GM3WOJZL1CTLatticetowerinformationpagesUpdatedMay2013

DISCLAIMERfailuretoinstall,maintainoruseatowerproperlycouldresultinseriousinjuryordeath,ordamagetoproperty.
YoushouldmakeSAFETYyourprimeconsiderationwhenimplementinganyoftheideasorsuggestionsgivenbelow.Icannot
acceptanyresponsibilityforanyaccidentordamagewhichcouldbeconstruedtoresultfromanyadvicedetailedonthisweb
page.SeetheSAFETYNOTESsectionbelow.

(Contactmeatsales@latticetowerspares.comforallyourtowerwire,pulleyandbolt
requirements)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Thesewebpagesdescribehowtoinstall,maintainanduseatypicalbaseplatemounted
VersatowerBP60latticetower
May2013NEWClickontheselinksfornewinformation:
(i)FindingtheageofyourVersatower(Excelworksheet36kBthanksIanGM3SEK)

***AnyextrainformationyoucangiveusforthisSpreadsheetwouldbemuchappreciated
***
PleaseemailyourVersatowerserialnumberanddatetogm3sek...at....ifwtech.co.uk
(ii)InstallationguideforanAltrontower(AdobePDF12.7MBthanksNeilG3RIR)

Quicklinks:Versatower(raising/lowering)wiringdiagram
Versatowerluffing(tiltingover)wiringdiagram
FultonK1550andK2550winchmanuals

Versatower13M20Baseplate/postdimensions+photos
April2011InstallingaBP60JackWhiteG8DXclickherefor120photos
October2008InstallingtowersatthenewGM7Rconteststation

IntheUKtherehavebeenseveraldifferentmanufacturersoflatticesteeltowers,whichcancrankupand/ortiltover.Inamateur
radiocircles,mostUKtowersareVersatowers,withquiteafewWesternElectronicstowers(Westowers),othersmadebyAltron,
RadiostructuresorBXI,afewveryexpensiveLusoorWorldWindtowersandanoccasionalAmericanmadetower.Currently(2013)
RadioStructuresLtdmanufacturelatticetowersinNorthamptonandUpshotUKLtdmanufacturelatticetowersinLymington.If
moneyisnoobject,WorldWindtowersaremanufacturedinKoreaandLusotowersaremanufacturedinJapan.
Itisworthrememberingthatthetopofa'60foot'(18m)3sectioncrankuptowerisactuallyabout52feetabovegroundlevel,
becausethesectionsneedtooverlapby3'to4'.Theheadunitaddsanother4feettothisheight,butyouneedtoextendthestub
masttoincreasetheheighttoatrue60feet.
Thephotosbelow,andthe2atthebottomofthepage,showthe4VersatowershereattheGM3WOJ/GM2Vconteststationinthe
winterof2002andsummerof2003.

1.Identifyingthetower
The'Versatower'isacommoncrankupandtiltovergalvanisedlatticesteeltower,producedoriginallybyStrumechEngineering
intheWestMidlands.VersatowerswerethenmanufacturedbyFrancisandLewisInternationalLtd(FLI)inGloucester,whoceased
productioninSeptember2009.Availableheightsrangefrom20'to120'withmobile,guyed,orfreestandingversions,eitherpost,
baseplate,socketorwallmountedandeither'standard'(13M20)or'heavyduty'(16M20).TheoriginalG3BXIdesign/businesswas
purchasedbyVersatower,soBXItowerspredateVersatowers.InthedaysofStrumechEngineering,RoyGarbetthadbeenwith
thecompanyformanyyearsandwasveryhelpfulandknowledgeablethanksRoy.
Therearemany40yearoldlatticetowersstillinuse,withminimalrust,soitisworthconsideringfirstlytheapproximateageof
thetower.
ThenewlinkatthetopofthispageallowsyoutodownloadanExcelWorksheet(compiledbyIanWhiteGM3SEKthanksIan)
whichcorrelatesVersatowerserialnumberswiththeiryearofmanufacture.PleasesendmoreinformationtoIanifyouhavea
towerwithaserialnumberonthegroundpostandyouknowtheapproximatedateofmanufacturewe'dliketofindthe'oldest
knownVersatower'!Withtheserialnumberplatebeingonthegroundpostratherthanonthetower,whichmightbecome
separated,wecannotguaranteethatthisinformationisentirelyaccurate,butitmightbehelpful.
Pre1975approximately,Versatowershadansystemforlockingthemiddlesection(nowadaysoftencalledthe'catcherplate')
whichconsistedofalongmetalrodrunningupinsideoneofthelegsofthebottomtowersection,whichmovedametalarmatthe
topintopositionbelowoneofthecrossbracesofthesecondtowersectionyouthenloweredthetowerbackdownontothis
metalarm.Thisoldersystemworksfairlywell,butitisimportanttokeepthetopandbottomofthismetalrodmechanismwell
greased.LaterVersatowersuseahingedcatcherplateatthetopofthebottomsection,whichismovedbyaroperunningoutside
thelowersection.TheOctober1970'ShortWaveMagazine'containsanadvert(ironicallyfromWesternElectronics)for
Versatowersasfollows:"20',40',60'or85'for92,121,146or275.120'guyedat380"TheOctober1979RSGB'Radio
Communication'magazinecontainsanadvert:"P40277,P60336,P40HD416,P60HD473(+VAT15%)"P30andBP30
Versatowerswerealsoadvertised,with3x10'sectionsandasinglewinchsystem.Thissameadvertsays"12yearsofcontinuous
development..."whichimpliesVersatowerswerefirstsoldin1967.Forthefirstyearorsoofproduction,Versatowerswerenot
galvanised.The'T'seriesofVersatowersarelightweight.TheVersatower5M20sectionisoftenusedtoextendaStandardBP80to
100',butthislightweighttopsectionisonlyreallysuitableforsmallbeamorwireantennas.
'Westowers'weremanufacturedbyWesternElectronics(UK)Ltdandcanbesometimesbeidentifiedbythe(optional)latticestyle
ofgroundpostthattheyuse,whichhasaslopingtopandsixboltholesatthetriangularbase.ClickheretoviewanOctober1976
advertforWestowers(1.1MB.jpgfile)Notethecomparisonswith'BrandX'and'BrandY''BrandX'isprobablyVersatowerIam
uncertainwho'BrandY'werein1976.TheOctober1978'RadioCommunication'magazinecontainsanadvertforWestowersas
follows:"1S/P25ft/7.75m265,2S/P42ft/12.75m362,3S/P58ft/18.75m431,4S/P75ft/22.75m500"Clickheretoview
informationabouttheWestowerrangeoftowers(680kB.pdffilethanksGavinGM0GAV)andclickheretoviewaWestower
installation/instructionmanual(705kB.pdffilethanksPeterGM8GAX)

4ofthe6VersatowersattheGM4NFCDXstationinAyrshire.

2.Whereshouldthetowerbeinstalled?
Youneedtoconsidercarefullytheexactpositionandorientationofthetowerbaseherearethekeyquestions:
ifthetowerweretofallwhenatfullheight,cananypartofthetowerorantennastrikeyourhouse,yourneighbour's
property,parkedcars,etc?
canasuitableholebedugatthislocation,ideallywithoutitimmediatelyfillingupwithwater?
canthetowerbetiltedover,withtheantennaontop,withoutbeingtooneartoanyobstructions?
canthetowerberaisedtofullheightwithoutbeingtooneartoanytreesorotherobstructions?
youmustconsideryourpresentandfutureantennasystemsimagineafullsize40myagiwitha40footboomand66foot
elementswoulditclearallthesurroundingobstructions?
consideralsowheretheguystakeswillgoandhowtheguywireswillrunwhenthetowerisfullyextendedarethereany
treesorotherfixedobjectsintheway?
whichwaywilltheantenna/rotatorpointwhenthetoweristiltedover?
canalargeyagibemountedonthetowerwhenitistiltedover?
in5yearstime,willanyexistingtreeshavegrownsufficientlytoobstructthetowerorantenna?
canalorrycarryingconcretegetto,orwithin15m,oftheproposedtowerbaselocation?
feederandrotatorcablelengthsandlosses?
otherobviousconsiderationsare:proximityofothertowersandantennas,overheadpowerlines,visualimpactfor
neighboursandyourfamily,etc...
*Takeplentytimetoconsidertheaboveissuesyoucannoteasilymoveatowerwhichisinstalledinthewrongplace!*
PositioningyourtowersothatittiltsoverinaNorthSouthdirectionmakesiteasytoorientateayagiandmakesthetowerauseful
polarmount.

3.InstallingtheBaseplateorGroundpost
StandardandHeavydutyVersatowersarehinged6feetabovegroundlevel.OlderP120Versatowersconsistedof3x40foot
latticesections,hingedona20foothighgroundpost,withacounterweight.Thepostmountedversionse.g.P60,havea12feet
longsquaresteelgroundpost,6feetofwhichisbelowground(withflangesatthebase)and6feetabove.Thebaseplateversions
e.g.BP60,havethesametop6feetofgroundpost,butitisweldedontoa3footsquarebaseplate,whichhaswelded
strengtheningwebsand4sleevedholes(spaced30"centretocentre).Notethat'Heavyduty'Versatowershavepostswith6"
sides(6BP6)whereasthe'Standard'postshave5"sides.Ifyouhavepurchasedatowerwhichdoesnothaveagroundpost(quite
oftentheyarecutoffatgroundlevel,leavingjustthetop6feet)thenconsiderobtainingabaseplateversionyoucouldalso
makeabaseplateversionbyweldingthecutoff6'postontoametalsheetapprox.3feetsquarehoweverthisplateandthe
strengtheningwebswouldneedtobeabout15mmthick,whichmeansheavydutyweldingwiththepossibilityofdistortionofthe
flatplateduringwelding.Nownolongeravailable,abrandnewgroundpostcost630(US$1165)in2008,somakesureyouget
theoldpost,evenifitisonlyhalfofone!Whatevermethodyouuse,ALWAYSuseCONCRETEinthebaselargestonesorany
other'cheapandcheerful'methodwillresultindisasterinthelongrunclimatechangeisincreasingaveragewindspeeds!
IrecommendhiringadiggertodigtheholeforaVersatowerdependingontheexactcompositionofthesitechosen,youcould
encounterlargerocksorheavyclay.Theusualresultofhanddiggingaholeisthattheholeisnotaslargeasyouwouldreallywant
converselysometowerbaseinstallationsarecompletelyoverthetopandswallowcountlesstonsofconcrete.
Theholeforapostorsocketmountedtowerneedstobeatleast6feetdeep,butideallyonly12to15inchessquarethisis
difficulttoachieveevenwiththesmallestdiggerbuckettherewillstillbeoneslopingsidewhichwillabsorbextraconcrete.There
aresomefencepostdiggingtoolsavailablewhichcoulddigexactlytheholerequired,butyouarebettertouseadigger.
TheholeforabaseplatemountedtowerisconsiderablylargerStrumechrecommend4'x4'x4'(1.22x1.22x1.22m=1.81m3)
forastandardBP60,and5'6"x5'6"x4'(deep)(1.68x1.68x1.22m=3.44m3)foraheavydutyBP60.Thelatterholehasavolume

of3.443each1m3ofconcreteis2.4tonnes(2400kg),sothisholewouldneed8.25tonnesofconcretetofillit.Ifthetoweristo
beguyed,whichIrecommend,youcangetawaywithalittlelessconcreteatthebasetheVersatowerinstallationmanual
sensiblyerrsonthesideofsafetyandspecifieslargerconcretebasesthanarereallyneededfortheaverageamateurinstallation,
butIsuggestthatyoudousetherecommendedholedimensionsabove.Oneusefultipistohammersomeoldheavysteelguy
stakeshorizontallyhalfwayintothesidesandbaseoftheemptyhole,beforepouringtheconcrete.
IMPORTANTagain*before*pouringtheconcrete,useold22mmorsimilarcopperwaterpipeandanyotheroldcopperyouhave
tomakealargeearthingmatinthebaseoftheholeruntheflattenedpipeupthesideoftheholetoprotrudeabout2feetabove
groundlevelthiscanthenbebondedsecurelytothetowerbaseplateorpostafterinstallation.
Thetowerbaseplateissecuredto4hightensileM24x450(1"x18"approx)steelboltswhichmustbecarefullypositionedinthe
concretebeforeithardensyoushouldmakeupanaccuratetemplateforthisjobideallyfrom1"steelbarandtubeorsimilar
materialsrememberitmustnotdistortorbreakeveniftheheavyliquidconcreteisaccidentallypouredontoit(whichusually
happens).The4bolts,withthe4inchsquaresteelplates('washplates')attheirbase,i.e.attheheadofthebolt,shouldbeheldin
placebythetemplateastheconcreteispoured,with4.5"(115mm)ofthreadprotrudingabovethefinalconcretesurface.(The
minimumamountofthreadneededisabout90mm115mmallowsfittingalocknutifneeded)Ihaveusedstrongwooden
templates,madefromaminimumof4x2"woodwithbracing,whichcanthenbeaccuratelydrilled.Designyourtemplatesothat
thereisplentyspacefortheconcretetobepouredthroughit.
Makesurethetemplateissecurelyfixedandcannotmoveduringconcretepouringandthatitisashorizontalaspossible.Make
surethatthe'shuttering'aroundtheedgeoftheholeiswellfixedtheheavyconcretecaneasilypushasidepoorlyfixedboards.
Oncepouringoftheconcretehasfinished,checkcarefullythespacingoftheboltsandwhethertheyareverticaltheconcretecan
easilypushthemofftheverticalanditissometimesdifficulttotellthishashappenedwhenyoucanonlyseethetop4.5"ofeach
bolt.Youcouldweldonthinsteelrodstotheboltheadstoactasasecondtemplateandensuretheboltsarevertical.
Istronglyrecommendusinga'Vibratingpoker'whenpouringtheconcretetheseareusuallypetroldrivenandareeasilyhired.
Thisexcellentdevicevibratesthewholemassofconcrete,ensuringnoairspacesandthatthesurfaceisaslevelaspossible.Donot
overusethisdevice,ortheaggregatewillseparateoutandtheconcretewillbeweaker.Checkthatnoconcretehassplashedonto
thethreadsoftheboltsandthatthesurfaceoftheconcreteisashorizontalaspossible,thenleavetheconcretetoharden.
Concretehardensin36hours,thento50%ofitsfinalstrengthin3days(67%offinalstrengthin7daysand>95%offinalstrength
in28days)butitisbettertoleavethewholebaseforatleastaweekthecolouroftheconcretecanbeaguide(althoughthis
dependsontheinitialwatercontent)itshouldchangefromagreenishcolourtowhiterasithardens.See
http://matse1.mse.uiuc.edu/concrete/prin.htmlforinformationaboutconcrete.

PhotofromJanG0IVZshutteringandbolttemplatepriortofixing

Youcanmixtheconcreteyourselforpayfor'Readymix'trytoestimatehowmuchyouwillneedincubicmetres(called'cubes'by
thesuppliers)thesmallerReadymixlorriescancarry3cubesi.e.about7tonnes,whichshouldbeenoughforatowerbase
howeveryouhavetoconsiderthisimportantquestioncantheReadymixlorrygetcloseenoughtotheholeforpouringthe
concrete?Itcanbepumpedoverareasonabledistancebutyouwouldhavetotellthesuppliersthisinadvance.Adiggerwithlarge
frontbucketcanbeusedtoferrytheliquidconcretetotheholeifnecessary.
*MakesureyouarewellpreparedfortheReadymixconcretetobepouredthelorrydriverwillbeimpatienttogetontothenext
jobandtheconcretewillnotwaitforyouifyouarenotproperlyprepared!*Ifyouaremixingtheconcreteyourself,positionthe
mixersothattheconcretecanbepouredstraightintotheholeifpossible,tosavetimeandeffort.Overestimatehowmuch
cement,sandandgravelyouwillneed,becauseideallythewholebaseshouldbepouredatoncenotinlayersoveraperiodof
timethelayersmightnotbondproperlytoeachother,resultinginaweakerbase.See'feedback'page
ItwillsavetimeifyoucanalsousethesamebatchofReadymixconcretetosecurethethree(or4)guystakesseesection10
below.
Iwouldavoid'wallmounted'Versatowersinastormtheforcesinvolvedcouldeasilydamageanormalwallifyoudogetholdof
awallmountedversion,considerobtainingagroundpostorbaseplateforit.Theremayalsobeproblemswithatryingtomount
alargeantennaonawallmountedtower.Alsoavoidothertypesoflatticetowerwhichuseasinglewinchfortiltingand

raising/lowering.

4.Preparingthetowerforinstallation
Beforeyouinstallthetoweronthepost,itisworthexaminingitcarefullyandsortinganyproblemswhichmightmeanyouhaveto
dismantleitatalaterdate.
Firstly,itisfalseeconomynottoreplacethewireropesiftheyshowANYsignsofrustorhaveanybrokenstrandsorweakened
eyeletsattheends.Awireropebreakingwhentiltingorraisingthetowercouldinjureyouorothersandcoulddestroyanantenna
orrotatorworthhundredsof,aswellasseriouslydamagingthetower.Someofthesegalvanisedwireropeshaveastringcore
whichisdesignedtoabsorblubricant,soitisagoodideatosoakthewireropesinengineoilforadayortwo,thencoatthemwith
greasealongtheirentirelengthduringinstallationsomepartsofthewireropesaredifficulttogetatoncethetowerisassembled
butaerosolspraygreaseishelpful.Youcanbuystainlesssteelwireropes,butIhavealwayshadaworryabouttheirbreaking
strengthhavingsaidthatIhaveneverheardofonebreakinginuse.Examinetheferrules/eyeletscarefullytheyoftenhavea
datecodestampedonthem.Sometowerownersreplaceallthewireropesevery3yearsorsoagoodpolicy.
Secondly,removeallthepulleys,inspectandreplaceanypulleysorboltsthatareworn,thenreplacethemwithathickcoatingof
graphitegreaseontheboltshaft,pulleyholeandpulleysides.Rememberthedifferencebetweena'bolt'anda'setscrew'abolt
hasonlypartoftheshaftthreaded,whereassetscrewshavethewholeshaftthreaded.Alwaysusehightensilesteelbolts
everywhereonatower.Stainlesssteelhardwarecanbeusedinmostlocationstoreducecorrosion,butisnotadvisedforbolts
thatareundersevereloading.Somebolts/nutsonaVersatowercannotbefullytightenede.g.pulleymountingbolts(fully
tighteningthemwouldpreventthepulleyfromturning)uselocknutsorselflockingnutse.g.Nylocnuts,onthesebolts.
Next,examinethelatticesectionsifthereareanybreaksinthegalvanising(whichdoeswashoff
eventually)theyshouldbepaintedwithFosroc'Galvafroid'coldgalvanisingpaint(expensivepaintAugust
2009price=21for400mL)Someownerstakethisastagefurtherandpainttheentiretowere.g.NATO
mattgreenorforestgreentoreducethevisualimpactslightly.Paintingdoeshavethedisadvantagethatif
thepaintsurfacecracks,rustcanformunderneaththepaintandgountreated.Checktheweldsonallthe
crossbracingandtheoverallstraightnessofthesectionsifthetowerisoldorhadahardlife.Abent
horizontalordiagonalbracingstrutcanbestraightenedbyusingapieceofwoodanda2lbhammer,butit
oftendifficulttopositionthewoodbecauseofotherbracingstruts.
Examinetheheadunitandhowitwillmountontothetopofthetoptowersectioncheckthatthe3threadedlegsfitproperlyinto
the3sleevesonthetopsection(onsometowerstheheadunitismountedusing3hightensileboltsthroughsleevesweldedonto
theoutsidetopofthetopsection,withthethreadedlegsoftheheadunitinsidethetowersectiontubing).Checkthatthesidesof
theheadunitcanbemadeparalleltothesidesofthetoptowersectionusuallythereare2nutsoneachlegoftheheadunitand
youcanadjustthemtomaketheheadunitparallel.Itisalsomucheasieratthisstagetocheckhowyourrotator,thrustbearing(if
used)andstubmastwillmountontotheheadunit.Itisusefultowelda40cmpieceof10mmsteelrod,withaloopattheend,
ontothesideoftheheadunit,tospacethecablesawayfromthetowersectionstohelppreventsnagginganddamagetothe
expensivecoaxandrotatorcableswhenraising/lowering.
Checktheconditionoftheropewhichmovesthecatcherplateagainitisfalseeconomytonotreplacethisropeifitisfrayedor
damagedusemodernhighstrengthcordor3mmstainlesssteelwirerope.Greasethecatcherplatehinge.
Checktheconditionofthelargehingepinwhichsecuresthetowerbasesectiontothetowerpostgreaseitthoroughlywith
graphiteorcoppergreaseandcheckthatyouhavethecorrectlargewashers(oneeachend)and2newsplitpinsreadyforfitting.
Newerhingepinshaveaflatdiscatoneend,soonly1washer+1splitpinareneeded.
Checktheconditionofthepinandchainwhichsecurethetowerintheverticalpositionbypassingthroughaholeintheextension
piece,calledthe'tiltoverrode',atthebaseofthepost.(Notethis2piecetiltoverrodeisweldedontostandardgroundposts,
butboltedontothe6BP6post)Earliertowersusedasimplemetalpin,withlatertowersusingaspringloadedpin,whichneedsto
bekeptwellgreased.Replacingthispinwithapadlockmightbeasensiblesecuritymeasure.

Tiltrode,lowerpulleysandpinLuffingflats

Checktheconditionofthedoubleplateassembly,calledthe'luffingflats',whichisboltedtothebottomofthelowersectionand
hasthepulley(s)fortheluffingwireropethewholeassemblyshouldhingefreelyandthemetalspacertubeshouldallowthe
pulley(s)toturneasily,evenwhentheboltsateachendoftheassemblyaretight.
Theheadunit,rotator,stubmastandthrustbearingcanbemountedonthetowerafterthetowerismountedonthepost.
N.B.Seethefirstparagraphofsection9beforefullyassemblingandwiringupthetowerontheground.

5.Grease
Greaseissoimportantitmeritsaseparateparagraphandapicture!Graphitegreaseisthebestgreasetouseeverywhereona
towerwiththeexceptionperhapsofonthewireropes.Coppergreaseisalmostasgood,butgraphitegreaseavoidsanypossible,
butunlikely,dissimilarmetalcorrosionproblems.Graphitegreaseseemstobequitedifficulttoobtainseethelinkbelowdon't
letthesuppliertrytosellyoumolybdenumdisulphidegrease(e.g.CastrolMS3)insteadinsistongraphitegrease.Castrol
GraphitedGreasecanbepurchasedbymailorderfromseveraldifferentsuppliersclickhereforoneUK
suppliercost(Feb.2008)750fora500gtub.Penritealsomanufacturegraphitegrease.
'Almagard3202'isanexcellentAmericanmadewaterproofgreaseusedintheoilindustry.Spraygreasesare
variableinqualitysomearetoo'watery'andothersaretoo'sticky'Ifoundthe'Comma'brandtobequite
good.Spraygreasecanbeveryusefulforreachingpartsofthewireropesthataredifficulttoreachbyhand.I
useupover1kgofgreaseeveryyearonthewireropesofmytowersmoneywellspent.Awellmaintained
towerwillhavelotsofgreaseeverywhere.

6.Winches
Trytoobtainautobrakewinches(e.g.FultonK1550orK2550)ifpossibletheyareexpensivebut*much*safertousethan
standard'boattrailer'types.Checkcarefullytheconditionofthebrakepadsdismantlethewinchifnecessarytheyhavea
tendencytocrack,whichcancausethewinchtoslipthiscrackingmightnotbevisiblewithoutdismantling.Thebrakepadscan
alsobecomecontaminatedwithgreaseoroil.Replacementbrakepadscanbedifficulttosource.Themainwindinghandleshaftof
theseautobrakedwinchesisintwoparts,joinedbyaninternalscrewedthreadwhichunscrewstoseparatethebrakepadsfrom
thebrakediscswhenyouturnthewinchhandleanticlockwise.Thisinternalscrewthreadmustbewellgreasedeveryfewyearsto
preventthemechanismseizingupwhichwouldeitherjamthewinchcompletelyorcouldstopthebrakepadsworkingproperly
andmakethewinchunsafe.StudythephotoofthepartiallydismantledK2550windinghandleshaftbelow:
Youcanseetheinternalscrewthread(priortolubrication),the2brakepads,the
gearring,etc.TodismantlethispartoftheK2550,firstremovethenutholding
thewindinghandleon(aNylocnut),thenthenutattheotherendoftheshaft,
thenthelargecirclipatthelefthandside.Thegearringcannotclearthepawl
mechanismmountingbracketwithoutunscrewingthetwohalvesoftheshaftas
showninthisphotothisallowsyoutoslideeachhalfoftheshaftoutseparately
ifnecessary.
Lubricatethisinternalscrewthreaduselotsofgraphiteorcoppergreasetake
carenottogetgreaseonthebrakepadsorthemetalfaceswhichpressagainst
themalsolubricatetheshafttotherightoftheinternalscrewandwherethe
gearringturnsandthebrassbushesateachendoftheshaft.
Whenreassembling,itisnecessarytoholdthepawlintheupward(springtensioned)positionwhileslidingthegearringinto
positionandscrewingthetwohalvesoftheshaftbacktogether.

QuestionWhat'sthefirstthingyoushoulddowhenyoubuyabrandnewK2550orK1550winch?
AnswerDismantleit!Thisseemsastrangethingtodomynewest(Sept2012)FultonK2550winchwasmanufacturedin
Mexicoand,incommonwithpreviouslymanufacturedK2550s,theamountofgreaseontheshaftsandtheinternalscrewthreads
isnotsufficientforourrainyUKclimate.Isuggestcompletelydismantlingandthoroughlygreasingeverymovingsurface(except
forthebrakepadsobviously)withalotofgraphiteorcoppergrease.
Don'tbotherbuyingtheK2550Xversionofthesewinchesthe'protectivecovers'areuselessandmaketheK1550XandK2550X
versionsmoredifficulttodismantleiftheyeventuallyseizeup.
Unwindthewireropescompletelyandcheckthattheendsarecorrectlysecuredtothewinchtheendshouldpassthroughthe
sideofthewinchdrumandbetightlyheldbyaclampwith2boltsandnuts.ThelatestK2550winchowner'smanualshowsone
turnofwireropeoutsidethedrumi.e.clampedattheend,thenoneturn,thenpassingthroughthesideofthedrum,thena
minimumof3turnsalwaysonthedrumtopreventslippage.Takecaresecuringtheendofthewireropetothedrumthe2small

boltsmustbethecorrectwayroundthespeciallyroundedheadsareontheinsideofthedrumside,whilethemetalclampand
the2nuts/washersareontheoutsideofthedrumsidethispreventsthewireropesnaggingonthethreads/nutswhichhappens
iftheclampismountedthewrongwayround.Trytowindthewireropeinevenlayersonthewinchdrumthiswillprevent
'crushing'orflatteningofthewireropeandhelpstoprevent'jumping'whenthewireropeisundertensionattheendsofalayer.

EndofwinchropesecuredtooutsideofK2550drum(withoutthe
recommended1turnoutsidethedrum)

LargerautobrakewinchesliketheFultonK2550havelowgearingfor
exampleittakes450turnsofthehandletoraisea4sectionBP80Versatowertofullheight!ClickheretoviewtheK1550and
K2550owner'smanualsandpartsdiagrams(4MB.jpgfilesonexternalsite)thanksMartinG3ZAY.

PhotosfromSteveGW4BLEFultonK2550winchonP60HD.
Notehowthisraising/loweringwinchismountedwiththecabledrumuppermost,whereastheluffingwinchismountedwiththe
cabledrumonthelowerside.See'feedback'page
Thismayseemobvious,butwindthewireropeontothewinchdruminthenormaldirectioni.e.sothatthewinchhandleturns
clockwisetoraisethetowerandanticlockwisetolowerit(....atleastthat'swhatIcallnormalasarighthandedperson!)
Checkthatthe'reversing'mechanismonthewinchisworkingproperly.Someolderautobrakewincheshadastrangemechanism
whichinvolvedunscrewingthehandlepartiallytoreversetheactionthesearehopelessbecausethemechanisminvariablyseizes
solidandisalmostimpossibletounseize,evenwithpartialdismantlingandusingagasflametoheateverythingstrongly.
Checkandlubricatetheratchet/pawlmechanism.
Removingthehandlesfromtowerwinchesmightbeasensiblesecuritymeasure,butStrumechdo
notrecommendremovingthehandlesfromautobrakewinchesifthewireropesareundertension
withthetowerrestingonthecatcherplatehowever,thisshouldnotbeaproblem.
Electricwinches(usually12VDCpowered)arebecomingmorepopularin2013.Iamnotagreatfan
ofthese,havingheardmanystoriesofthingsgoingwrong.Ithinkthekeyisnevertouseanelectricwinchremotelyalwaysstand
watchingcloselywhatishappeningasthetowermovesupordown.Iactuallylikethe'keepfit'aspectofhavingmanualwinches
ontowers!

7.Installingthebaseplateontotheconcretebase
Beforeinstallingthebaseplate,Irecommendputtingathin(about6mm)pieceofsteelbar(about40cmlongx6cmwide)across
thecentreoftheconcretebasethismightseemstrangesinceyouhavetakencaretomaketheconcretesurfacesmoothand
horizontal,butitwillallowyoutoadjustthe4baseplatemountingnutstoensurethatthepostisexactlyverticalsomebase
platepostsarenotexactlyat90otothehorizontalbase.Youmayalsofindthatsomeoldertowersand/orcombinationsoftower

andpostmeanthatthepostisverticalbutthetowerisslightlyofftruevertical.Applyathickcoatingofgraphitegreasetothe
threadsofthe4xM24mountingbolts.
Towerbaseplatesareheavyandawkwardobjectstomoveandlifttheyhavemanysharpcorners.Iwouldrecommendusinga
diggerorloadertoliftthetowerbaseplateaboutafootabovetheground,thenyoucanloweritslowlyandcarefullyontothe4
boltthreadsprotrudingfromtheconcrete.Ifoneboltheadisslightlyoutofpositionthiscanbemovedintopositionbyputtinga
nutonitandgivingthenutsome'gentlepersuasion'witha2lbhammer.
Tightendownthe4nuts(withwashersunderneatheach),checkingthatthepostisverticalwhenall4arefinallytighteneddonot
overtightenthesebecauseyoucoulddistorttheplateorevenshearoffaboltinextremecases.Addalocknuttoeachifpossible.
Onceyouaresurethatthepostisvertical,pourwaterymortarintothenarrowgapbetweenthebaseplateandthetopofthe
concretebasetogrout/sealthebaseyouwillprobablyhavetopushthewetcementintothegapallowseveraldaysforthisto
dryproperly.Thislayerofgroutshouldnotbetoothickoritwillbondtoostronglytotheundersideofthebaseplateandmakeit
difficulttoremovetheoriginalVersatowermanualsuggestsusingasteel'packerplate'about1"thickunderthecentreofthe
baseplate,butthe6mmorsoplatesuggestedaboveshouldbesufficient.
Drilla0.25"holeinoneofthewebs,scrapeawaythegalvanisingoverasmallareaaroundthehole,thenboltontheflatcopper
earthstrapyouhadpreviouslyinstalled.Paintthisjointtoreducecorrosion.Thisearthpointisalsoaconvenientplacetoconnect
anAndrewsearthingkitforanyHeliaxfeedersitisagoodideatoearththeouteroftheHeliaxatthebaseofthetower,because
RFradiationfromtheantennacanbepickedupdirectlyontheouterofthecable,effectively'bypassing'theyagi'scurrentbalun.

8.Wiringup(reeving)thetower
Ihaveseenmanywronglywiredtowerssomeevendangerouslywiredi.e.ifyoukeptwindingtheraising/loweringwinchthe
sectioncouldactuallycomerightout!NotethefollowingwireropedimensionsareforastandardBP60Versatowerseebelow
forupratedwireropeinformationandforBP80information.ALLDIMENSIONSGIVENARECENTRETOCENTREOFTHEEYELETS.
Avoidstainlesssteeltowerwiresseewww.latticetowerspares.com/wireropesinfo.htm

Luffingrope:6mmx10.4mwitheyeletatoneend.Theluffing(tiltingover)wireropeisconnectedoncethetower

isinpositiononthebasepost.ThisisreasonablystraightforwarditshouldleavethewinchdrumverticallyontheK2550winch
thismeansontheinsidei.e.postsideofthedrum,passunderthepulley,thenthroughthepostguidetubeintheverticalpost,
thenunderthefirstpulleyonthefarsideofthepostthenupandaroundthepulleyontheluffingflatsassembly,thenbackdown
overthetopandaroundthesecondpulleyatthebaseofthepost,thenfinallyuptotheluffingflatsagain,wheretheeyeletonthe
endoftheluffingropeissecuredbyaboltandnut.Hereisaphotooftheluffingsetup:

Thisluffingwireropecanbeupratedto8mmwithoutanyrealproblems,providedyouareusingK1550orK2550winches.Seethe
photosoftheGM7Rtowerinstallation(quicklinkattopofpage)Somewincheshavesmalldiametercabledrumswhichwould
makethebendingradiusofthe8mmwireropetoosmallandwoulddamagetherope.Havingan8mmluffingwireropegivesreal
'peaceofmind'whentiltingoveratowerwithaheavyantennaandrotatorontop!

Clickhereforaluffing(tiltingover)wiringdiagramforaVersatower
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Raising/loweringwireropes:Winchrope:5mmx18.9mwitheyeletatoneend.Uppertelescopic

rope(s):5mmx13.1mwitheyeletsateachend.

**foraBP80,themiddletelescopingropeshouldbe13.1m,buttheuppertelescopingropeshouldbe12.6m**
Thesewireropesareoutsidetheappropriatetowersectionformostofitslength,butthenpassinsidethetowersection3sections

fromthelowerendtomakesureeachsectioncannotbewoundouttoofar.The(lower)winchropepushesthesecondtower
sectionupwardsasyouwindtheraising/loweringwinchtoraisethetowerthethird(upper)section(s)isthereforealsopushed
upwardsbytheuppertelescopicrope(s)whicharesecuredatbothendstothesectionbelow.
Boththeseropescanbeupratedto6mmdiameterifrequiredmypersonalopinionisthattheoriginal5mmwireropesspecified
are'marginal'undermostcircumstances,Ifyouthinkaboutit,whenthetowerisfullyextendedandrestingonthecatcherplate,
thelower(winch)ropeisnotundertension,buttheupper(telescoping)rope(s)areundercontinuoustension.Iwouldrecommend
eventuallyreplacingall5mmwireropeswith6mmoneshoweverthereisonethingyoumustcheckbeforeorderinguprated
6mmwireropesononeoftheBP80towersinstalledatGM7Rin2008therewasaproblemwiththenew6mmropesnagging,
whereastheolder5mmropejustfittedthegapthiswasduetopoormanufacturingtolerancesseveralofthehorizontalcross
braceswereweldedonjustafewmmoutofposition,butthatwassufficienttoprevent6mmropebeingusedonthissection.
Examineyourtowersectionscarefullytomakesurethata6mmropewillnotsnagthewaythisonedid.

Clickhereforawiringdiagram(raising/lowering)forthe13M2060foot(18m)Versatower
HereisanimportantquotefromFredG4BWP"Thekeythingaboutreevingtheropesisthefactthatitpassesoverthe3rd
horizontalbracingfromthebottom.Theother'Gotcha'isthatthereisusuallyapininthebracketholdingthetoppulleyand
oftentheropeispassedoverthepin(shouldbeunder)sotheroperuns(badly)onthepinnotthepulley.Soonerorlateronthe
firstwinduptheropebreaksbeenthere,donethat!"
The'pin'thatFredreferstointhequoteaboveisa'ropeguardpin'ashortmetalrodabovethepulley,designedtostopthewire
ropefromjumpingoffthepulleyandjamming.Makesurethateveryropemovesinthepulleygroove,notrubbingagainstarope
guardpin.Thereisaproblemifyoutrytosqueezeeverylastfootofheightoutofthetowerbybringingthewireropesthroughthe
lowestorsecondlowesthorizontalbracingthewearandtearonthewireropewillbeincreasedevenwithcorrectreeving,you
canstillseewherethewireropeunavoidablyrubsagainstthe3rdhorizontalbracinganylowerandtheangleoftherope
approachingthepulleyisgreaterandhenceropewearisgreater.See'feedback'page

Leftphoto:Winchropefixingattopoffirstsectionnotethatthewireruns*outside*therectangularsectionotherwisethe
eyeletcancatchonthesecondsectionasitmovesupwards.Rightphotowinchwirepulleyattopoffirstsection,secondsection
(withuppertelescopingropesecuredatbothends),thirdsection.

9.Installingthetoweronthepost
Nowconsiderhowyouwillliftthetowerintopositiononthepostyoucaneither(a)useadigger,forkliftorloadertoliftthe
wholetower(500kgapproxforastandardP60)ontothepostwiththe3sectionstelescopedtogetherandprewiredor(b)
manuallyliftthesections,startingwiththebasesection,thenslidingeachsectioninwhilstwiringup.Bothmethodsworkwellfor
method(b)however,youwillneedatleast3strongmentoliftthebasesectionofaheavydutyP80intoposition.Ineithercase
thetowerlugsneedtobefairlyaccuratelylinedupwiththeholeontopofthepostbeforethelargehingepincanbeinserted.
Liftingthetowersectionsandinstallingthemoneatatimeisactuallyquiteaneasymethodifyoudon'thavemachinerytoliftthe
wholetowerthewireropesusuallydoget'snagged'inbetweenthelegsofthesectionswhenthetowerishorizontalontopof
thebasepost,butcanbeunjammedwithascrewdriver.However,takecarenottodamagethewireropeswhendoingthisone
othermethodistousetiewrapstoholdthewireropescentrallyuntilthetowerreachestheverticalposition,butyouhaveto
haveamethodofcutting/breakingthetiewraps.
Seesection12belowbeforeallowingtheendofthetowertodropbelowthehorizontal.

10.Guyingthetower
Iwouldrecommendthatalllatticetowersareguyed,eventhosesoldas'freestanding'theheadunit+rotator+cables+stub
mast+thrustbearing+yagiantenna(s)caneasilyreach100kg,evenbeforeanywindloadingeffectsareconsideredthisislikea
heavyman(orwoman!)standingontopofyourtowerallthetime!Alltheseforceshavetobetransferreddownthewholelength

ofanunguyedtowertothebase.TheguyingkitsuppliedbyVersatowerwithnewtowershasimpressiveguywires(about60steel
strandscoveredinblackplastic)butlessimpressiveguystakestheyarestrongbutonlyabout4feetlong.TheVersatowerguying
kitassuppliedgives3guysateachleveltousetheguylugsweldedontothetopsofeachsection.Ideallyalatticetowerwould
have4guysat90o,butthe3guysat120oworkwell.Again,alwaysuse
concretefortheguystakes.SomeAmericanstationswithhightowershave
theguystakesvertical,butIwouldrecommendslopingthemawayfromthe
tower.
Thephotoontherightshowstheguyfixinglug,guyshackleandthethimble
atthetopendofaguywire:
Itis*probably*notnecessarytohaveasetofguysatthetopofeach20'
towersectionVersatowerrecommendonly3setsofguywiresona4
sectionBP80itisguyedatthetopofthefirstsectioni.e.20',atthetopof
the2ndsectioni.e.40'andatthetopofthe4thsectioni.e.80'.Neverguya
60foottoweronlyatthetopifthistowerisabletoleanoverslightlyfor
anyreason,forexampleareallystronggustofwind,thentheguyingeffect
isreducedtozeroandthetowercancrumpleinthemiddle.Amiddlesetof
guyspreventsthisfromhappening.ThelegsofaVersatoweraremadefrom
'steampipe'typesteel,whichissurprisinglysoftwhenyoutrytocutitit
reliesentirelyonitstubularshapeandthecrossbracingforoverall
strength.Itmightseemstrangetoguyan80'toweratthe20'level,butthishastheadvantagethatforcesfromtheupperpartsof
thetoweraretransferredtothe(verytight)wireguysatthe20'level,insteadofallthewaydowntothebase.(Theselowestguy
wirescanbemadeverytightbecausetheydonotpulldownonanyoftheraising/loweringwireropes)
Manytowerinstallationarticlesrecommendbreakingupguywireswithinsulatorstoreducetheeffectofthemetalguywireson
theperformanceoftheantenna,butIhaveneverfoundthistobenecessary,providedthatanyyagiantennaismountedwell
abovethetopsetofguywires.However,theperformanceofawireantennae.g.an80mInvertedvee,suspendedfromthetower,
willbebadlyaffectedbythenearbysteelguywires.
Youcanbuyaspecialdeviceforcheckingthetensionoftheguywires,butgenerallyspeakingyoucanjudgethiswithexperience.
Overtightguywireswillcontributeconsiderablytothestressesonthetowerandtheraising/loweringwireropestheguysshould
betightbutnottootight.Eventhickguyswireswillstretchslightlywithtimeandneedretightening.Consideraddinganextraguy
wirefromthetopofthetowerinthedirectionoftheprevailingwind.Use3ormoreropegripstosecuretheloopofeachguywire
thisloopshouldbeabout2feetlongormore.Usethimbleswhereverguywiresrubagainstshackles,guylugs,etc.
Keepalltheturnbuckles('riggingscrews')ontheguywireswellgreasedwaterhasatendencytogatherinthelowerhalfandwill
eventuallyrust/seizetheturnbucklelowerthread.Threadalengthofstiffwireinaspiralthrougheachriggingscrewtostopit
unwindingoveraperiodoftime.
NeverusePolypropyleneropeforguysitischeap,butadisasterwaitingtohappen.Polyesterismoreexpensivebutsafer.Kevlar
isidealbutperhapstooexpensiveformostinstallations.Beforebuyinganyropeforguys,checkitsbreakingstrengthandwhether
youcanactuallytieknotswhichdon'tslipitissurprisinghowmanystrongmanmaderopematerialsaretooslipperyorcannotbe
bentinasmallenoughradiustotieproperknots.
*Forpermanentinstallations,steelguywiresareessentialyoudon'tseeanycommercialtowersguyedusingrope!*
Onedisadvantageofusingsteelguywiresthetowercannotbeeasilyguyedatanythingotherthanfullheightbutwhyhavea
towerunlessitisatfullheightformostofthetime?!

11.Checkingandsettingthecatcherplate
Beforeinstallingtheheadunit,rotator,antennasetc,Irecommendthatyounowwindthetowertofullheightwiththeguys
attached.Chooseacalmdayandtakeyourtimetocheckeverythingisfunctioningasexpected.Withthetowerverticalbutwith
thesectionsnearlyfullynested,checktheactionandsettingofthecatcherplate.Whenraisingthetower,thecatcherplaterope
shouldbeleftloose,whichallowsthecatcherplatetofallintopositionwithaclunkaseachhorizontalordiagonalsectionpassesit
astheymoveupwards.Thismeansthatifthewinchwireropebreakswhenraisingthetower,theoreticallythetowershouldjust
dropafewinchesontothecatcherplate.
Thecatcherplatehasaboltthroughitwhichhas2purposesitactsasa'counterweight'anditalsosetstheclearancebetween
theedgeofthecatcherplateandthetowersectionwhichismovingup/downpastityoushouldadjustthisboltsothatthe
clearanceisonlyabout8mm.Ifthisboltiswronglypositioned,thecatcherplatewilleithernotpivotintopositionwhentheropeis
released,orwillbetoofarin,preventingthetowerfrombeinglowered.Whenloweringthetower,Irecommendholdingthe
catcherplateropeinsteadoftyingitoffifawireropebreaksyoucanletgooftherope(ifyouhavegoodenoughreactiontimes)
thecatcherplate*might*fallintoplaceand*might*stopthetowersectionsacceleratingdownwards.
Withthetoweratfullheight,connecttheguywirestotheguystakesandtensiontheguywires.Crankuplatticetowershave

considerable'play'inthesectionsevenwhennew,sowronglytensionedguywirescaneasilypullthetowerawayfromtrue
vertical.AsmentionedinSection10above,donotovertightentheguywiresthiscreatesexcessivedownforceonthetowerwire
ropes.

12.Tiltingthetowerover
Tiltingover(luffing)acorrectlyinstalledtowerisfairlyeasyhoweverkeepacloseeyeonallguyropes/wires,feedersandrotator
cablestheycaneasilycatchandbedamaged.Onecommonproblemisthatthewireropecanjumpoffoneofthepulleysusually
whenthereissomeslackinthewireropeforanyreasonthewireropethenisflattenedandjamsatthesideofthepulleyandcan
beverydifficulttounjamusingastrongscrewdrivertakecarenottodamagethewirefurther.Asignofacorrectlyinstalled
base/toweri.e.onewhichisvertical,isthatthetowermovesslowlyandsmoothlywhennearlyverticalanddoesnot'clang'into
thebasehoweverthisdependsonotherfactorsaswelle.g.thesize/typeofantennaonthetower.
Twohelpfulhintsbeforetiltingthetowerover,leaveitextendedbyafewcmthiskeepstheraising/loweringwireropes
tensionedwhichhelpspreventthemsnaggingwhennearhorizontal.Secondly,Iuseapieceofwood50mmx50mmx1mwhen
tiltingthetoweroverthisisusedasalevertostartthetowertiltingfromtheverticalposition,thenlaterasa'brake'(wedged
betweenthegroundpostandthelowertowersection)tocontrolthelastpartofthetower'smovementasitreturnstothevertical
position.
ThankstoSteveG3OAGforremindingmeofapossibleproblemwhenthetowerisfullywiredupandmountedonthepostand
tiltedoverifyouallowtheendtodropbelowthehorizontalthesectionswilltrytoslideoutthiscanbedisastrousbecausethe
wireropesbecomelooseandcansnagwhenthetoweristiltedbackuptovertical,possiblydamagingthewireropes.Guard
againstthisbyplacingacrowbarorsimilarstrongsteelbarthroughall3or4towersections,topreventmovement,beforetilting
thetowerbelowthehorizontal.

13.Raisingorloweringthetower
Raisingacorrectlyinstalledtowerisstraightforward,butcanbehardworkwithheavyantennasonthetop.Againkeepacloseeye
onallguyropes/wires,feedersandrotatorcablestheycaneasilycatchandbestretchedordamaged.
Oneproblemwithloweringaguyedtoweristhattheguyshavetobeloosenedslightlytoallowyoutoinitiallycrankthetowerupa
fewinchestoclearthecatcherplatebeforeyoucanlowerthetowerthiscanplaceextrastrainontheraisingwireropesifyou
don'tloosentheguyssufficiently.
LoweringaVersatowerinastrongwindisnotrecommended,unlessyoureallyhavetooftenitisbettertoleaveacorrectly
guyedtoweraloneuntilthewinddiesdown.Assoonasyoulowerthetowerevenasmallamount,theeffectoftheupperguysis
lost.Thesectionshavesufficient'play'foranuppersectiontomoveslightlyofftrueverticalthebottomofthissectionthenrests
onacrossbraceofthelowersectionandthewholetowerjams.Theraising/loweringwireropeforthatsectionofthetowerwill
thengoslackandifyoudon'tnoticethis,youareintroublethesectioncouldunjamsuddenlyandcomecrashingdown.Ifyou
seeaslackupperwirerope,quicklywindthetowerbackupuntiltheropeistight,thenaskahelpertopullgentlyononeofthe
upperguystobringthetowerbacktonearvertical,thenyouwindtheloweringwinchasfastaspossible.
AnotherimportantmessagefromFredG4BWP"Thekeyistogeta'feel'fortheeffortrequiredtowindupatower,andifthe
resistanceincreases(moreeffort),tolook,andlookagain,andfindoutwhy!Otherwiseaccidentshappen.WhenIseepeople
windingtwohandedusingalotofeffortIknowthereisaproblem!"

14.Installingtheheadunit,rotator,thrustbearingandstubmastonthetower
Youneedtoconsiderthetypeofheadunitwhichwillsuitwhateverrotatoryouintendtouse.Manyoldexlightingtowershavea
shortlengthof2"steelpipeweldedtothecentreofthelowertriangularplateatthebaseoftheheadunit,whichmeansthatyou
willneedalowerbracketontherotator.Mostheadunitsallowyoutomounttherotatordirectlyontothetriangularplatewith4
or6bolts.Somerotatorse.g.theT2X'TailTwister'aretoowideforthestandardVersatowerH2headunit,soneedthewiderH3R
headunit.RotatorsliketheProsistelandSPIDwithasidemountedmotormaymeanthatyouhavetomodifytheheadunit.
Mountoneormorepulleysandhalyards(forwireantennas)ontotheheadunit,positioningthemcarefullysothattheropes
cannotcatchonanything.
Clickhereformoreinformationaboutsome(older)commonrotatorse.g.T2X,HamIV
Manyrotatorsspecifythataholeisdrilledthroughthestubmastandanextraboltisaddedtosecurethestubmastintothetop
bracketoftherotator.SimilarlymanyyagimasttoboombracketshaveacentralholeforabolttopassthroughthestubmastI
amuncertainabouttheseboltsyoudon'twanttheyagitoturnindependentlyofthestubmastorrotator,butconverselyifa
hurricanestrikesitmightsavetheyagiand/orrotatorfromdestructionifoneoftheclampsdoesturn,evenifthecoaxisdamaged
intheprocess.Trytousethecorrectrotatorforthesizeoftheantenna,ideallyonewitha'wedgebrake'mechanism.
TherearedifferentdiametersofthreadedlegsonheadunitsthestandardVersatowerH2headunithasM22(22mm)threads,
butotherheadunitshaveM20threadsandolderVersatowerheadunitsappeartohaveasmallerImperialthread.Thisphoto
showsthethreadedlegsofastandardH2headunitnotethat2nutsareusedoneachlegthisallowsadjustmentofthefinal

headunitpositiontobeexactlyparallelwiththelegsofthetower.(The
unusedsleevetotherightofthepictureisusedwhenthelegsoftheH2
headunitfitinsidethetopofthetowersectionand3hightensileboltsare
passedthroughthissleeveandanothersleeveonthetopofthetower
sectiontosecuretheheadunit.)
Makesurethattheseheadunitsecuringboltsareverytightortheycan
worklooseinthelongerterm.'Nyloc'lockingnutsareagoodideahere.
Beforeinstallingtherotatorontheheadunit,considerdismantlingthe
rotatorandregreasingthering(s)ofballbearingsthiswillextendthelife
oftherotatorifdoneperiodically.Checkandcleanthepotentiometeror
otherpositionsensor.Importantcheckthattherotatorwillrotate
smoothlythrough360o(or450oforsometypes)*before*installingtheantennaonthestubmast.Waterprooftheconnector
blockorplugscarefully.
Thrustbearingsareessentialforapermanentinstallationmountedatthetopoftheheadunitthey*should*removeallside
forcesfromtherotatorandcanalsotaketheverticalloadofthestubmast+antenna,butoftenmostofthisverticalloadcanbe
takenbytherotatoritselfwithoutdamagingtherotator.Thrustbearingshaveafinitelifewatertravelsdowninsidethem,into
theringofballbearingsandruststhemeventuallyperiodicallyspraythegapswithgreasetohelpwiththisproblem.Thereare
severaltypesofthrustbearingavailablechoosethelargertypewith2setsofstubmastfixingboltsandlocknuts.Donotover
tightenthe4thrustbearingmountingboltsitisveryeasytocrackthealuminiumalloycasingofthethrustbearing.See
http://www.wimo.de/cgibin/verteiler.pl?url=mounthard_e.htmformoreinformationaboutwhichthrustbearingsandother
mountinghardwareareavailable.The'absorberjoint'mightbeausefuladditionmountedbelowtherotator.
Stubmastthisshouldbeabalancebetweenweightandstrengthtypicallyanaluminiumscaffoldpolewith0.25"wallthickness
willworkwellandbestrongenoughformostHFyagiinstallations.Notethat'scaffold'polesareslightlylessthan2"outside
diameternormally48.3mmwithcertainrotators(e.g.hygainT2X)youmayneedtoshimthescaffoldpolestubmastatthe
bottomtomakesureitiscentralinthethrustbearing.Makesurethestubmastislongenoughifyouhavetomountabracketfor
yagiboombracingwires.Ifthestubmastismorethanabout12'abovethetopoftheheadunit,itmaybeadvisabletohave
anotherthrustbearingthere,withguysatashallowangletoclearanyyagisbelow.

15.Installingayagiantennaonthestubmast
Beloware2photosshowinga15m5eleyagi(YO6.55optimisedona32'boom,usingoldHyGain204BAhardware)beinginstalled
onamobiletowerasatemporarysetupforCQWWSSB2006notethattheheadunithasnothrustbearingandthewholetower
isguyedby15mm3plyropesbothunsatisfactoryforapermanentinstallation,butreasonableforatemporarysetup.

