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Tower Project
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We start with the form. On this particular plate, we took three 7/8' by 6" bolts, cut the heads off, mounted them in the base plate
with nuts top and bottom then added a triangle frame using 1/2" re-bar to 3', welding everything securely together with an old Lincoln Buzz Box. I then added cross ribs and
once set in the ground, added and wire tied 3' lengths from corner to corner above the cross beams (not shown). |
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A 1 cubic yard hole! Base plate re-bar installed and leveled. A couple more pieces were added to add strength to the base. We were digging in sand, so 3 days of hydro drilling occured before the digging began so that the sand would be moist and not collapse in the hole. |
It took 39 bags of 60 lb Quikrete to fill this hole. If you're going to do this
job by shopping at a box store, bring a big enough truck to handle 2,340 lbs of concrete mix. We chose this route because I had the tower plate completely level and was concerned that a mixer truck dump may cause the tower plate to shift so we did it by hand. If your not used to this kind of labor, call lots of friends to help. |
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20 bags in, and just short of half way there. |
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Tony (KJ7DUF), and my wife Ida were a huge help in getting this huge project done and keeping the pour on track. That portable mixer was the best $40.00 yard sale purchase I ever made. A new waterproof 1/2 horse Dayton motor and insulated and waterproof switch keeps it turning. |
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Finally filled to the bottom of the lower adjustment nuts and rough finished. Hey, it's a tower pad after all, not a sidewalk. |
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My medallion! A lid off a Copenhagen can. It has been my trademark in almost every concrete pour I have ever done. |
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A general overview of the pour. From the plate it is just shy of 90' to the house. Good coax will minimize the loss but we will talk about that when I get to that point. |
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East Guy Post. Each 5' length is filled with concrete and there are 4, 60 lb. bags in each hole. |
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Below is the 50' Commercial Tram Tower prior to installation. |
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Below is the Tower going up. I have done this many ways including Winches, Gin poles, Trees, and a combination of all, but never thought of a 1 ton truck with a ladder rack. This tower went up easy! |
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