"yoyo" wrote
I have been given a 50 ft Rohn tower (galvanized).

Problem is, I have to get it down. and I have a couple questions.

Weight of each section?

estimate of a resonable charge to have someone do it for me? I don't
like climbing

Is it worth paying 160 bucks to rent a 50 ft cherry picker to do it?


Thanks

Jonathan
KB8PFA

Hi Jonathon, a lengthy discussion ensued on this group months ago, regarding
the failure of a home-made gin pole and near disaster avoided by some very
capable Parisians. Theirry's LUXORION website has outstanding information
about all aspects of the hobby, including tower erection. But he adapted
this post of mine regarding the mindset of amateurs to be jack-of-all
tradesman (even I don't claim that ;-) The full topic and article can be
found at:

http://www.astrosurf.com/lombry/qsl-tower-assembly6.htm

It reads in part (Thanks, Thierry, for your outstanding work):

Jack
--

Take care assembling an antenna system

If you are not confident and used to erect antenna towers, do not entrust
the job to close friends or so-called skilled radio amateurs... Your life
and the one of your friends is more important that sparing a few money in
doing the job yourself without competences.

Here is the comments of Jack, an ironworker in this regard : "there are some
places and some jobs where if you make a mistake, people, either yourself or
others or both, will be killed. Amateur Radio is not defined as one of these
occupations, and no amateur has any business working aloft with rigging and
equipment unless he was properly trained in that field. That certainly
doesn't stop many from doing it, but it doesn't make it safer because they
survive it. The skills sets that seem to congregate in radio are amazing for
sure, and the field-expediant thinking and can-do attitudes are good for all
involved in the hobby.

But there are some things better left to professionals. Anyone who doesn't
think a lot of Ironworkers die doing what they do better than anyone else
could, is just delusional. The bravado I've witnessed from so called
antenna-tower experts far outweighs their knowledge of safety, strength of
materials, rigging principles, or safe working aloft. Even the better ones
at it are not properly qualified to train others, and so often enlist any
brave soul they can find as riggers, connectors, ground support, etc

When a low quality gin pole breaks...[ picture ]

Radio amateurs are not riggers! You are old men who have no business up in
the air. You belong ON THE AIR, not in it ;-) Paste those pictures of your
rigging days upon the club walls and stop your friends from believing they
can think these jobs out. They can't erect an antenna tower in certifying at
100% that they will never incur the least risk. One or another day you will
have to discover a new principle, strength/weakeness, fault, improper
manufacturing or material failure, improper tools, breakage of tools,
physical exhaustion of a team member at a critical time, unexpected wind
condition, improper response to a command or order at a winch, line, etc.
And each time those things happen, your fingers, hands, feet and possibly
life will be at risk. It comes with the understanding that all injuries
happen between 0-10 meters (0-40 ft). After that, you're either dead, or
wish death would release you from the disfiguring and crippling pain.You
better get used to the fact that you can and will have injuries so bad from
a 2-10 meter fall into or around steel that you will never be the same
again, if you live.

All the blind leading the blind. I happen to know better than to work with
untrained people at the effort of erecting antenna towers. I knew better
when I erected steel as a professional and I still know better 20 years
later. But some people's purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others.
Don't let one of your friend's falling to his death make your club that
purpose. Hire a professional company and take pictures from a safe
distance."

Jack, Journeyman Ironworker.

Regularly ham magazines highlight similar accidents, sometimes involving a
crane and a truck... So think twice to the risk you incur is doing such a
job alone or with friends but without know-how.