounting holes for something, and I drilled the plate for a TB2 bearing.

Long story short it all went together, antennas mounted and the mast still down the hole as I hadnt received the Orion replacement parts yet. He showed up around 11AM and was gone by 5. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack 4 years later. He was the most amazing and creative tower worker Id ever met.

Oh... the job was billed at his regular $50/hr rate. A well known NH tower company with an attitude quoted me $2500!

Carl
KM1H

[K1JJ]

He showed up around 11AM and was gone by 5. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack 4 years later. He was the most amazing and creative tower worker Id ever met.

Oh... the job was billed at his regular $50/hr rate. A well known NH tower company with an attitude quoted me $2500!

Carl
KM1H

Wow, $300 vs: $2500. That's quite a message! 

In these times of cranes, those old riggers are getting rare these days. The skills are still needed, but in different ways. They say tower climbing is the most dangerous job in America. An old rigger is quite the talented and safety conscious man!

At the top dollar rate you were quoted above, woe to us when we can no longer climb ourselves.... sigh.

T

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Here ya go; climb this baby:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dd/KVLY-TV_Mast_Tower_Wide.jpg/400px-KVLY-TV_Mast_Tower_Wide.jpg

Each colored section is 100 feet: