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Re: [TowerTalk] Mast slipping

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Mast slipping
From: "Al Williams" <alwilliams@olywa.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:10:38 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
About a year ago I had a conversation with the m2 people about their rotator 
clamp slipping on my Monstr's mast.  What follows is my memory of the 
conversation:

1. It is better to have the clamp slip than to harm the rotator.  (Note: the 
wind banging repeatedly on the gearing can weaken the gears?)

2. The specified braking torque has not been measured (or calculated?).

3. Pinning voids the warranty.  I would assume that using a different mfrs 
clamp would also void the warranty.

4. They recommended a clamp bolt tightening sequence that should be 
followed.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a firm answer on what torque 
to tighten the nuts to.  The sequence to follow is:

  a) bolt the rotator to the mounting plate but leave the bolt/nuts not 
tightened
  b) with the bolts to holding the rotator to the mounting plate loose, 
tighten the bolt/nut pair of the clamp that is nearest the bottom.
  c) tighten the next (middle) bolt/nut pair of the clamp
  d) tighten the top bolt/nut pair of the clamp
  e) repeat steps b,c,d several times
  f) now lastly, tighten the bolt/nuts of step a

I did get an answer of 40 ft/lbs from the m2 person but I think that was 
just pulled out of the air.

k7puc

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Byron Lichtenwalner" <w3wkr@verizon.net>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2007 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Mast slipping


> Friends
> During the last 24 hours I have received almost 20 responses providing
> suggestions on my delima of rotor connection to mast supporting my 
> MonstIR.
>
> They included:
>    Going to a larger rotator
>    Going to an alternate mast clamp
>    Adding an additional mast clamp
>    Pinning the existing mast clamp, risking rotor destruction
>    Praying for no wind!
>    Etc.
>
> I believe Dick, WC1M, summed it up best.
>
> I paraphrase:
> While prayer should help, Nature is uncontroablre.
> You can pin, add clamps, put bigger clamps in place, but there will always
> remain a weak point  It seems to make sense to allow/expect some extremes
> will cause misalignment. Learn to live with it, allow drift, retighten 
> bolts
> and moveon.
>
> I think I'll follow Steve's (K7LXC) advice and do some work on the M2 
> clamp
> and NOT pin it.  If it slips too often, I'll either change the clamp or 
> add
> Slip-Nott.
>
> That should hold me 'till retirement needs move me to "starting over" with 
> a
> completely new systems with 150 ft of 55g and the biggest propitch I can
> find.
>
> Thanks for all the suggestions.
>
> 73 de Byron, W3WKR
>
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