It looks like my "on-again-off-again" acquisition of a complete AB-105C
tower is finally going to happen. The CO and Master Chief at my Reserve
Center have decided it has to go. . .
The tower and all the rigging is mine for taking it down and making it
disappear.
The tower is about 100' tall, two sets of guys at approximately 60' and 90'
. Massive guy cables and turnbuckles/shackles etc. The guys are 1" diameter
cable! Really.
I've made a thorough inspection from the ground, and everything seems tight
and in good condition. There are no antennas currently mounted on the tower.
I plan to have a crane come in and take a pick on the tower above the
half-way point (I will be climbing up to set the hook, using all of my
Towertech/Champion safety equipment), we'll take a slight strain, and then
pull the main bolt on each of the guywire equalizer plates to detach the
guys at the anchor rods. The crane will then lay the tower over (The
tower's single-point base is an "articulated knuckle" - for lack of a
better description - that appears designed for such a manuver). I'll be
putting some blocking under the tower as it lays down, so I can get at the
bolts to take the sections apart. Some fast work with my air wrench and it
should be on my trailer in no time (ever the optimist!).
Any advice, caveats, or things I've overlooked?
At my place I will have to erect the new tower using temporary guys and a
ginpole, since there is no way to get a big enough crane into the back of
property behind the corral, and there isn't a crane large enough anyway
within 90 miles of Libby. I understand these towers were deployed by the
military using a 30' lifting beam and a truck to pull them up whole.
Anybody have a copy of an Army Tech Manual (TM) or Field Manual (FM) that
describes the fixture and the procedure? Or at least the Publication number?
Thanks for your help, as always!
Steve Zettel KJ7CH
near Libby, MT USA
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