100 ft Tilting Tower

Raising a 100 ft tower with a winch on a 35 ft pole.

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

I'm not an envious person... but I could make an exception here! LOL

[@marksmith1916]

Good job guys. I've dreamed of putting a tower up this way. Way cheaper than a heights tower system. 👍

[@davep6977]

Nice when a plan comes together. I did mine off a pulley set up on the gable end of the house. Dry run went fine. Added my antenna's got it up 80% and my $129 3.5 ton Chinese 12vdc ATV winch failed and I ended up with a pile of bent aluminum on the ground when the tower fell. After the rebuild I made sure I had an "A" frame ladder under the tower and moved it up as a safety till it got past that 45 degree point, just in case. FYI 2nd time around I paid the price and got an American made Armstrong winch. Money well spent. W9DLP

[@mikeglass376]

Hard lesson losing your antennas. Glad you got it back with a better winch. I am always nervous when raising any one of my three towers because home brew systems can fail.

[@timmack2415]

Damn! Beautiful tower!

[@mikeglass376]

Thanks, Tim.

[@ostlightfilms9289]

Nice work guys 💪🏽 may I ask you a question if you could tell me from were buy those tower's / mast I would like to have one too

[@mikeglass376]

Think you! Our tower was taken down from a local high school that didn’t need it anymore. It is a communications tower and there are several manufacturers on line. Used ones are hard to come by.

[@glenlieder6673]

Mighty fine back yard engineering fellas

[@mikeglass376]

Thank you, Glen. It was quite the project.

[@johncase2974]

NICE tower !. It looked solid and your raising couldn’t have gone any smoother. Awesome job & video. Thanks for sharing. May I ask the make, model and cost of the tower only ? (Not the concrete foundation, winch or anything other than the structure itself) Please & thank you.

[@mikeglass376]

Thanks, John. The tower is at least 20 years old and I got it for free from a local high school that was tearing down an old building. It does not have any ID but it looks a bit like an old Rohn communications tower.

[@kilroy205]

nice work having guide wires on the wench post. i considered making an A frame with guide wires to do this as well. i have only helped one person up a tower, it was 70' and pulled from a bumper wench. looked so scary at start with the tension and tower bend. pull point being low seemed so dangerous.

[@donarthiazi2443]

HaHaHa.... *"guide* wires"!!! 😂😂😂

[@joshuaguthrie8067]

I made a similar setup years ago. It's the most unnatural thing to watch. Video don't do it justice. Great setup!

[@mikeglass376]

Thanks Joshua. I have lowered and raised it many times in the last 5 years, but am nervous every time.

[@TexasScout]

I did the same with my tower, tho it's only 50' tall. I used the power pole in back yard to raise it. Hand crank. I still have an abandoned pole I had the electric company leave after Hurricane Harvey, I may just do this again. (my old tower looked like a pretzel after the hurricane) Curious, no guy wires?

[@drumminsonlive9199]

Beautiful tower I would like to see it go up with the antenna mounted...

[@mikeglass376]

Look up 100 ft tilting tower with dish antenna on top.

[@hammerdodger0]

Nice work. Did you get anything installed on it?

[@seeharvester]

Nah, it's just for looks.

[@groceryinc]

What brand of tower is that. Is it a solid or hollow leg?

[@silverismoney]

Good work. I'm looking at doing this to get a mobile signal at a remote property.

[@bigdaadio.K2WW]

I love the youTube Commenters! They just watched 2 tower videos last night and now they are experts.... Like the guy who's gonna put a 100ft tower, with a 60 ft fiberglass pole on top. SMFH Great job! I presume you have a healthy hinge and 10 yards of concrete... That wasn't shown in the video

[@mikeglass376]

Yes, at least 10 yards. The pivots are built into the bottom of the tower and use 3/4 bolts.

[@bigdaadio.K2WW]

@@mikeglass376 good luck ! I d love to see how you've loaded it, my call good in QRZ if you can sent a picture 73

[@mikeglass376]

@@bigdaadio.K2WW I don’t see ur call here.

