50ft tilt crank up/tower w/pics

[johnny9]

started on the post and looking good..the post is 5- 1/2 wide,the wings are a hair over 8 inches wide x 18 long..the top plate is 3/8 thick.
im gonna tack weld bolts from the bottom sticking up on the post/plate,then get it level and flat in the ground then bolt the tilt over pole/plate to the post/plate..

still have to weld on the bottom 4 plates.

question; opinions on the 8 bolts im gonna use?
i have a bunch or 3/4 coarse thread,threaded rod and can make bolts for free just have to buy 16 nuts..
these are regular steel 3/4 rods id think thats plenty strong since the tower will have guy wires,and not to mention cables that go up and down 26ft to keep the tower clamped into postition and attched to the plate.

or should i buy grade 8 3/4 bolts? or 1 inch bolts? id think the 3/4 would be fine welded from the bottom and nut and loc washer on top..
the last pics is some bullet holes from he old taget backstop<can not stand it>

 

[johnny9]

got the custom made ezway post in the ground today..with mother natures concrete..ended up 4 inches above the ground so it took about 60 smacks with a sledge hammer to set it down flat..soaking with water and packing it by hand now..heres more pics. we have 3 hawks with 2 =3 babys..this hawk watched me for half hr working on the post..

 

[johnny9]

opinions..should i wait a week or so to install the tower,or after packing and soaking it today should it be fine to start getting the tower on it tomorrow?

im in no hurry but with only half filled with dirt im amazed that it wont move at all..thankfully its nice and level..going back to pack more sand and water

johnny9 on the side and listening**Jump_im**

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

If you soaked it according to instructions. There should be data on relative strength vs. Days since placed. Find out when the concrete reaches it's rated PSI rating before you start trying to support a tower on it. As long as you did the footing according to the size tower you shouldn't have any concerns about the whole thing crashing to the ground. Safety,safety,safety comes first. Ignorance of what you're doing can hurt or even kill you or others on a project like this. Make site you've done your research.
These are just my opinions and shouldn't be taken as a fact.

 

[RatsoW8]

If you soaked it according to instructions. There should be data on relative strength vs. Days since placed. Find out when the concrete reaches it's rated PSI rating before you start trying to support a tower on it. As long as you did the footing according to the size tower you shouldn't have any concerns about the whole thing crashing to the ground. Safety,safety,safety comes first. Ignorance of what you're doing can hurt or even kill you or others on a project like this. Make site you've done your research.
These are just my opinions and shouldn't be taken as a fact.

You're a little behind on the base. He's using a home made wonder pole. No concrete needed.

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

I seen the words,'Mother Nature's Concrete' and figured he packed it with dry concrete and then soaked it with water.
Gilda Radner Nevermind - YouTube

 

[johnny9]

im not that kinda guy,,yet id prefer to mix the concret first then pour it in myself..yep,this is plain ole fl kwik sand dirt mixture..ive been packing and soaking it so much it took 30 min for the water to soak in last time..fixing to go put the last 8 inches in the hole
dirt that is and tamp it down again and water water water again the rest of the day..
guess i will bolt the plate down tomorrow and prob go ahead and pin the tower in place and rest the end on a saw horse and install my quad and stuff on to the apex of the tower and wait for fri or so till i tilt the tower up with the weight on the post.
i better slow down i still need antenna guy ropeop: w/out lifting the top inner tower up it will be higher than my astro plane so i will use it like that come the weekend..should be 40ft or so collapsed to center of the quad..

 

[johnny9]

basically all done now with a lil back fill later..it felt good when i seen the water all level around the plate and wings.guess my 70 yr ole broken level is still level .

 

[johnny9]

could wait..all excited again more them when i got the tower..the guy cables that came with it are ss cables..i thought they were aluminum in the begining.
got them all figured out,anid the tower layed out and ready..

got everything bolted down and it feels super solid. i feel if i hit it with my small truck it wouldnt move much..getting close.

 

[johnny9]

glad thats over..knot on my head the size of a baseball:blush: and arthritis in my hands knees and legs let me no it isnt going away no time soon..i used my head"literally" and didnt work hard,but worked smart..but it took a few hrs just to configure all the junk i had to work with to make it easyer on me by myself...

well the rest will be cake from here,till i move
have to trim a limb up high so i dont damage the qaud tilting it up so that may be a few before i can get to that..center section going in tomorrow and figure how im gonna insert the qaud w/out a rotor for now.
prob tie a rope to 2 side with a arm so i can walk out,pull a rope and turn the antenna from ne to nw..the old ways

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

Good for you!
How high is that tree limb?
Shotgun Tree Trimming 101 - YouTube

 

[johnny9]

thats my fav youtube person in the world
tree limb to high for any ladder i have..gonna borrow a pole saw from dad sometime ..

well after posting the progress last night i went back out and got the inner tower pushed in,,went in with ease thanfully.installed the apex and now need a battery to release my winch and hook it to the inner tower..dam tree limb is holding me up now..oh well the astro plane still is kicking butt

 

[johnny9]

made a boo boo..will be cutting them off in the am.cranked it up in high gear and didnt need the low gear on the hand crank..prob 2 minutes to crank it up,and very easy..ive learned a lot..bent 1 element slightly..thankfully its easy to let down

 

[222DBFL]

Dang it man that sucks. Hope you get it resolved!!!

 

[johnny9]

hey 222 i have a custom rotor so maybe i can talk to you soon lol..a rope so i can turn the qaud will have to do for now:headbang..gonna hook up the coax in the am and see how it feels with 3-4 more decibals