In a message dated 97-09-05 09:20:42 EDT, schaier@avotec.com writes:
> I am looking to buy a used US TOWER MA 40. I have found one and will be
> seeing it this weekend. The current owner has had it for 8 years. The unit
> is the basic model that was attached to his house. It was not mounted
> correctly and a storm tore it down.
Hi, Len --
My first concern would be damage due to the incorrect mounting, storm
and crashing to the ground. If it visually looks okay, it probably is.
>
> 1- Beside rust and cracks are there any other things I should look for?
> 2- Are there any internal bearings/sleeves that could be worn or damaged?
The cable and pulleys are the weak links of any crank-up system. After 10
years they should be replaced. While it's lying on the ground, extend the
tower so that you see the cables, pulleys and the rest of the tower.
I would strongly suggest calling the factory and asking them the
tower-related questions. They can provide the pulleys and factory cables that
you'll need.
> 3- How much "play" should there be between the top rectangular section and
> the bottom section?
The factory can tell you how much tolerance there should be. The sections
will "clunk" together when provoked and that's normal.
> 6- The seller has a HAM-IV for sale with the tower. I don't know how old
it
> is. How much might it go for?
Be sure to have the rotator gone through by someone before you re-install
it. Otherwise, it'll fail at an inopportune time. About six years of
operation is what you can expect before you start having problems so this one
is due. The manufacturing date is stamped on the bottom of the rotator (6-94,
etc.).
BTW, on TowerTalk there is no such thing as a dumb question.
73, Steve K7LXC
TOWER TECH -- professional tower supplies for amateurs
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