[@bigdaadio.K2WW]

K2WW

[@dewainejeske7013]

Awesome tilting tower but I would never put something like this up as a tilting tower. A tower of this magnitude needs to be cemented in if it were mine😎

[@mikeglass376]

I understand, Dewaine. I tilt all my towers so don’t have climb them or rent cranes to do maintenance. Of course the base is cemented in the ground.

[@borntoclimb7116]

This is a nice tower

[@user-sf4gc4is4m]

Браво!

[@terryburge6763]

Hello Mike and Steve (whichever). And FYI...Great tower setup and nice to see 80 feet of Rohn 25 does not bend too much when being raised from horizontal. Liked you home brew pulley's and thought I might try that too. One thing, using an electric winch does require stopping every so often to keep from burning up the motor. They won't stand running them for over a minute or two safely is my guess. I know, I wore out two 8000# Harbor Freight 'Chicago' winches which was probably my own fault. Now I have a Ramsey RE8000 worm gear winch that works great and holds the load in any location while going up and down. Great for building quad arrays or any such thing. Like your setup. Terry

[@mikeglass376]

Thanks, Terry. Actually the tower is 100 ft tall and is not Rohn 25. The base is a 5 ft a side triangle and the whole thing is quite sturdy. Our winch is rated at 10,000 lbs but I never thought about needing to stop it part way up to keep from over heating. I guess I got a good one, lol! Glad you have a set up that works and hope it holds up.

[@ryan_niemi]

It isn't Rohn 25G, 80' (or 100') of 25G will not survive being raised from horizontal with the pick point at the middle.

[@torres_arriostradas]

orale!! buen trabajo!!

[@mikeglass376]

Gracias!

[@edyagger8779]

Of course the wind starts up ! - N2EDY

[@TheManFromAustralia]

Wow!! Your voice sounds exactly like Tom Hanks! 73's

[@mikeglass376]

Interesting, never been told that before.

[@johnnyd4049]

I second that

[@whuffer5103]

SUCCESS!

[@JoeR203]

I'm sure every state / town is different but, did you need any kind of permits to put this up?

[@mikeglass376]

No, it is on a farm.

[@mikeg8116]

It is an old tower given to me without an ID. It appears to be an old Rohn commercial tower. I am quite sure the steel legs are hollow.

[@glenlieder6673]

How much concrete is under it? I am thinking of doing something similar but don't have prints for the base of course

[@graywolf1911]

This was one of the best videos of raising a large tower that I have seen on UTube. My tower is small, 33-foot Rohn tower given to me. I have used my old Ford 4x4 2002 Explorer to raise two towers, but now I have a 5000 lb winch mounted on the rear of the SUV. Both towers are only 3 section Rohn 25G. I like the idea of using the old telephone pole. Using my car with hitch mounted on it has an angle of pull that increases beyond 45 degrees as the tower reaches 45-degree lift point which I do not like. My question is, can you show a close up of how you mounted the winch on the pole, and also the double pulley mounted? This way I can mount the winch VERTICALLY at the base of the pole that I intend to use, and the pull from the winch will be straight line which will make the winch very happy. Thank you Mike. W1REJ

[@mikeglass376]

This tower is located 90 min from my home and I go there only a few times a year. I will be going in the next few weeks and will try to get a few good pics. I made a flat plate as an adapter to attach the winch to the pole. I will make a sketch of the double pulley set up.

[@mikeglass376]

I found some older pics that may help you see what I did. I found you on QRZ but no email address. You can find me on there as well. N9BNN

[@grumpyken9151]

I know this is 3 years old, but a block and tackle would really reduce the load on the winch. cool tower

[@mikeglass376]

You are correct. Two years ago I added a second pulley to reduce the load by 50%. There is a newer video showing it.

[@alzeNL]

100ft - wow - nice ! Hope its still up in 2021 !!!!

