I read the other post too now.
"There are some other spots, but they would involve cutting down some very large, healthy, old and beautiful Ponderosa Pines--just can't bring myself to do it."
I wish I had some of those, see further down about my junk trees, bad soil, too many rocks, bugs???
I like the way you mounted it, tower and all. And that does look good for mantainance etc..
If I had a tall house like that I think I would do the same also. My rinky trailer house is maybe 12' at the tallest end, and of course that's only because the ground slopes down alittle, not a help for tower height!
"lower the stub down to roof level with a rope and pulley, and do all turbine work while standing safely on the roof, then just hoist it back up again and put ni the stop pin.. Will make changing blades, alternator, new turbine, etc. very easy if needed."
I'd like one like that myself, like I said before you guy are always an inspiration.
How strong you think the tower would be without the house supporting it and with out guy wires. Like for a shorter tower, maybe smaller mill or same size.
I have been playing/testing a bad setup just to see what happens here. I have a motor conversion with 2 blade about 4-5' dia barrel blades, not real heavy not that light. The tower is 1 or 1 1/2' conduit, single pole. Base sits on a porch floor and it's tied to a 2x4 stud several places. the height above the trailer is about 6-7'. As expected it's a bit weak and sways a bit, swings around, leans etc.. but so far it has not bent over or snapped. I get power from it, but not what I should of course. Had some pretty good winds since I put it up like that. I thought about guy wires to the roof to hold one steady but changed my mind about the guy wires. I had lots of that conduit and figured I'll have more of these smaller mills, but I don't want the guy wires and would have to have them using that thin stuff, though I think it would work fine.
I think I will put one up in that location for real now.
I am thinking maybe since this so far has worked, maybe the same basic setup I am using and a lattice tower like yours would get it up to maybe 10' above the trailer and without the swaying. I need it to be removable, eventually I am planning to move everything here except the well. When the trailer moves the tower moves, so I don't want concrete and not a good place for guy wires. I am thinking put the bottom section in a 55gallon barrel and pack with dirt for a base. Maybe put 6"-1' of concrete in the bottom of the barrel also.
I could move that with my engine lift. Should prevent sinking into the ground and hold the base solid. I might dig down and sit it in the ground about 8" or so, then it can't slide or be pushed to the side. Barrel would spread the weight. Then I am thinking perhaps bolt the top section to the trailer. Not alot to work with here, only about an 8' tall wall. Not alot of area to bolt to. Depending on the slope of the ground and the end of the trailer I would have about 10'from ground to the trailer roof up to about 14' at the other corner of the trailer. Then I would want above that height another 10' from the roof.
Do you think it would work out well for that?
Also I hope to have a single or daul rotor finnaly built and be using the Art blades on it. Would you think a tower like I said would support it?
Of course when I build a tower I would not use the small conduit, probably a section of 2" pipe. Maybe 2 1/2" with a 2" or so inside so it can be raised/lowered like yours.
My other thought is topping out a couple of my trees and placing guy wires on them at the top. I have a couple fairly big ones I think need topped out. They rot out inside around here, look healthy from the outside, then snap in the middle and fall. One just dropped it's top on my T-bird awhile back
Looks healthy all the way up to where it broke, and from a distance the section on the car looked healthy too. But rotten in the center! I am thinking I'll know the condition when I top them out and the top most branches will come down too. So might make decent towers for a few years or so. Use Arts style 55gal water barrel anchores on them.
Any thoughts on such things, or advice. I should be needing a tower fairly soon!