Taking down a 70 ft. tower

[KE5MLF]

Well looks like I am going to be taken a tower down this weekend any suggestions.... I got my J-Pole, rope, safety harness, tower jack, hard hats for ground crew, and pulleys so I think it should go smooth. Made a offer to take it down if I could have it and they took me up on it so I am excited...

[K8MHZ]

Quote[/b] (KE5MLF @ June 06 2007,12:45)]Well looks like I am going to be taken a tower down this weekend any suggestions.... # I got my J-Pole, rope, safety harness, tower jack, hard hats for ground crew, and pulleys so I think it should go smooth. #Made a offer to take it down if I could have it and they took me up on it so I am excited...
J-Pole...

I hope you meant gin pole.

My only suggestion is that you get a bucket truck so no one has to climb the tower. We lose more good hams from climbing towers than anything else it seems.

I hope all goes well and you get through this safely.

[KA4DPO]

Dynamite. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

It's messy but fun....

[KC9JIQ]

temporary rope guys half way up the tower, (I assume this is free standing?)

To keep the tower from falling over if a structural failure would happen at the base.

[NA4BH]

Check the bottom leg. Proceed with caution, do what JIQ said. Take your time, good communication, and a truck load of WD40.


And the most important thing of all:

Plenty of beer for the help afterwards. # #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Good luck, and let us know how it went.

[ke4ky]

Boom crane....used one to get my 10 el. log up onto my 60 ft tower.

The going rate here was $100 per hour...that counted his travel time to my home....the best $200 spent on getting my installation up and going.

[W0UZR]

If you are taking it down from someone else's place and bringing it to yours, then do what a friend did. He climbed up about 2/3's of the way up and hooked up a cable, bolted a pulley to the eve of a building, put the cable through there, cut the studs off at the bottom, hooked the cable to his truck, blocked the bottom from kicking out with something. Now a tractor pulled it the direction they wanted it to go till it was leaning and took up the slack in the cable, backed the truck up and lowered it down.

[KC9JIQ]

I like w0uzr ideal, cheap and easy. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

really why would you need a pulley, just tie to the front bumper of the truck.

[w0wls]

A hacksaw works nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ_tXJN1YJU

[k9kjm]

If it is a Rohn 25 type tower, A plain carpenter's type claw hammer works great to pull out the leg bolts.
Have some type of canvas tool bag attached to the safety belt, 7/16 and 1/2 inch wrenches to remove the nuts from the bolts, Tap the bolts part way out with the hammer, Then just use the claw part of the hammer to pull the bolts the rest of the way out, Like pulling nails. Works great. Then use the hammer to "tap" the legs all the way around to help loosen them.
The "Tower Jack" is really a must to separate the sections, Along with a ground crew of at least one other person to operate the rope to lower sections to the ground.
Also good advice to inspect the tower base closely, And do use the temporary rope guys if there is any question of how solid the tower is.

[W0UZR]

Quote[/b] (KC9JIQ @ June 06 2007,21:25)]I like w0uzr ideal, cheap and easy. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

really why would you need a pulley, just tie to the front bumper of the truck.
He did that once and the tower came down with a crash bending up a section. It wouldn't lay down gently

[n5ypj]

The best $50 an hour I've ever invested was in a sign truck. If you can't go that route - good work shoes because tower rungs can really knot up your feet, temporary guys as suggested are a must because you really don't know what shape the tower is in. Have fun, I always did.

[kf6rdn]

Quote[/b] (KA4DPO @ June 06 2007,18:01)]Dynamite. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

It's messy but fun....
Here, hold muh beer!
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[ka0gkt]

I have paid to have many towers taken down. The price of a crane is well worth it. Cranes are cheap, funerals are expensive and often used towers aren't worth their scrap value.

The reason that tower crews are so well paid is that their's is one of the most dangerous jobs around. As a percentage of the population, more tower jacks die due to on-the-job accidents than coal miners, explosives experts or NASCAR drivers...and these are professionals, skilled in their work and extremely experienced. A few years back, a friend who had over 40-years experience in tower construction and mantenance, along with his crew rode an Iowa Public TV antenna to his death. The fall from 1100' (IIRC) would have been enough for him to say a very short prayer (8-1/4 very long seconds). While the fall from 75-ft won't result in as great of a velocity, and the time of the fall will only be 2.8 seconds, and a velocity at impact of a bit over 20-ft/sec (about 15 MPH). Such falls, under the best of circumstances might indeed be survivable, but the force of the tower coming down upon you is most often fatal...as is a fall from 75-ft.

Hire a crane.

73 DE KAØGKT/7

--Steve

[ka0gkt]

I felt that this old story bore repetition in it's own box.

Quote[/b] ]A man who found himself in a personal accident had to fill out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:

I am writing in response to your request for additional information for block number #8 of the accident reporting form. I put "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust that the following detail will be sufficient.

