On Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:16:14 EDT, stryped wrote:

My idea is to make some sort of hinge so I could lower it over and
raise it. I know I mentioned it before but now seems to be the time I
need to do it. (My little boy is starting to find pieces of the
antenna in the yard.)

My thought was to dig a hole beside my current antenna a couple of
feet deep and in circumfrence. Place some 3 inch schedule 80 pipe
(one
for each corner) into the holw with a 2x2 or so piece of 1/4 inch
steel on top. On the end of the plate would be welded a few pieces of
black pipe the diameter of a hitch pin. There would be another piece
of 2x2x1/4 piece of steel with more black iron pipe on it. The black
iron pipe would in effect be the "hinge" part of the mechanism. (sort
of the way I made the fold down gate for my trailer).


Here is where I am having trouble. On top of the "top" plate, I have
some 2 inch black iron pipe. My first thought is two weld three of
these as "legs" on top of the top plate, then put my cut down
exisiting tower into this pipe, drilling a hole through each leg.
(The
new two inch pipe and the legs on the tower). Instering a grade 5
bolt
into this. I have also thought, I wonder if it would be easier to
just
put the three legs up and use u bolts to attach the tv tower to the
outside of the legs.


I would still need to climb part way up it or have the capability to
to adjust my sat dish. I cant figure out a good way to do it with the
tower leaned over.




Don't even think about it.

The loads and stresses on the tower and the base during raising and
lowering are complex vectors.

I don't know where you live and what your building codes are, but, if
you are in any kind of urban area, you can bet the local builiding
codes people will want to see your engineering drawings and will have
them reviewed by their structural engineers.

If you get past the codes people -- or if you live in a rural area
where codes are non-existent or not enforced -- and the tower falls,
your insurance company will want to see the engineering drawings
before paying a penny.

And you certainly DO NOT want wood as any part of the structure.

There are commercial tilt-overs and crank ups. Best stick with one of
them.

These are aluminum -- I don't trust aluminum towers:
http://www.glenmartin.com/industrial/pg31.htm


At one time, Rohn made a tilt-over tower but I don't find references
to it on their website. They do make a fold-over base plate for their
guyed towers. For example, check out the 25g brochure (PDF):
http://www.rohnnet.com/rohn-25g-tower






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KATN