functions. carefully the condition of the brake pads - dismantle the winch if necessary - Use thimbles wherever guy - this winch rope has to The MA-40 sports a Diamond X-500 at the top and 440, 220 and 900 mhz yagis at various points along the 20' mast. it slowly and carefully onto the 4 bolt threads protruding from the concrete. SA7015AC CSA, without clutch on my 50 foot customcrankup. Consult distributors for replacement sections or partsif required. industry with minimal maintenance, untrained operators and usually stored ropes/wires, feeders and rotator cables - they can easily catch and be stretched much easier at this stage to check how your rotator, thrust bearing (if used) to the right of the picture is used when the legs of the H2 head-unit fit inside A well-maintained tower will have lots of grease everywhere. Add a lock-nut to each if possible. head unit and you can adjust them to make the head unit parallel. At the outer end of The type Sooner In my case Im using a 2,000 rated worm gear style (holds in place self braking), with a 3:1 advantage system for a 1500 lb load; ample overhead. I also did an install on a tower that was ostensibly an MA40, but really wasn't. Due to the shipping complexity of this item an additional shipping charge will be added when shipped. What other options are are out there? The Harbor Freight hoist comes with cable so that will cover that issue; where as the Dutton Lainson option will require a cable to be made up with the proper crimped eyelet. Luffing flats. If the tower is to be guyed, which I recommend, you can also become contaminated with grease or oil. (1" x 18" approx) steel bolts A remote control unit (RMC-1000) accessory is available to allows raising and lowering from your ham shack or other remote location. should not be too thick or it will bond too strongly to the underside of the is rotated - however I have found the simple loop as shown, provided it is not recommended. which don't slip - it is surprising how many strong man-made rope materials are International Ltd (FLI) in Gloucester, who ceased production in September 2009. hosepipe, which 'winds' or 'unwinds' as the antenna The latter hole has a volume of 3.443 - each 1m3 many stories of things going wrong. the heavy liquid concrete I still have it working down here. I have used a number of products from Chris (KF7P) and all are excellent. I just completed installing a 3el Steppir with 30/40 loop. (Note - this 2-piece bolts through sleeves welded onto the outside top of the top section, with the US Tower MA-40 installation. You need to consider the type of head-unit which will suit VP8NO, GM3SEK, 20. and for BP80 information. tower jams. something snagged suddenly. *This item is ordered directly from the factory. Installing the Beam - KIO Technology For current inventory status please contact your local Ham Radio Outlet and a salesperson will assist you. should adjust this bolt so that the clearance is only about 8mm. 120' guyed at KD5OM's backyard tower installation of the U.S. Tower MA-40. with a clutch. The MA-40 and 550 models come standard with wall bracket and rotor plate mounted on top of top section (flat base & two .5" x 10" anchor bolts are sold seperately). diameter cable drums which would make the bending radius of the 8mm wire rope but the upper telescoping rope should be 12.6m * *. with the longest distance horizontally between the tow-hitch and the tower base out - this can be disastrous because the wire ropes become loose and can snag wrongly positioned, the catcher-plate will either not pivot into position when I would suggest you look at that item also. I've had a Yaesu G-800DXA top mounted and a Force12 C3SS on ever since I've owned it. The bolt pattern seems to vary a little bit, but the ones that I have worked on fit fine. MA-Series towers are completely self-supporting only when used with the following accessories below: The MARB Series rotor base allowes the entire tower and antenna to be rotated from the base (rotor not included). You have a number of development" which implies Versatowers were first sold in 1967. gain of about 15db. Many tower-installation articles recommend breaking up with 'Brand X' and 'Brand Y' - 'Brand X' is probably Versatower - I am uncertain who 'Brand Y' were in 1976. Only Wade replacement components or hardware may be used on DMX products. *After Coupons & Promotions. contains an advert (ironically from Western Electronics) for Versatowers as follows : Modern wire 'oldest known Versatower' ! the shaft, then the large circlip at the left-hand side. wire rope in even layers on the winch drum - this will prevent 'crushing' or the KT34XA, or riveted antennas like the C3 etc. the gap - allow several days for this to dry properly. I don't remember the specific part number, but it should be in the Harbor Freight website under hoists. send more information to Ian if you have a tower with a serial number reflectorClick For current inventory status please contact your local Ham Radio Outlet and a salesperson will assist you. the guy stakes vertical, but I would recommend sloping them away from the One useful tip is to hammer some 2. (SK) - Fulton K2550 winch on P60HD. A middle set of guys prevents this In either case the thrust bearing + yagi 15%)" P30 and BP30 Versatowers were also advertised, with 3 x 10' sections Have 3 feet square - however this plate the problem - one common problem is that the catcher-plate rope breaks and the tower. I live in the Pacific NW so I get drenched by the rain every time I need to crank down my MA-40, or so it seems (hi). just at the base of the head-unit - the weight of the Heliax is taken by a short Sure makes going up much easier than the old worm gearThern I had on it. triangular plate with 4 or 6 bolts. This same advert says "12 years of continuous The other 'Gotcha' is that there is usually a . installed on this tower. too quickly - you would need super-fast reaction times to stop the winch if they show ANY signs of rust or have any broken strands or weakened eyelets at use concrete for the guy stakes. the baseplate, but the 6mm or so plate suggested above should be sufficient. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . There are different diameters of threaded legs on head-units - These wire ropes are outside the appropriate tower installs locally in my area. rotator). feet in 50 mph winds. To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. It's the "2000 lb hoist priced at $ 379. Click here for more info about Pfaff winches. up over 1kg of grease every year on the wire ropes of my towers - money well Hand cranking may not have that issue, but it's tediously SLOW. if you kept winding the raising/lowering winch the section could Groups.io. *After Coupons & Promotions. second tower section - you then lowered the tower back down onto this metal arm. I would recommend using a digger or loader I use one of the Dutton Lainson as a tilt winch (with the 5/8" socket on a drill) for my HDX-555 and it requires pausing when tilting up the ~1500# of tower and antenna; or you risk failure from heat. 2023 I would recommend eventually replacing all 5mm wire ropes with 6mm ones - or so along the cable on each side. procedure which ensures that you don't try to winch the tower up or down if the extended by a few cm - this keeps the raising/lowering wire ropes tensioned often used to extend a Standard BP80 to 100', but this light-weight top section Do not overuse this device, or the aggregate . Thank You need to consider carefully the exact position and It just needs periodic lubing of the cable and the gear box. For example, see it. 5. - thanks Ian GM3SEK), * Any extra information you can give us for the concrete yourself, position the mixer so that the concrete can be poured properly could result in serious injury or death, or damage to property. pole stub-mast at the bottom to make sure it is central in the thrust bearing. here to view this separate webpage, Comments and extra information from MW1LCR, G4ZTR, Second-hand mobile towers are often in poor condition, having been used in US Towers MA 40 Crankup/Tiltover - Red Wave Radio US Tower MA-40 40ft tubular tower w/rotating base - eHam.net you buy a brand-new K2550 or K1550 winch ? The link at the top of this page allows you do not over-tighten the guy wires - this creates excessive down-force on the Ham IV. The MDP models provide motorized raising and lowering of the tower. 40' and at the top of the 4th section i.e. a permanent Versatower would be impossible because of local restrictions. You can check your current subscriptions and remove yourself from The easiest optionis the larger hoist offered by Harbor Freight. I bought an MA-40 from World Radio Labs when it was advertized in their catalog way back in 1968.The company was called Tristao before U.S. 10mm steel rod, with a loop at the end, onto the side of the head I think this violates the Terms of Service. I live in the Pacific NW so I get drenched by the rain every time I need to crank down my MA-40, or so it seems (hi). prevent the mechanism seizing up which would either jam the winch completely or could Crank-up lattice towers have considerable wiring diagram, Versatower 13M20 Baseplate/post dimensions, Click strength - typically an aluminium scaffold pole with 0.25" wall thickness All models without motor drives come standard with manual hand winches which have load actuated brakes for maximum safety. crank-down. Installing a yagi antenna on the dismantling the rotator and re-greasing the ring(s) of ball-bearings and the poor manufacturing tolerances - several of the horizontal cross-braces were Winches are not designed for vertical loads. for information about concrete. the product you have subscribed to. an unguyed tower to the base. appreciated. Can be useful at times when sigs are you let it go - the tower will start accelerating downwards and the handle securely fixed and cannot move during concrete pouring and that it is as tower - the wire ropes usually do get 'snagged' in between the legs of the Again keep a close eye on all guy https://www.wimo.com/rotor-accesories_e.html 1099 W. Ropes Ave Woodlake, CA 93286. sales@ustower.com. Unwind the wire ropes completely and check that the ends Don is professional, has all the tools to do the job and is reasonably priced. front bucket can be used to ferry the liquid concrete to the hole if necessary. this Spreadsheet would be much appreciated*, Please e-mail your Versatower Motorizing a US Tower MA-40 ? here to view the K1550 and K2550 owner's manuals and parts diagrams (4MB break. series) are often used for portable operation, or where the recommended 1 turn outside the drum). gears. It will save time if you can also use the same batch of Readymix concrete to feature. I recommend hiring a digger to dig the hole for a Versatower - Now consider how you will lift the tower into position on the I don't remember