DIY Tower Guy Wire Ideas

[linx]

Hey there,

Well, here's the deal. I have had my tower up for a couple of years, but in light of the recent storms here in the South, I'd like to guy it off.

Here's my current setup: 45 Ft Rohn 25G. Bottom tilt section is 3 1/2 ft in the ground with 500lbs of concrete. The tower is then bracketed twice at 15 ft up. I then have 10 ft of mast pipe (1 1/4" Schedule 80) above the tower with my Moonraker 4 on top of it...and as you can tell by the topic, there's no guy wires.

Now, the towers been great for a while, but last week, I sustained 85mph winds, and it almost looks like my tower is starting to bend at about 30 ft up. So, I want to add some guy wires to the tower around that stress point.

Funds are tight, so I cannot buy one of those nifty $150 guy brackets made for a Rohn 25 or similar style tower.

What I had in mind, was taking a small piece of tower with me to the hardware store, and trying to make some kind of home made guy wire bracket that will wrap around the round tubing, and then hold the guy wire.

I also had the idea to put 3x 6x6 Post in the yard...maybe 10 ft each, but put them in the ground about 4 ft to leave 6 ft exposed. I was going to tie the guy wire to the top of that post some how, and use a turn buckle to tighten up the guy wire.

My towers always held, but I would like the piece of mind. If I could afford it, I would buy a crank up and be done.

So, I know you can guy the brackets to do it right, but what have you guys used for a means of adding guy wires to a tower, the home made way? I want to get it done right, but get it done cheap. Also, I'm looking for a good way to tie a guy wire to the top of a 6x6 post.

(If you do not have advice, then please do not reply...I am sure the next set of storms will be coming through in a few days so I want to get this done as soon as possible.)

Thanks in advance for the help,

Rob

[juniorsamples]

well linx

how about u using fence hooks thing that hold the fence to the post put those at the top of the tower and poles then put a bolt through the bracket and hook the guid wire to the middle of the bolt......thats just my .02

JR

[BaseStation]

Get you some turnbuckles that have an eye on each end like these:



then get you some galvanized cable and some of those bolt tightened locks that you can connect cable with

forget the posts, just drive some stakes in the ground as deep as you want, you the stakes with the flat head on them

just wrap one end of the cable around the stake two times and clamp it together with the rest of the cable taking out as much slack as you can

then get your turnbuckle and put it in the middle of the cable run, use the same cable clamps to attach it on both sides

run the cable up to your tower and if it's like my tower where the trusses are that you would walk on, attach the cable there where it can't slide down and cable clamp it down

tension your turnbuckles and you are done, if your tower doesn't have the trusses like that use more of the cable you bought and wrap it about five times around the leg of the tower but before you pull it tight run one end of your guy cable through the loops then crank it tight

I've seen it done many many times and works great but I don't have pictures so it's hard to explain. It might not be as good as the guy brackets you can buy but I've never seen one go down this way.

[lonesome 500]

wire...rubber hose...and cable clamps...for the inexpensive solution....

cut 6'' pieces of hose..[tough water hose works perfect]....run wire through it...anchor around each side of tower at 35' and pull snug


i run coated aircraft cable with nothing but clamps....been up 13 years....no wear

if you get ''cheaper'' turnbuckles......be ready to watch them closely....hooks bend...threads break

[linx]

lonesome: what do you have it guyed to? are you using the steak method?

basestation: what kind of stakes? like those big dog stakes you can get at a pet store or wally world? like the big orange ones that are about 2 ft long or so with the ears that come up when you try to pull them up?

i was only going to use the 6x6 post to get it off the ground for easier mowing around. although i have a dixie chopper zero turn so I'm sure it would be easy to mow regardless.

i need to find some turnbuckles like that locally...if i can get all the stuff, it's gonna be guyed this weekend. it's either guy the tower, or take it down. i would have never thought it'd try to bend at about 30 ft up. i did it right with the concrete and everything. i also thought the mast pipe was not strong enough, but this beam I'm using was in the air 3 years with the same mast pipe about 1/2 mile down the road. i bought it from a buddy of mine before he passed away.

my tower is the z-bar (truss) style, so yeah, it should be easy to clamp to. are you guys talking about the clamps like a dog runner uses? the ones where you double up the wire, and then clamp it together with like a little u-bolt?

edit: you guys think that size pipe is too small for a moonraker 4? i mean, the antenna isn't huge. what kind of wind survival am i looking at?

