At the present time, I have 5 Universal towers up ... with plans for 3
more in the next year or two.
The 'wobble factor', as Bill said, can be a concern, but, IF the tower
is assembled CORRECTLY, there is minimum wobble over many years. Had
two of them at my place in Indiana ... from 1979 through 1992 ... one
of them stayed up until 2005.
The biggest problem is the electrolysis between the steel bolts and
the aluminum tower legs. I suggest that the bolts be changed at least
once every EIGHT years or so ... and tightened every year or so.
If not regularly tightened, the 'wobble factor' WILL cause elongated
bolt holes in the legs.
I prefer Universal 10' tower sections to the 8' Heights tower sections
... fewer joints for a given tower height means fewer problems, IMHO.
Yes, the tower CAN be erected using the gin-pole method, but it takes
much more time/effort to do that. Universal towers are designed with
a fold-over base.
Correct ... NO rebar is required in the base hole.
Until I got OLD ... I climbed my towers every few months (or less)
with no problems ... now I can't climb due to weak/bad knees, but I
would do it, IF I COULD.
Good luck
73
Don
N8DE
Quoting Richard Solomon <dickw1ksz@gmail.com>:
> You might want to look at the Heights Tower Site. They make a Fold-Over kit
> that would make your life easier.
>
> That is, unless you want to put up a DB42 MonstIR !!
>
> 73, Dick, W1KSZ
>
> On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 12:04 PM, <Cqtestk4xs@aol.com> wrote:
>> Jerry
>>
>> Aluminum towers tend to flex....not a bad thing. but, the flexing does
>> cause the bolt holes to "egg" over time...resulting in a bigger and bigger
>> hole, which causes more flexing and a bigger hole...and so on.
>>
>> There is a difference in climbing a steel tower and an aluminum tower.
>> The flex on the aluminum tower can be unnerving if you don't climb
>> a lot. I
>> feel far more comfortable at 200 feet on a guyed Rohn 55 than at 60 ft on
>> an aluminum tower.
>>
>> YMMV
>>
>> Bill KH7XS/K4XS
>>
>>
>> In a message dated 8/9/2012 6:24:44 P.M. Greenwich Standard Time,
>> jerryw6uv@gmail.com writes:
>>
>> I plan to install a 50' tower and a tri-bander for 20/15/10 and was
>> originally considering a U.S. Towers 55' crank-up model. While researching
>> towers, I came across a company called Universal Towers that sells
>> aluminum
>> free-standing towers.
>>
>> Based on the specs, the Universal Towers HD-21-50 aluminum tower looks like
>> it might be a better fit for the following reasons:
>>
>>
>> - * At $1989 it's $2K cheaper than the U.S. Tower crank-up
>> - * It only weighs 190 pounds (spread over five 10' sections), versus
>>> 800 for the crank-up, making it a lot easier to get off the truck with
>> fewer people
>> - * The base doesn't require a rebar cage, making installation simpler
>> - * It won't rust
>>
>>
>> The HD-21-50 is rated at 21 sq.ft. at 110 MPH, while the U.S. Tower
>> crank-up is rated at 30 sq.ft. at 50 MPH.
>>
>> The installation instructions for the aluminum tower says to assemble the
>> tower on the ground, attach the antenna(s), and then walk it up. In my
>> case, I don't have 50' of horizontal space to do this. Is it feasible to
>> climb this type of tower and assemble it vertically section-by-section with
>> a gin pole? (Whatever I put up will be installed by a professional tower
>> installer.)
>>
>> Any reason why I shouldn't consider this aluminum free-standing tower?
>>
>> - 73, Jerry
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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