Building my tower

[97fishmt]

I made the hinge last spring.



I put two tower sections on the base and then started on the gin pole.



30 feet of 3 inch pipe.



I made sure it worked and started putting more sections on it.



64 feet right now. I do have enough sections for 80 feet but I'm going to see

if this is high enough for now.  



I have added the top guy wires and every thing works like it should.

The anchor points were a real challenge on this hill.  I bought a very expensive

rock drill or roto-hammer to epoxy rebar and bolts and topped them off with concrete.

Now I need to make a mount for the genny and do the wiring. I'm sure I will

look into a better winch before I put the genny up.  Right now it's a large boat winch.

[brokengun]

That looks like a really great site, I bet you will be pleased with the output of your generator.

Not a bad spot to just hang out and look out over the mountains.

[SparWeb]

Looks great!

Sounds like a cautious approach, adding a section at a time.

I have been testing a worm-gear winch on my tower and so far it's okay, but I want more experience with it before I relax.  I chose a worm gear winch because there are no keepers, levers, or other widgets that allow a rapid pay-out of cable.

Your site looks beautiful!  I have to agree that maybe 60 feet is enough and adding more height could be more work for less gain.  HomePower magazine actually found that they could show, on excellent wind sites, with small turbines, that it is possible to spend too much money on a really tall tower because the gain becomes too small.  They found this effect with towers about 100 feet tall, if I recall correctly.

[97fishmt]

Hi Steven, I have enjoyed your postings.

I came across a tirfor or griphoist last night on e-bay.

I could not resist because that is what Hugh Piggott  and

Paul Gipe recommend for erecting a tower. It was over priced

I thought but the right tool for the job.  I hope I don't

get burned and it works properly.

I used my truck for years to pull the tower up but one year the

snow was too deep. I got the largest boat winch I could find

(3200 pounds, I think) and it has worked well for many years.

This tower is the real deal though I don't want any problems.

And I am afraid if I tried an electric winch something would

go wrong at the wrong time and really put me in a pickle.  I had

one on a truck once.  I'm with you simple and no surprises.  

Thanks for the kind words.

Mike

PS  My 97fishmt is my address in Okanogan County Washington State

    if any one was interested.

[97fishmt]

Hi brokengun

Thanks for the kind words

I do just that as much as I can anyway.

It is my cabin 300 miles away.

[SparWeb]

Funny, there's an "Okanagan" in BC, too.  Does anybody try growing grapes for wine in your valley, like they do in Kelowna?

[97fishmt]

It's the same valley.  I'm about 5 miles from the Canadian border.

I am in the Okanogan Highlands, about 2500 feet above the valley.