[PONY EXPRESS]

Something like this is what your trying to do

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[G-Golly Wally]

Linx, You might be able to drill a hole into your tower, Then use a threaded Eye bolt , run that through the tower legs where you want them , stick you a lockwaser and nut on one end, and run your guy wire through the eye. And for your post which I'm guessing is wooden , you can use the eye bolts that have thread like a wood screw,just make sure at lest 4 or 5 inch's long to get a good bite in your post. Don't know if that helps any but thought I'd throw it out there.

[linx]

Pony Express, that's nice, but I'm trying to get out cheap yet efficient. I cannot afford something like that right now + the wires + the hardware + the way to secure the wire to the ground or I'd be all over it...lot better price than the $150 ones.

GGolly, thanks for the suggestion for the eye bolts for the 6x6's...that's a good idea. I'm debating now in my head to do the 6x6 now, or go ahead and do the stakes to get out cheaper....I will probably do it this weekend!

[DanzKat]

Just my opinion, but If I read correctly someone said something about drilling a hole in the tower. I would never do this at the risk of weakening the integrity of the structure itself.
Just my .02

[linx]

Just my opinion, but If I read correctly someone said something about drilling a hole in the tower. I would never do this at the risk of weakening the integrity of the structure itself.
Just my .02

Hehe, I read that. I just didn't say anything about it. I'm not drilling into my tower. I'm already worried about the integrity of it, so I don't need more holes! hehe.

Keep the info coming guys. This isn't my first rodeo, but I'm looking to get out super efficient but cheap.

[BaseStation]

yeah linx I'm talking about the dog type stakes, walmart petsmart specials

and yeah as for cable clamps the u-bolt looking ones with the two locknuts are what you want

[linx]

Thanks Base...that's what I was assuming you meant.

Too many sleepless nights worried about this tower. My next weak link will be my mast pipe.

Are you using this setup with the dog stakes?

[DanzKat]

I personally like Lonesomes Ideas , just not sure about the securing it to the ground part. I personally don't like Wood in the ground, even if it is pressure treated. It will still rot over time. I think we just need to come up with an inexpensive yet reliable way to anchor to the ground. I'm still thinking.......

[BaseStation]

my smaller tower is using that exact set up and so are several others around here

I've got two different towers, the larger one is guyed a lot differently but you wanted economical and quick.

[linx]

Yeah, no doubt. I've seen the big 150 ft repeaters and their guy wires...I'm sure it can get pretty expensive.

[G-Golly Wally]

I didn't think you would go for drilling into your tower, that;s why I said you might be able to. but seeing how I don't have a tower or have seen one up close I probably should not have said that, I'll think things over a Little more before I give my advise , I don't want anyone to damage their equipment or them self.

[linx]

GGolly, it's all good man. Thanks for trying to help man!

[G-Golly Wally]

I do know this though, Me and my DAD put a lot of fence around his land , And some of those treated corner post are over 20 years old and still solid as a rock .

[juniorsamples]

haha nett im getting a tower

[Pocono Redneck]

Muffler clamps might be a good sturdy and inexpensive way to attach the cable to the tower...

They last a long time especially if you degrease 'em and hit 'em with a coat of spray paint...

[Midlander]

Hey linx,

Make sure you secure your guy wires above the stress point!!!! If you don't the tower will still bend at that spot. Good luck, and take a picture. I would love to see your setup.

[rmyers2051]

That ebay link is a pretty neat item, way over priced but neat. If I were faced with your situation I would, like someone else said, make a loop 10 foot or so above the obvious stress point, at 120º intervals and secure it to the horizontal leg, slid over to the edge next to the vertical, and then to the ground anchor of your choice. Do not drill either the vertical or horizontal unless that is the point at which you want it to break off, because it will, and it'll allow water inside to freeze and burst the leg lower where it would be even more devastating.

[lonesome 500]

hey linx.......

man....i just have my tower guys attached....3' off the groud ito trees.....they were just handy ..

but remember.....rhon can free stand to 75'........you are only securing the load centered....so it won't take much......the top load sway is what gets most

[G-Golly Wally]

Linx, You could use trailer house tie downs, when I lived in a house trailer years ago they had tie downs that screwed into the ground, You might look at some place that carries trailer home supplies, I think that might work.

[rmyers2051]

Linx, You could use trailer house tie downs, when I lived in a house trailer years ago they had tie downs that screwed into the ground, You might look at some place that carries trailer home supplies, I think that might work.

Very good idea, they call those things "hurricane straps", designed to hold your house on the ground so you don't go to Oz with Dorothy. Should be more than sufficient if you can get them in the ground in a straight line with the guy wire. They will not sustain a side load at all.