[@mikeglass376]

Thanks, it’s still up.

[@WLK1965]

Nice, I want one!

[@mikeglass376]

Thanks!

[@lawrencethompson465]

What formula did you use to determine where to attach the cable on the tower in order to raise it? Thanks for your reply.

[@mikeg8116]

I set up a spreadsheet with multiple formulas to do this job. I got the tallest winch pole I could find and sized everything else to handle the calculated load.

[@bebo5558]

Lawrence Thompson. Why would he need a formula, pully is 53' high, attach cable at 53'!

[@mikeg8116]

Bebo May True, but you need to know what the load will be. Too low of height above ground will require a very strong winch and pole.

[@bebo5558]

@@mikeg8116 I think Lawrence was talking "attaching" the cable and you talking tensile strength of the cable, two different things! Most winches have a cable capacity in the thousands or tens of thousands, while your not lifting the "total dead weight" of the tower, if that pole and pulley are going to handle it, most mid range winches will handle it!

[@BenWorrell]

@@bebo5558 53' - thought he said 35' ?

[@okhamradio]

The best tower

[@mikeglass376]

Thanks!

[@ktrades2898]

Very nice. How much does the tower and winch cost?

[@mikeglass376]

Winch was about $400 and the tower was given to me. I’m sure it is worth several thousand dollars.

[@ktrades2898]

@@mikeglass376 Very cool. would it be possible to share model of the winch/one you like? I am thinking of setting up a 30-40ft tower.

[@mikeglass376]

@@ktrades2898 I also have a steel 40 ft tower that I raise and lower with a 2500 lb winch. You can find good winches in that range both motor and hand crank.

[@user-dm8my8jw8m]

Blits lamp Control old Man , so much Helicopter 500cc

[@olivertaylor8788]

Perfect,,but I believe I would have put antenna and guy wires on before I went up first time...that's how you do it...I have did many of them myself..

[@mikeglass376]

Agree, but I wanted to test winch before putting antenna on it. No guy wires, tower is self supporting. Also, I plan to lower it occasional to make antenna changes.

[@theboogeyman826]

I just thought about something I heard you say in this video. It gets easier as it goes up. Yet alot claim at about halfway up is the worse. An enginner told me the start of the lift is the hardest like you are saying.

[@stargazer7644]

@@theboogeyman826When the tower is laying flat on the ground the winch is picking up the max weight (the actual weight will depend on the weight of the tower and the angle of the lifting cable - it'll be more than the weight of the tower. This is why snatch blocks are often used to reduce the weight). As the tower rotates up, more and more of the weight transfers to the base and less and less is on the winch. When the tower is nearly vertical all the weight is on the base and the winch isn't lifting any weight at all.

[@mikeg8116]

I put Channelmaster 4251 uhf parabolic dish antenna on top.

[@davidbranson9022]

Excellent job and video!! I have a very similar tower that I'm wanting to erect in the same way. I am uncertain how big and deep a hole I need and how much concrete I need to support a 100 ft free standing tower. Could you share some information please? Thanks!!

[@mikeglass376]

I do not share that information because all situations are different. If you are not sure how to do it seek the help of a professional. A tower this tall is very dangerous to work with. One recommendation I make is to use a remote control winch and get far away.

[@AvocaSingleTrack]

Look up a Rohn SSV 100 ft tower and see the dimensions for the concrete base . You may not like what you find however

[@jjulian81]

What’s the cost and who’s the vendor of that tower? Also. If they install also, what would of been the cost?

[@mikeglass376]

It is used and I don’t know who made it. I also don’t know what it would cost to pay someone to install it.

[@afishyfella]

Can you tell me what brand of tower that is and where one might find one?

[@mikeglass376]

Sorry, I got it used and don’t know the brand. This one came from a high school that no longer needed it. I have seen towers for sale online, but not too often.

