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Needing advice on safe and inexpensive way to fall a tower
- Thread starter Enterprise312ok
- Start date
If you have a couple of friends it's not to difficult.You cut the two back legs completely at the very bottom & the front let to about 50% & have a rope tied to the tower near the top.You simply push the tower towards the front leg & it will come down pretty slowly.You may need to also cut a cross support at the bottom as well but it's not a big deal.That will become the new bottom that should be in the ground when it's put back into the air.I know this method works because I have done it a couple of times with different types of towers up to 40' in height.
SIX-SHOOTER
W4KVW
SIX-SHOOTER
W4KVW
Thanks for the reply six shooter there are 2 other locals in my area all needing to do tower work I think we can all team up and help each other out.
Do any of the guys climb? Taking it down a section at a time is the best way and then cut the last one off at the concrete.
Assuming you are comfortable climbing the tower, the first thing you need is a safety harness.
not a belt, not a rope with some creative knot tying, and not that old harness that your buddy has had in the back of his pickup for a decade.
You are trusting your LIFE to this thing, so if you can't afford to buy one, you can't afford to have a tower.
you want something like this:
the next thing you need is a lanyard to connect yourself to the tower.
all the rules above still apply.
something like this:
www.harnessland.com
now you need an item called a "gin pole". this is basically a length of steel or aluminum tubing that has a couple of clamps on the bottom, and a pulley on top.
the length needs to be a foot or so longer than each tower section is.
you can make your own, and there are lots of videos and such on how to build one.
im sure you can buy one but i dont know where from.
next you need enough strong rope to tie the tower off up to the level above the one you are working at so that it can't come down. three points of contact is the minimum.
you'll also want some WD-40 or other penetrating oil to spray on the section connections as they will be oxidized and otherwise stuck together.
once the tower is secure, you climb up, always connecting to a point above your head, and you attach your gin pole to the section just below the top section.
making sure the ropes are secure, you can now climb up to the top of the tower and run your rope over the gin pole and down through the center of the tower section. Tie it securely.
now climb down the tower and move the ropes to the lower section.
un bolt the top section, and climb down the tower.
use the rope to pull up on the tower section, removing it from the lower section.
tie the rope off securely and climb back up the tower to guide the top section as someone else lowers it with the rope.
rinse and repeat.
all that being said, i do somewhat similar work in rigging professionally, and can't imagine a non-pro doing this dangerous type of work. However i also know that it is done successfully all the time and has been for a long long time.
good luck with your project!
LC
not a belt, not a rope with some creative knot tying, and not that old harness that your buddy has had in the back of his pickup for a decade.
You are trusting your LIFE to this thing, so if you can't afford to buy one, you can't afford to have a tower.
you want something like this:
the next thing you need is a lanyard to connect yourself to the tower.
all the rules above still apply.
something like this:
Single Leg Fall Arrest Lanyard with Rebar Hook | 01297-FLO
This fluorescent 6 foot single leg, shock absorbing lanyard with rebar hook, meets strict .13 ANSI standards. Harness Land has them in stock, with $99 free shipping!
www.harnessland.com
now you need an item called a "gin pole". this is basically a length of steel or aluminum tubing that has a couple of clamps on the bottom, and a pulley on top.
the length needs to be a foot or so longer than each tower section is.
you can make your own, and there are lots of videos and such on how to build one.
im sure you can buy one but i dont know where from.
next you need enough strong rope to tie the tower off up to the level above the one you are working at so that it can't come down. three points of contact is the minimum.
you'll also want some WD-40 or other penetrating oil to spray on the section connections as they will be oxidized and otherwise stuck together.
once the tower is secure, you climb up, always connecting to a point above your head, and you attach your gin pole to the section just below the top section.
making sure the ropes are secure, you can now climb up to the top of the tower and run your rope over the gin pole and down through the center of the tower section. Tie it securely.
now climb down the tower and move the ropes to the lower section.
un bolt the top section, and climb down the tower.
use the rope to pull up on the tower section, removing it from the lower section.
tie the rope off securely and climb back up the tower to guide the top section as someone else lowers it with the rope.
rinse and repeat.
all that being said, i do somewhat similar work in rigging professionally, and can't imagine a non-pro doing this dangerous type of work. However i also know that it is done successfully all the time and has been for a long long time.
good luck with your project!
LC
PB Blaster is a good penetrating lube to unstick rusted or other oxidized together items.
Shadetree Mechanic
Delaware Base Station 808
I have a few tower sections that someone gave me, I have yet to do anything useful with them. But I was thinking about getting one of these tools. Would be a great way to get an old tower apart I am sure.
As much as a pain it is to climb, a day or so before it is a good idea to soak the joints were the sections slide together. Take a hammer and a pry bar with you.
Hopefully a couple good wacks and you can get the sections apart, its no fun struggling with rusted tower sections 60 feet in the air.
Above all , as LC posted, be safe it's not worth a life changing injury.
73
Jeff
Unless you are experienced at climbing, your best bet is to lay it down as mentioned above. Just having fall protection is really not enough, you need a positioning belt as well, and doing anything when climbing straight up is difficult, not like working off a ladder. Without the right gear, you will be doing everything one handed which would be difficult even if everything came apart with no issue. Climb up and tie a rope on and see how much fun just doing that is. whatever you do wear your harness and practice climbing and staying tied off. Double hooks are best so you are 100% at all times. Just my $0.02 from tying rebar. Good luck.
I climb mine with an old school double D ring leather belt. Not osha approved nowadays but it works fine for me. Find a gin pole if possible or make your own.. look it up online... not real complicated.
For old stubborn towers.. penetrating oil the day before is always a good move. I've used a couple pieces of 2x4 between the rungs with a bottle jack. Work out fine.
When you're tied off.. rigged with decent stuff and have a good pair of boots on you should be fine. Also a groundman that can tag it out and help to lower is a plus. Most importantly plan your work and work your plan.
For old stubborn towers.. penetrating oil the day before is always a good move. I've used a couple pieces of 2x4 between the rungs with a bottle jack. Work out fine.
When you're tied off.. rigged with decent stuff and have a good pair of boots on you should be fine. Also a groundman that can tag it out and help to lower is a plus. Most importantly plan your work and work your plan.
get a helper, climb up and tie 2 or 3 ropes near the top, unbolt from house, preferably while standing on an extension ladder, tie off the ropes to something, dig up the foundation and use the ropes to walk it down. each section weighs about 40 lbs assuming its standard 10' Rohn 25 so its not really heavy. Pre-fit it together and bend the legs as necessary before putting it back up. PITA trying to align, bend, beat and force legs to line up in the air. I know
I posted this reply in a similar thread several years ago.
To take the tower down, I used a friend's dump truck. We backed the truck up to the tower and put the bed straight up, Tied the tower securely to the bed, blew out the mounting bolts, and SLOWLY lowered it down. Torched the connecting bolts between sections, piled them into the truck bed and were good to go.
- 399
To take the tower down, I used a friend's dump truck. We backed the truck up to the tower and put the bed straight up, Tied the tower securely to the bed, blew out the mounting bolts, and SLOWLY lowered it down. Torched the connecting bolts between sections, piled them into the truck bed and were good to go.
- 399
To get the sections apart one of those tower Jack's are great so is a bottle jack and 2x4 but I have used a heavy duty ratchet strap with great success. Always use a harness and belt off. I made a gin pole from gate tubing and it works fine just a lil heavy. Good luck and remember if it dont seem like a good idea it probably isnt.
I can't do it anymore, last tower I helped with after a couple hours working up on the tower my back was telling me enough already.
Even roped off with a safety harness your struggling with heavy rusted sections and just keeping yourself up there is a stress on you legs.
The last thing you want to do is underestimate the effort required and get 50 feet up the tower and your legs give out.
Not a job for old guys like me anymore.
73
Jeff
Even roped off with a safety harness your struggling with heavy rusted sections and just keeping yourself up there is a stress on you legs.
The last thing you want to do is underestimate the effort required and get 50 feet up the tower and your legs give out.
Not a job for old guys like me anymore.
73
Jeff