I think the term "lubrication" is a misnomer for tower cables.
Conventional lubrication with oil or grease should NOT be used on the cables
because it does attract dust and grit.
They should be "treated" with a product like PreLube. Prelube is formulated to
wick into the cables and provide anti rusting and anti corrosion.
It does not leave a wet or sticky coating like oil or grease.
The recommendations for lubricating the cables have been for "treating" the
tower cables and not lubricating them.
I have had to replace the cabling twice on my motorized crank up towers when
left dry. I live in the San Francisco bay area and rust corrosion
are big players in promoting a short life span to the cabling. 12 years ago I
began doing Prelube yearly maintenance on my cables and they still
look like new.
Bob
K6UJ
On Sep 3, 2012, at 8:43 AM, VE6WZ_Steve wrote:
> Over the years on this list there has been a persistent thread suggesting it
> is essential to lubricate your crank-up tower cables.
>
> See the link below for a .pdf FAQ document from US tower wherein it is stated
> twice NOT to lubricate the cables. Below I also cut-and-pasted the relevant Q
> & A's. There may be those who will argue that lube is a must, but I would
> suggest following the advice of those who build the towers.....even if they
> don't build the cable.
>
> As a US tower owner for 14 years, I have NEVER put lube on my cables and they
> have remained in excellent condition. They have been replaced twice, but NOT
> because of any noticeable wear, but only as a precaution as per the
> manufacturers advice.
>
> 73, de steve ve6wz.
>
> http://media.wix.com/ugd/80a87f_733e85ff06fb2ff07fce3bfef55c918a.pdf?dn=US%2BTower%2BFAQ.pdf
>
>
>
> QUESTION : Cable replacement and maintenance.
>
> ANSWER : We recommend that you replace your cables every three years, with
> regular inspection of
>
> the cables. You need to look for any rust, broken strains and/or kinking. We
> do not recommend
>
> lubricating the cables as can cause a more serious damage to them.
>
>
>
> QUESTION : Can the cables be lubricated?
>
> ANSWER : We do not recommend lubricating the cables. The lubrication only
> attracts dirt and debris
>
> causing cuts and scarring into the cable resulting in a shortened cable life
> span.
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