[@novaindrajati4984]

good job

[@mikeglass376]

Thank you

[@RTD3]

And to top off that bad boy you put a Hy-gain AV-18HT Hy-Tower HF Vertical on it, right?! Nice tower, good work!

[@mikeg8116]

Thanks, it was quite a project! Actually it has a Channelmaster 4251 dish TV antenna on it. A friend and I use it for TV DXing.

[@deanlaclair265]

How much concrete That is Rohn SSV

[@bayanicuenco7448]

question sir what are the steel (pipe, steel bar and size) that used in the tower, i would like to build one TIA and dimension of the base

[@mikeglass376]

Sir, the base is 5 feet on a side. I did not build the tower so I do not have the pipe sizes.

[@bayanicuenco7448]

@@mikeglass376 thank you sir

[@jayham1970]

Did you use any doubling or extra blocking in the lift process? If not, it might take some extra strain off of your wench, and it can also help keep the tower from bending and warping.

[@mikeglass376]

After the first video I did add a second pulley to reduce the cable load by half. You can see it in the later videos.

[@seeharvester]

Arg! Me wench earun a sturdy lass; she canne take the strain.

[@DiyintheGhetto]

Being at a 100ft tower. Do you need to add guy wires to it?

[@mikeglass376]

This tower is self supporting and does not need guy wires.

[@captainbill3279]

Wish you included a close up of the base of the tower and the swivel method. Just seeing the tower go up does not help in our research on how we will construct ours.

[@mikeglass376]

I am willing to discuss what I did.

[@mikeglass376]

The video was not intended to be a how to.

[@111111111Tiger]

Need grand music playing during the rise the of tower.

[@mikeglass376]

What, and not get to hear the sound of the winch? Lol!

[@ErikPAPATIE]

Now you need a low light intensity on top lol like a L810

[@mikeglass376]

My brother in law did put a small blinker on it but not bright enough to be seen very far.

[@thesquirrelchroniclesakare7808]

So I have to ask. It's 2 years later and is it stil up and working ?

[@mikeglass376]

Yes. A few days ago I lowered it to adjust the antenna and tilted back up without issue.

[@billgifford6512]

Yea it worked but you should have put a rolling snatch-block in and that way you could have pulled from two points. That's a lot of pull on one point. you got lucky. W5GIF

[@mikeglass376]

I did add a second snatch block after that first lift. It reduced the cable tension 50% and made the whole operation smoother. Been using it for 5 years now.

[@debballer5266]

Where did you buy athe 100’ tower?

[@mikeglass376]

It was given to me. It had been in service over 20 years and no longer wanted. I paid to have it removed.

[@RicArmstrong]

Is this Milford Delaware?

[@mikeglass376]

Illinois

[@radarecho57]

This is extremely dangerous. I've done it three times. First time went great. Nearly got killed the second time when the tower went over to the side, swung around and crashed. If you are going to do this you need some safety lines off each side of the tower and the pole. Third time went fine with the safety lines. I will probably do it again. Just remember that things can go wrong!

[@mikeglass376]

Thank you for your warning to me and anyone else who might try this. You are correct to say that it is quite dangerous and ANYTHING can go wrong. That is why I stand back quite far and use a remote for the winch. I have done it at least 15 times in the five years it’s been up.

[@gfl1957]

As low as cable was attached I can't believe tower did not fold.

[@mikeglass376]

Tower is tapered which makes it stronger as you go down in connection point.

[@jimjakosh2506]

Nice work and no guy wired needed?

[@mikeg8116]

None needed.

[@jimjakosh2506]

Good I........... need to find a 60 ft tower like that!

[@electron2601]

I want to build a 100ft one like that. I want to make a 100ft Christmas tree in my yard and light it up.

[@jimjakosh2506]

@@electron2601 That will take a heck of a gin pole!!

[@BadUncleIke]

I thought my 50' tilt over was impressive!

[@mikeglass376]

Thank you, it was quite the challenge. But, I don’t climb towers so bring the antenna down to me.

