Hello Pete,
I have done something similar for a friend's tower. I think Steve is right
on about slacking up all three existing top guys. The tower will not go far
enough to do any harm and the slack means that you will need far less
tension in your temporary guy. Loosen them till they sag quite noticeably.
This is just like the stage when they are first installed. The tower can
move and inch or two, but it cannot get out of hand.
I myself would not feel safe disconnecting any of those upper guys without a
temporary, since you're almost 40 feet above the last guy point.
I have a long piece of 1/4" EHS that I used as a temporary. I saved it and a
bunch of 1/4" preforms from an old tower that I helped take down. The old
preforms make great temporary grips, just don't wrap all the way to the
ends.
I hauled up the temporary and looped the preform around a tower leg above
the old guy cable. This keeps it out of the way as you remove the old guy
and haul up the new.
I use an old, Rohn mast clamp on the anchor shaft to provide an auxiliary
hitching point for a come-along or a preform. It's the kind with two large
bolts, and two sets of cross bars adjusted with nuts, made for attaching one
vertical mast to another or to a tower leg with 6-8" standoff. I got several
at a hamfest for $1 each.
I installed a temporary grip at the bottom of the temporary guy about 6 feet
off the ground. I slipped a hammer handle through the loop and had a friend
hang onto it and lean back with full body weight in the direction of the
anchor. While he holds it, I grab the tail and secure it with a temporary
grip to your hitching point. If you slacked the original guys enough, you
will have produced enough tension to replace the guy at your point.
You can also just connect a come-along between the anchor and the temporary
grip if you need more tension.
At this point, Pete, you can replace the old guy cable, take up the slack
slightly with the new one, and release the temporary and go on to the next
one.
Steve, how did you attach your come-along at the anchor end?
--...MARK_N1LO...--
--...MARK_N1LO...--
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