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Safe crank up work? (was: Crank-up mishap)

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Subject: Safe crank up work? (was: Crank-up mishap)
From: w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 16:21:37 -0800 (PST)
>Alfred J. Frugoli wrote:
>> 
>> Terry Dunlap wrote:
>> > Those certainly sound like good rules to me but I'm still in the dark about
>> > safe alternatives.  Do you crank the tower all the way down and use an
>> > extension ladder to reach the mast/rotor/antennas?  Do you still block the
>> > tower when using a ladder and if so how do you safely block it before using
>> > a ladder???
>> 
>> I use an extention ladder while the tower is "fully retracted".  I lower the
>> tower as far as the limit switch will allow, then I place the ladder on the
>> lowest section, and never on any of the higher ones for fear it may put a
>> wierd strain on the cable etc and casue the tower to shift.  I do not block
>> the tower when I'm doing this kind of work. (probably should though)  Then I
>> climb the ladder to work on boom/mast connection, switch box, feed line
>> checks, etc.  If I have to do anything that requires touching the tower
>> sections themselves or reachign inside the sections (i.e. rotor work,
>> tightening u-bolts on boom for inverted V's or the switchbox) I tilt the
tower
>> over and then I put a large 12x12 beam that is about 5 feet tall under the
>> tower to take th strain off the raising fixture.  Then I extend the sections
>> out enough to work on the rotor and block the sections so they won't slide
>> back.
>> 
>> That's my method, anybody else have any hints, suggestions, criticisms?
>> >
>> > 73 de Terry KK6T
>> >
>> > --
>> > FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
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>> 
>> --
>> Al, KE1FO, ex. KE6BER    mailto:ke1fo@contesting.com or ke6ber@tiac.net
>> Check out my web page, http://www.tiac.net/users/ke6ber for summaries
from the
>> contest reflector and a growing list of amateur radio links.
>> 
>> --
>> FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
>> Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
>> Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
>> Problems:                 K7LXC@contesting.com
>> Sponsored by Akorn Access, Inc & N4VJ / K4AAA
>
>I lower the tower, block all sections independantly leaving some tension 
>in the cables and climb it.  I feel as safe doing this as leaning a 
>latter up against it.  Most extension ladders scare the hell out of me. 
> I fell confident in my abilities to block the tower and the 
>probabilities of mishap as certainly no more than droping antennas or 
>tower section into guy wires, etc...
>
>For what it's worth...
>
>73 de Mike
>WA7BPI

I hate to disagree with you, Mike, but considering all of the crankup horror
stories I have heard, I must.  Each new story tells of yet another way a
crankup can "get you".  I am convinced that I have not heard all the
different ways yet and I have heard dozens of them.  Crankups are inherently
dangerous to be around and I, for one, can't anticipate their next attack
plan.  I don't think anybody can . . .

Stan  w7ni@teleport.com


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