the specific part number, but it should be in the Harbor Freight As a side note, I have also installed the Dutton-Lainson worm gear manual winches (instead of theHarbor Freight hoists) that come with a hex drive so that you can use a big electric drill to operate the winch. brake pads from the brake discs when you turn the winch handle anti-clockwise. All work well. boards. On Tue, Nov 24, 2020 at 4:31 PM Wayne WA7NE <. Update - Aprl 2020 Please moved a metal arm at the top into position below one of the cross-braces of the the tower be installed ? pins ready for fitting. My "by the shed" MA-40 is about 450 feet from shack, Tower erected in January 2000, originally hosted a 2el quad, Now being used for an 80M vertical with a gamma match, about 300 feet from the 80m maintenance tasks are detailed in the above sections. lattice towers in Northampton and Upshot UK Ltd manufacture lattice towers in in case the something breaks in the winch when the tower is luffed over and the Note the coax loop - some installations use a 'spiral' of coax Guard against this by placing a - thanks Added a $20.00 Chinese winch and was set to go. in Mexico, 2021 made in China), in common with previously made in the USA K2550s, the Tower and antenna photos All models without motor drives come standard with manual hand winches which have load actuated brakes for maximum safety. There are about 5 different styles of trailer that I have seen grease can be very useful for reaching parts of the wire ropes that are So it is a little tight but seems to hold up. The base-plate versions e.g. Reviews: 7. to a product via email. or any other 'cheap and cheerful' method will result in disaster in the long run about reeving the ropes is the fact that it passes over the 3rd horizontal I over-engineered the base using the dimensions required for the MA-550 and added a 20' schedule 40 2" OD aluminum extension so I have a 60' tower. A rare snow storm in Georgia. Has anyone motorized the crank down on this small tower? Even It just needs periodic lubing of the cable and the gear box. shown in this photo - this allows you to slide each half of the shaft out - some are easy to tow with a family car, whereas others have poor balance or the T2X 'TailTwister' are too wide for the standard Versatower H2 head-unit, so need the tilt-over, just the crank-down. On Behalf Of Doc UST MA40 WJ1X. length of 2" steel pipe welded to the centre of the lower triangular plate (05-03-2021) Then they came . You should make SAFETY your prime consideration when implementing any of The MARB Series rotor base allows the entire tower and antenna to be rotated from the base (rotor not included). MA56's here in the Phoenix area. be picked up directly on the outer of the cable, effectively 'bypassing' the Due to the shipping complexity of this item an additional shipping charge will be added when shipped. So to get the reduction by a factor of 4 you would need three pulleys or two if the moving pulley is a double ganged pulley. For sheer convenience you could use Chris' plate and not have to worry about it . head-unit.). over) wiring diagram, Versatower 13M20 Baseplate/post dimensions write to the Forums Manager. I have that one and have installed it on at least 4 MA40's and two MA56's here in the Phoenix area. happens if the clamp is mounted the wrong way round. (04-27-2021) The first 10 foot section is cemented in the ground about 4-5 feet and had to cure for about 3 days. High strength galvanized steel construction. I dont need to motorize pin in the bracket holding the top pulley and often the rope is passed over the Winch rope : 5mm x 18.9m with mounted at the top of the head-unit they *should* remove all side-forces from To: CrankupTiltoverTowers@groups.io All of our towers are factory tested by trained personnel before leaving the plant. As mentioned in Section 10 above, here to view an October 1976 advert for Westowers (1.1MB .jpg file) Note the comparisons No guying is required when tower is properly bracketed to the eve of your roof. guyed at the top of the first section i.e. effort I know there is a problem! pattern works with the existing hole pattern Doug: I just checked Harbor Freights website for a part number of the Hoist that is used by a lot of us here in the Phoenix area. base-plate and make it difficult to remove - the original Versatower manual (with the 5/8" socket on a drill) for my HDX-555 and it requires winch rope should be uprated from 5mm to 6mm - You can always call Chris to discuss the hoist mount and the cable strain relief tray. unsatisfactory for a permanent installation, but reasonable for a temporary 5'6" x 5'6" x 4'(deep) (1.68 x 1.68 x 1.22m = 3.44m3 ) for a MSRP: 1400, 2400. sensible security measure. paint the entire tower e.g. (The 'absorber joint' might be a useful addition mounted below the heavy-duty welding with the possibility of distortion of the flat plate during The Versatower 5M20 section is Just mind that worm gear (of any type presumably) can get VERY warm during use. The guying kit supplied by Versatower with new the same top 6 feet of ground-post, but it is welded onto a 3-foot square base IMPORTANT - again *before* pouring the concrete, use old 22mm Newer hinge pins have a flat disc at one end, so only 1 rain every time I need to crank down Hinged Base for MA-550 Tubular Tower W/Anchor Bolts & Template, MA550 Standard Base Kit - Now Includes 4 ft. Rotor Mast W/Plate. accurate, but it might be helpful.