Radio Tower Collapses during removal

180' radio tower buckled as a 125' crane lowers it. The guyed tower was damaged during a storm and was unsafe to climb. A new tower was constructed next to it, and the old tower was demolished this way to reduce the risk of it falling into the new tower. Crews attempted to lay it down but it buckled.

[@timsexton]

Foreman to the crew... "Look guys, I will buy beers for the next month if nobody says anything about this little uh, mishap..."

[@ColtonPoorman]

who else thought that giant one was gonna collapse when they first saw this video

[@wwtf7180]

And I thought it was the big tower that was going to fall.

[@ProFriend]

This borders on "hold my beer and watch this." I've built over 15,000' of radio tower, so I know no one with any engineering experience was involved here. Towers are designed for vertical axial loads, not side loads. Lowered this way, the tower was going to buckle no matter what. They were just really lucky the sudden collapse didn't bring the crane down with it.

[@wientz]

I think I saw something like this on coyote and road runner when I was a kid ...It didn't go exactly as planned but it still went...kudos!

[@vk3crg]

Probably not the best decision to take the old tower down during a snow storm and associated high winds.

[@rocketraccoon1976]

+ vk3crg But it was warm & calm inside the office where the decision was made. That's what counts.

[@zacha8934]

Agreed but I doubt it would of collapsed if they didn't face pick the tower. Especially a good 50ft from the top

[@justicelut]

Amateurs. In a bad way!

[@johnsiders7819]

I wonder why they just did not pull it away from the new tower and cut the guy cables opposite I watched them drop a old FM tower that was 500 foot tall that way it fell right were they wanted it to .

[@MTTT-bl2uo]

I'm guessing a competent engineer was not consulted prior to attempting to take down the tower, because taking down a guyed tower in this way is pretty much guaranteed to end in failure and they would've known that.

[@homefront3162]

MTTT3000 no shit

[@davecarsley8773]

MTTT3000 Everyone is a competent[ish] Engineer in the pub come about 12:45.

[@rocketraccoon1976]

+ MTTT3000 But...but...his Trump U diploma said he held a Masters in Civil Engineering. And he was willing to do the work for $10.00/hr. He was a real find!

[@AlanRobertsarchitect]

Well, that would be a structural engineer needed here, not civil...

[@76NightProwler]

Them cables swinging ‘round like that, take your head clean off...

[@111111111Tiger]

At least the guy standing near the truck was smart enough to take off running. I was watching him to see how he responded.

[@dragonmeddler2152]

Had a job at an AM top-40 station in Kansas while in college in the early 1970s. When they replaced the old tower with a new one, the erection crew tried to save the old stick and the exact same thing happened. No surprise to anyone watching the process.

[@Harry-rr8yl]

That was dangerous to be around...

[@AlanRobertsarchitect]

Uh, let's all say "slenderness ratio." It doesn't take much common sense to foresee that. Speaking as an architect, I assume they decided to take this down on the cheap and sought no advice from a structural engineer.

[@pegbars]

Who didn't see that coming?

[@MitzvosGolem1]

horizontal force of leaning tower overloads the crane and can buckle or flip it. Crane load must be 100℅ verticals NO SIDE PULLING.(note angle of load line ) Irrespective of tower buckling. Just missed cab...lucky dude

[@davegawronik1654]

Love the black and white tv affect. Like watching the 3 stooges......

[@nakayle]

Anyone with any smarts would know you can't put a thin tower like horizontal without it buckling.' It was never designed for that kind of stress. The only safe way is like it was put up- section by section.

[@rocketraccoon1976]

+ Nathan Kayle Yessss, everyone knows that. Precisely why they did the unexpected and successfully fooled everyone! The hidden fox knows where the daisies are! 🦊

[@waswestkan]

The video notes had this to say; "180' radio tower buckled as a 125' crane lowers it. The guyed tower was damaged during a storm and was *unsafe* (emphasis added) to climb." Dismantling the tower wasn't an option. Then again most don't bother reading the video notes, before making their "expert" comments.

[@doak4886]

Anybody who had Tinker Toys when they were a kid knew that wasn’t going to work.

[@donaldsmith3048]

What did they think would happen? Don't know how good the tower was. But if it was still good it can be taken down like at a time just like putting one up. I have done that but if things are rusted it can be very hard to take down peace by peace because can't get things apart.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

This is why we drop towers in a controlled setting, its cheap, quick and purposely ruins the tower and antennas beyond repair so it cannot be resold or re-used.

[@6h471]

Idiotic. Reminds me of a couple of 'looks about right' ham radio disasters I've witnessed over the years, like trying to make a tilt over tower out of 70 feet or so of Rohn 25 or 45 with a couple of big beam antennas at the top.

[@ProFriend]

I was called in to "fix" a tower just like that. They'd managed to get it upright, but barely. I added extra guys to the tower, bolted the cantilever permanently in place (pinned the bolt threads) and removed the winch and cable. No more fold over tower.