Thismethodofmountingtheyagiboomhorizontallyonthestubmastfirst,thenaddingtheupperhalfelementandtheinnerpart
ofthelowerhalfelement,worksverywell,especiallyforlongboomyagis.Don'tbotherwithexpensivehingedmasttoboom
clamps,etcthismethodisthebestevenforcomplicatedtrapyagisliketheuselessTH7DXX,beamintwodirectionsatonce
yagisliketheKT34XA,orrivetedantennasliketheC3etc.Youhaveeasyaccesstoallvitalbolts,caneasilyjointhecoaxtothe
feedpoint,canadjustthetensioninanybracingwireorrope,etc.Theotherpartsofthelowerhalfelementsareeasilyadded
progressivelyasthetoweristiltedupwardsinstages.Oncetheyagiisfullyassembled,thetoweristiltedtowardstheverticalfar
enoughfortherotatortoturntheyagisothatthereflectorisparalleltothegrounde.g.about2mofftheground.Thisallowsan
initialcheckontheSWRandresonantfrequencytobemadebothshouldbeclosetothefinalvaluesobtainedwiththeantenna
horizontalatthefullheightofthetower.
Notethecoaxloopsomeinstallationsusea'spiral'ofcoaxaroundtheoutsideoftheheadunit,sometimesprotectedinsidea
lengthofhosepipe,which'winds'or'unwinds'astheantennaisrotatedhoweverIhavefoundthesimpleloopasshown,
provideditisnottoolongortooshort,tobemorereliableandlesslikelytosagandcatchonanybolts,etc.ThisRG213Uloop

connectstoLDF450AHeliaxcable(notshown)justatthebaseoftheheadunittheweightoftheHeliaxistakenbyashort
supportropetiedtothesidearmontheheadunit.Neverapplytiewrapsdirectlytocoaxcabletheyhavesharpedgeswhichwill
eventuallydamagethecableputafewlayersofPVCtapethenthetiewrapontop.UseUVresistanttiewraps.Sealallcoax
connectorswithselfamalgamatingtape(stretched50%andoverlapped50%)coveredwithPVCtapemakesurethetaping
extends2"orsoalongthecableoneachside.NeveruseselfamalgamatingtapeontopofPVCtape.Selfamalgamatingtape
degradeswithprolongedexposuretoUVsomemakesarebetterthanothersforresistancetoUV.Incommercialinstallations,
multiplelayersofselfamalgamatingtapethenPVCtapearepaintedwith'Scotchcote'orsimilarvarnish.
CoaxandHeliaxmountingclipsareavailable,butareusuallynotreally
suitableforatowerwhichcancrankup/downIrecommendthetype
whichhavestrongplasticringsabout3"i.d.oneatthetopofeach
telescopingtowersectionpreventsthecoaxcables+rotatorcablesfrom
movingabouttoomuchinagale,butstillallowsthesecablestomove
freelywhenyouareraisingorloweringthetower.

Thisphotoshowsacoaxbracket
clampedtoaguyinglug:

16.Mobiletowers
Mobiletowersareoftenusedforportableoperation,orwhereapermanentVersatowerwouldbeimpossiblebecauseoflocal
restrictions.Secondhandmobiletowersareofteninpoorcondition,havingbeenusedinindustrywithminimalmaintenance,
untrainedoperatorsandusuallystoredoutside.TheyareusuallyaBaseplateVersatowermountedonatrailer,witha50mmball
orringhitchandabrakingsystem.3outriggersarepulledoutfromthetrailertostabilisethemobiletowerwheninuse.
MyownmobileP60wasinpoorconditiontheoutriggershadbeenneglectedandhadrustedinsidethetrailerlegseven2x
200HPtractorspullingwithchainscouldnotpulloneofthemout,soIwillhavetocuttheendoffandslideinasmallersize
rectangularsection.Attheouterendoftheseoutriggersareadjustableverticallegsabitlikecaravanjockeywheelmechanisms
theseareusuallydamagedonoldermobiletowers.
Thereareabout5differentstylesoftrailerthatIhaveseensomeareeasytotowwithafamilycar,whereasothershavepoor
balanceorexcessivenoseweightwhichmeansyouneeda4x4topullthemsafely.Thetypewiththelongestdistancehorizontally
betweenthetowhitchandthetowerbasearetheeasiesttotow.EvenamobileP60isaheavyobjecttopullalotoftheweightis
quitehighabovegroundlevelthetrailerbrakingsystemneedstobekeptingoodconditionandcorneringdonecautiously!

PhotofromNickG4FAL(SheffieldARCtower)

PhotofromMarkG4AXXVersatowerM100,inthePlextekcarpark

17.Maintainingthetower
Awellinstalledtowerandantennasystemshouldonlyneedmaintenance
everyfewyears.Howevertheconditionofthewireropesiscrucial,so
inspectthemregularlyforanysignsthatthegreaseonthemisthinningor
haswashedoffcompletelyandkeepthemwellgreased.Similarly,inspect
theconditionofthewinchescarefullyandregreasethemifnecessary.
Mostofthemaintenancetasksaredetailedintheabovesections.

18.Safetynotes
NEVERclimbacrankuptowerwhenitisextended.Theextraloadingfromyourbodyweightcouldbethefinalstrawforstressed
wireropes.Thereis*always*someotherwayofovercomingtheproblemonecommonproblemisthatthecatcherplaterope
breaksandthetowerisstuckonthecatcherplateandcannotbelowereddon'tpanicjustgetaladderandreplacetherope.
Similarly,neverstandunderapartiallytiltedovertowertheforcesintheluffingwireropeareveryhighinthispositionandit
couldbreak.
Themostimportantsafetyadviceistocheckthewireropesregularlymostcrankuptoweraccidentsinvolvewireropesbreaking
personallyIthinktheloweri.e.winchropeshouldbeupratedfrom5mmto6mmthiswillstillfitthewinchdrumandpulleysetc.
thiswinchropehastolift2or3towersections(+headunit,rotator,stubmast,antennas,coax,rotatorcablesandguys)andis
alwaysunderalotofstress.
Nevertrytocatchthehandleofanonautobrakewinchifyouletitgothetowerwillstartacceleratingdownwardsandthe
handlewillspindangerouslyIhaveascaronmypalmfromlearningthislessonthisisthemaindangerofnotusingautobrake
winchessoonerorlateryouwillletgoofthehandleaccidentally,nomatterhowhardyouconcentrateonnotlettinggo.
Ifusinganelectricwinch,devisesomeprocedurewhichensuresthatyoudon'ttrytowinchthetowerupordownifthesections
aretiedtogetherorthecoaxcablesaretiedoff.Checkcarefullyforsnaggingofthecoaxetcbeforepressingtheswitch.Ideally
watchthewholeprocedurecarefully,stopandinvestigateimmediatelyifthewinchseemstobeoverloadedforsomereason.
Iuselarge'Dangerelectricshockrisk'signsstuckontothesideofthegroundpoststodiscouragepossiblevandals!
Takecareusingautobrakewinchesinheavyrainthewatercanactasalubricantonthebrakepadsandcanmakethemslip.

19.FeedbackandcommentsfromtheukcontestreflectorClickheretoviewthisseparatewebpage
CommentsandextrainformationfromMW1LCR,G4ZTR,VP8NO,GM3SEK

20.TowerandantennaphotospageClickheretoviewthisseparatewebpage(externalsite)
PhotosfromG3BJ,G6PZ,G0IVZ,GW4BLE,GM3ZBE,G4AXX,G6CSY,M0MCX,G0WCW,G4UJS,G3TXF,MW1LCR,MW3JNV,
MM0DXC,5B4AHJ,F5APQ

21.Commontowerproblemsand'towerdisaster'photosClickheretoviewthisseparatewebpage
(externalsite)

PhotosfromG6PZ,GW4BLE,GM4YXI,G0WCW(M6T),G3XSV(EJ2MT),MW1LCR,G3BJ,GM3SEK,GW0GEI

22.PeterHowsonGM8GAX'sstoryandpicturesrenovatingaWestower.Clickheretoviewthisseparate
webpage

23.JacquesRocourtF5APQpicturesConstructiondunouveaupylneVersatowerClickheretoviewthisseparate
webpage(externalsite)

19thMay2013Ihopeyoufoundthesewebpagesuseful.
BacktoGM3WOJContentspage
73ChrisGM3WOJZL1CTThiswebpage/informationChrisTranGM3WOJ25/10/2006