I have the 55-foot crank-up, crank-over TX-455 with the standard winch and
a 3-element SteppIR on top (with an 8' mast, about 3.5 feet into the
tower). It is a job to crank it up and down. (Down is as much work as
up.) I am not quite as young as I was a few years ago, and what strength I
have is not optimized for working a crank. I can make the crank over (or
crank to vertical) in a single session. (I made a sawhorse that holds the
end of the tower about 6' off the ground, allowing the beam to just touch
the ground.) For vertical cranking, I need several short cranking
sessions. I do not crank the tower down very often. If I did, I would
probably adjust to the work a little better. If I had known, I would have
opted for a crank with a somewhat higher ratio.
I do like the tower. I have not climbed anything longer than a 7'
stepladder since installing it. I have a can of cold galvanizing spray
that I use for small touch-up when the tower is down, and I spray the
proper lube on the cable at the same time.
Bill W2WO
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