[@roynorman3650]

What's the base size on your tower?

[@BadUncleIke]

@@roynorman3650 Rohn 25 tower, tilt base bolted to a 24 inch concrete base about 4 feet deep.

[@roynorman3650]

@@BadUncleIke a local near me claims he used screw anchors under his tilt base. No concrete, ever heard of this?

[@BadUncleIke]

@@roynorman3650 No, I would be worried about the anchors flexing and or moving. My base of 24 inch wide circle x 48 inch deep with rebar is well below what the manufacturers specify. I think there is some overkill with their specs. That said, I know a guy who built a massive base for an 85 foot tower, a tornado snapped off the upper 40' and what is left is tilted 6 degrees. I guess it just depends on the stresses your tower receives.

[@timbacchus]

Hope it is all strong enough when all the antennas are on it.

[@mikeglass376]

It has one Channelmaster 4451 dish antenna on it for 18 months so far.

[@MaximusAurelius1987]

What is tallest tilt tower you can buy?

[@mikeglass376]

I have no idea…

[@nivid01]

Mate, that was dangerous! If you had pulled it past 90 degrees toward the post it could have fallen forward/twisted sideways and came crashing down, not to mention wind gusts which could also twisted it sideways with the same deadly result.

[@mikeglass376]

Not to be done on a windy day, definitely! I actually was more concerned about a cable failing and whipping about. That is why I use a remote control for the winch. You are correct to say it is dangerous.

[@bluefishbeagle1]

@@mikeglass376 I suggest you install a spring for the tower to push against the last little bit to would allow a more gentle last few degrees tilt to vertical lock .

[@mikeglass376]

@@bluefishbeagle1 thank you for your suggestion.

[@MaximusAurelius1987]

How many ropes and where did you attach them?

[@mikeglass376]

Two guy wires supporting the winch pole. One steel cable for winch attached 35’ up tower. Two pulleys used to cut load on winch in half. Tower is self supporting, no guy wires.

[@MaximusAurelius1987]

@@mikeglass376 I know tower is self supporting but since you have the wood pole there anyway, are you using it at all as a safety support for the tower?

[@mikeglass376]

@@MaximusAurelius1987 yes, I pull the winch cable snug which adds some support for westerly winds.

[@mikeglass376]

I prefer a crank up but you use what you’ve got!

[@MaximusAurelius1987]

@@mikeglass376 this is definitely safe for total novices: no climbing, no guy wires to snap because you did it wrong. I’m looking at Universal Towers 100 ft tilt tower. I’m going to put a 60 foot telescoping pole on top to get 150 or 160 (depending on how much I have to brace the pole). $5k tower $1.2k 60 foot fiberglass pole $ for guy wires (but not critical to integrity of tower) No $15k labor charge for tower techs.

[@Mike-bt8ct]

Hook your cable on tower up a few feet

[@theboogeyman826]

Have a question about tilt towers if you are familiar with them.

[@VadymVolodko]

UR5XEJ👍👍👍👌👌👌73 good luck

[@hillbilly4christ638]

You might be interested in ham radio. Just saying.

[@125southernnh2]

Milford?

[@EA1DDO]

Is the tower home made too?

[@mikeglass376]

No, but do not know the manufacturer. It has been around at least 20 years at a local high school.

[@MaximusAurelius1987]

How do you get it to go down?

[@mikeglass376]

I ran the winch in reverse after tilting it with a Jack.

[@ericzerkle8486]

Mine is much smaller but on a winch..

[@jmh47slc]

Now stick a Antron 99 on top and humiliate folks!

[@marinedad1775]

HOW FIF THEY ANCHOR IT?

[@mikeglass376]

Heavy duty clevis forks buried in lots of concrete.

[@juan-vm2mr]

What is the diameter of pipe?

[@mikeglass376]

I did not build the tower and do not have that information. I do not live near the tower and can’t make measurements until I visit it again.