I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80' foot communications tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 lbs. of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now un-needed tools and materials down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using a pulley, which was fortunately attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and excess materials into the barrel. I then went back down the tower to the ground and untied the rope, holding tightly to ensure that I could control the slow descent of the barrel containing the 300 lbs. of tools and hardware.

You will note that in block number #11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say that I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower.

In the vicinity of the 40' foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collar bone. Slowed slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers on my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley located at the top of the gin pole. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain.

At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools and hardware hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the tools and hardware, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 lbs. I refer you again to block #11 which shows my weight at 155 lbs. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower.

In the vicinity of the 40' foot level, to my surprise, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me down just enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and hardware, and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked.

I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools and hardware, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80' feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind and I let go of the rope. Well, you can imagine the rest.


73 DE KAØGKT/7

--Steve

[N9FE]

First how old is this tower, if it has any rust at the base forget about climbing it, check it out my friend, we don't want to see you in the paper tomorrow, if it is all rusty, sawsall it, and let it flop..... N9FE

[ka5piu]

Hello.

The best way to climb a tower is to not do it.
Yes, a sign truck may cost $100, or even $200, but we had a report, and raffle, of and for a ham who was nearly killed.
So, I try to take every precaution, even if it takes an extra $200 to make it happen.

[K8MHZ]

Quote[/b] (ka0gkt @ June 08 2007,17:40)]I have paid to have many towers taken down. #The price of a crane is well worth it. #Cranes are cheap, funerals are expensive and often used towers aren't worth their scrap value.

The reason that tower crews are so well paid is that their's is one of the most dangerous jobs around. #As a percentage of the population, more tower jacks die due to on-the-job accidents than coal miners, explosives experts or NASCAR drivers...and these are professionals, skilled in their work and extremely experienced. #A few years back, a friend who had over 40-years experience in tower construction and mantenance, along with his crew rode an Iowa Public TV antenna to his death. #The fall from 1100' (IIRC) would have been enough for him to say a very short prayer (8-1/4 very long seconds). #While the fall from 75-ft won't result in as great of a velocity, and the time of the fall will only be 2.8 seconds, and a velocity at impact of a bit over 20-ft/sec (about 15 MPH). #Such falls, under the best of circumstances might indeed be survivable, but the force of the tower coming down upon you is most often fatal...as is a fall from 75-ft.

Hire a crane.

73 DE KAØGKT/7

--Steve
What he said.

[w9is]

Quote[/b] (kf6rdn @ June 08 2007,21:54)]Quote[/b] (KA4DPO @ June 06 2007,18:01)]Dynamite. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

It's messy but fun....
Here, hold muh beer!
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
AS the folks on Mythbusters might say, Dynamite and a big tower, I'm there!

[W6GQ]

I use a cordless impact gun, makes life easy.

Be careful and have someone video tape the entire thing,

video taping does 2 things

1. It provides an explanation to the police when they investigate the death of the climber.

2. It provides entertainment on youtube.

[N2RJ]

Get a crane. That's how my 70 footer is going UP.

[WA2ZDY]

So any word on how he made out? Was the tower demolition supposed to be this weekend?

[k9kjm]

Any type of "impact wrench" is not needed to take apart a Rohn 20,25,35,45 etc tower. #A 3/8" drive ratchet with 7/16" and 1/2" sockets, And a combo wrench in both sizes is all that is needed. #Either the nuts come right off
(There is only a few threads protruding beyond the nut in all cases) OR if the tower was so old/ in a location that had polluted air such as from a smokestack or something that really rusted the nuts on tight, A few good pushes on the wrenches from anyone strong enough to climb the tower in the first place will simply twist off the bolts. Problem solved.
If they were that rusty, They should not be considered to be reused anyhow.

[W6GQ]

Quote[/b] (k9kjm @ June 11 2007,23:53)]Any type of "impact wrench" is not needed to take apart a Rohn 20,25,35,45 etc tower. #A 3/8" drive ratchet with 7/16" and 1/2" sockets, And a combo wrench in both sizes is all that is needed. #Either the nuts come right off
(There is only a few threads protruding beyond the nut in all cases) OR if the tower was so old/ in a location that had polluted air such as from a smokestack or something that really rusted the nuts on tight, A few good pushes on the wrenches from anyone strong enough to climb the tower in the first place will simply twist off the bolts. Problem solved.
If they were that rusty, They should not be considered to be reused anyhow.
Sorry, I disagree, I like the impact gun not because of Rusty Nuts, sounds like a good name for a band http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif but I like it for the speed, keeps the climber in the air for a shorter time and you never know what someone else did up there.

I took down 3 towers at the home of a SK, the son informed me his dad used Lock Tight http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ghostface.gif

I am sure you may be strong enough but after 80 foot of tower 3 times in a day thats alot of ratcheting.

I carry an extra battery just in case, it really does speed things up