[@davecarsley8773]

Who in the hell seriously thought this was actually going to work??? Physics anyone? I can hear the phone conversation now: *Tower Owner:* _"...Yeah, it's gotta come down. It's a bit over 180 feet tall."_ *Crane Owner:* _"Sorry bud, my tallest rig is only 125 feet... if I over-inflate the tires, stiffen up the suspension, and park on some 2x4s that is."_ *Tower Owner:* _"Damn... Well... would you wanna try anyway? I'm kinda on a budget here."_ *Crane Owner:* _"Uhhh... Well... it's really risky, but I guess if the tower is still structurally sound and the-"_ *Tower Owner:* _"It's not. It's already totally falling apart."_ .........[long pause]......... *Tower Owner:* _"Hello??"_ *Crane Owner:* _"Yeah, look man, I'd really love to help you, but I just don't think this is a very good... [glances down at his empty calender and negative checking account ledger]... day to do it. How's Monday look for you?"_ I'm actually surprised his boom-truck held up to the rebound forces (although who knows what kind of toll it actually took on it. I'm sure the owner had it inspected afterwards.... most likely by the guy who fixes the neighborhood kids' bicycles).

[@JulesBartow]

Dave Carsley I fixed a bike once. I can take it down.

[@rocketraccoon1976]

+ Dave Carsley Physics is the work of the Devil!

[@anthnchav9]

that's some hillbilly engineering, AWESOME!!!

[@Man0fMeans]

That poor damned tower

[@aaroncarlson8371]

I think it was a little too windy wasn't to be running that crane safety

[@JulesBartow]

Why go to the expense of bringing in a crane? Hook up a long line to the guy in the direction you want the tower to fall and pull while cutting/loosening the opposite guys.

[@davecarsley8773]

Jules Bartow Well, I would cite safety as a concern, but something tells me the guys in this video wouldn't think much of my hesitancy.

[@quickloris]

Don't even need to hook an additional line. Just cut the guys on one lane and the other two lanes are already tensioned. It will just fall between the two tensioned lanes. Easy.

[@acigarbar]

Amateur hour…

[@charliehowell7454]

I suppose that rushing mighty wind is better than no audio at all. Sigh

[@mikerayman8972]

I had a foreman that wanted to un stack a250 foot tower in one pic once he got fired when he told my boss that's how he was going to do it we tried to tell him before he ran his mouth but he just wouldn't listen

[@davecarsley8773]

Mike Rayman Sorry, but you should be glad your Foreman got fired, since as a result, you remain alive and able to type KZbin comments.

[@rippspeck]

That foreman surely would have lead you and your co-workers to an early grave.

[@gooball2005]

what?

[@blkdevelopment]

Mój świętej pamięci dziadek pracował przy tym maszcie aż do jego śmierci w 1985 r. na udar :'(

[@w9x7cv3vg6]

ps the twr itself was probably the antenna if it was a broadcast low band station

[@keithpurduecroft]

I would say it got removed.

[@kc4cvh]

If the tower were supported at two or more points, they may have had success.

[@tracyhawley8829]

Oops your all fired before it hit the ground.

[@ScottishNSRailFan]

Poor planning due to the weather conditions.

[@dhansel4835]

Looks like a bunch of amateurs trying to do the job. They should just pulled it over and let it fall.

[@richarde735]

offered for sale today is one 100ft… CORRECTION, that is two towers, one 60ft and one 40ft

[@w9x7cv3vg6]

it was probably goin to the scrap yard anyway...just let it fall...undo guy wires on the side of the new twr and let it go and man alive...that new twr is big,i thought for a few secs that it was tilting a bit in the video

[@marcelbenhur6230]

Il aurai fallu laisser les haubans sur 1 côté et le laisser tomber. Le grutier ne devait pas avoir beaucoup d’expérience. Car il est évident de prévoir le résultat.

[@sparky42]

I knew that it would buckle at the stress point cuz I did the same thing with a friend back in 1971. Very similar situation except our tower was only 90 foot tall. Same principle's of physics apply regardless of height. Oh well at least an expensive antenna wasn't on the top like it was on ours ! Good try though ;-)

[@davecarsley8773]

sparky42 You dumb, bro?

[@henrik8463]

Sometimes luck follows a sudden kind of mankind.. ;-)

[@fightington]

Woooo! I almost wrecked my crane my truck and my friend's heads!!

[@PInk77W1]

So tower didn’t collapse

[@sbjdare1958]

Two words. Saw zaw lol!

[@connorandrews6648]

Lit

[@tompatrick3281]

hate to be the bearer of bad news , but this is not the proper way to take down a tower, especially a Rohn 25 , or thats what it looks like. Even the crain operator should have known that .

[@danhorne3582]

They got very lucky .Enough said .

[@808pathfinder]

from the looks of it , it was pretty windy n i think i saw a cable or a rope break from the truck n it made a wave in the tower n broke at a weak spot ,sh!t happens

[@davecarsley8773]

808pathfinder No sir... To people of applied intelligence, this _"shit"_ does *not* happen.

[@808pathfinder]

the cable was arching from the wind still on the tower marking presser to the tie points making it wavy to cause it to break

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

I would have been extending the boom IN to shorten the boom this would also in turn let the tower down as well as keep the tower closer.

[@rupe53]

Gonna take a wild guess that his tower was very close to the transmitter shack and any other way of taking it down "free fall" might have damaged the shack, which they almost did anyway.

[@willrobbinson1]

cowboy's

[@Tester69_]

bruh

[@Texxx770]

Re Elect President Hilton!

[@clearingbaffles]

Ivan Kreipe what office are they lieing for?

[@quickloris]

Could have done it 10 times quicker, a t a tenth of the cost and a million times safer. Disastrous.

[@neil2385]

this video could have been only 5 seconds long

[@davecarsley8773]

Don Carbon The first 20 seconds show the entire collapse. The uploader was cool enough to show the part with the action right up front for people who aren't interested in watching the whole doomed operation. Yet, you *still* bitch. What are you? The internet's video run-time enforcement authority? Get outta here!