[@FrankChurch-wt1jn]

Thats the way i did mine. So easy

[@mikeglass376]

@@FrankChurch-wt1jn great minds think alike!

[@dj_saint]

Milford Ohio?

[@mikeglass376]

Illinois

[@angeloandrada7800]

Can a person climb over

[@mikeglass376]

Please explain your question...

[@angeloandrada7800]

If for instance there is a need to change the antenna above (or maintenance), can you climb the tower or do you need yo tilt it again. And it can be climbed, how much weight can it bear?

[@mikeglass376]

@@angeloandrada7800 the tower can be climbed but I installed it so it can be tilted down easily. I have lowered it several times after the initial installation. I do not want to climb any tower for safety reasons.

[@scottrehak4076]

Did you run guy lines?

[@mikeg8116]

No, it is fully self supporting. I did buy guy wire as a backup and still have it. However, I did put 2 guy wires on the winch pole for extra support. I remove them after use to keep the yard clear. Thanks for looking!

[@roynorman3650]

Looking for advice for a tilt tower I have.

[@mikeg8116]

Roy Norman how can I help you?

[@roynorman3650]

@@mikeg8116 The tower I have is a crank up/ tilt tower. I already have a utility pole in the ground, that I plan to use to raise and lower the tower. My question is, would the pole next to the tower be enough support without the use of guy wires. I have seen setups like this before. The pole is 16 feet high, which would leave 16 feet of tower above top of pole. That would be leaving the tower cranked all the way down.

[@mikeg8116]

Roy Norman half way up the collapsed tower is a good spot, but whether it is sufficient depends on pole size, material, depth in ground, weight of tower and antennas, winch and cable rating. A quick way to see if you are in the ball park would be to have the tower and antennas tilted down and solidly supported underneath. Try winching the tower up a few inches so it clears all supports. If it holds for a minute you have at least the minimum required to raise and lower the tower and antennas. This is because the winch sees its highest load when the tower is parallel to the ground. If you want more confidence put a weight on the end of the tower that is significantly greater than the antennas and try raising it up. Be sure to stay clear of the tower and the winch cable in case something gives. It is important to have more than the minimum because winches and cables weaken over time. Please be safe! As a matter of safety I always use a sold support under a tilted tower before I work on it. As I said before you have maximum load on the winch and cable when the tower is horizontal to the ground. I NEVER trust a tower held up with a winch only. I am not a professional tower installer but have learned a few things along the way. I have three other tilting towers but none are telescoping. I think it is far better to safely tilt a tower than to climb it to install antennas.

[@theboogeyman826]

How big is the base?

[@mikeglass376]

5 foot on a side

[@theboogeyman826]

@@mikeglass376 I'm looking for info, on the size base I need for mine. It's a crank up that also tilts at the base. I was told, the base needs to weigh more than the tower.

[@mikeglass376]

@@theboogeyman826 I would refer to your local zoning requirements. There are many sources online to help with that. It is a lot more than just the weight of the base.

[@theboogeyman826]

@@mikeglass376 thanks for the reply

[@theboogeyman826]

How do you figure the load on raising cable?

[@igorkhv6929]

И ягу поставить на 7мгц))

[@mikeglass376]

Sorry, I cannot get a translation.

[@mikeglass376]

Found a translation! I do not have a 40 meter yagi to put up on the tower, but that would be impressive!

[@samcollins6393]

M

[@HillbillyRednecking]

How much does a freestanding tower like that cost to purchase?!

[@mikeglass376]

Don’t know. I didn’t buy the tower in the video.

[@williampeacock9473]

Please make a video with the antennas on the tower . Great job 👍.73 AE4OY William 🦚 EM-81UF

[@mikeglass376]

Search for “100 ft tilting tower with dish antenna on top”

[@jwnagy]

Is this still holding up 5 years later? Jeff. W3AAB

[@mikeglass376]

It sure is. It has been lowered and raised several times a year. We did take the top 27 ft section off a couple of years ago to put double 7 ft dishes on it.