WXLW 150 Monopole Tower erection

The Indianapolis "Communications Port", today completed phase one. Our new 150 foot cellular tower was topped off. In October the AM multi-station broadcast system will be complete serving at least 4 broadcasting stations with dual audio backup and total power backup.Then in November the 190 foot Cellular/ Broadcast LP FM tower will go into service. This is the first of its kind "Communications Port" in the nation serving AM, LP FM, cellular, microwave and community WiFi antennas on 20 acres in near (city) Indianapolis. Once again we are ahead of the curve for 2020. This is a Hood/Crider project. We have been a Christian Faith Based, Broadcasting and Technology company since 1996, serving the world from home base in Indianapolis to Central America, Colorado, Florida, and Papua New Guinea.
Engineering by Graham Bock, LBA Group, Tower Works, Saber tower, World Tower, Nautel and Broadcasters General Store.
All new towers, all new fiber, a new power to the site. We have moved from 1948 to 2015 in 90 days.
Only the best for Indy. There is no site that can offer you the future, today!

[@davidca96]

I have major respect for the guys who build and work on towers, so dangerous but so vital to our civilization these days. I work in a boom truck at heights no higher than 41ft so im used to it, but climbing those things like that would rattle me for sure I dont like climbing on the outside of things where you can fall backwards. I could climb a large tower if I stayed inside it not on the outside, its a mental thing I think.

[@scottywisely6180]

I've done a whole lot of this as a crane operator and if you think he's just going to let it go you're wrong. It don't work that way and he knows it. If that pole slides together but is turned wrong he will not be able to pull it apart. But most of all he has to protect that man up there at all cost. He will not hurry for you the boss are anybody else!

[@martyspargur5281]

LOL after your comment I was the fourth one to click on Boom Up

[@cabbyhubby]

People that sit behind desks all day don't realize what it takes to do this kind of work, fine job by these men!

[@digger105337]

As a retired crane operator, I think you're confused about why the top section was not lowered when you thought it was lined up. The operator is taking directions from the person in charge of the lift, he just can't lower it because it looks good to you.

[@robozstarrr8930]

your comment was way too kind . . . ( mindset like a typical corporate jerk! )

[@maynardjohnson3313]

Sure he can, shoot from the hip and let 'er rip.

[@grumpyg9350]

Just lower it already.......😳👌

[@rickstandal626]

All the early cell towers were mono poles, we assembled them on the ground with platform and did a single lift. We built a lot of those in the early 80's. Thanks it was fun to watch and remember.

[@ethanlamoureux5306]

All the first cell towers I saw in my neighborhood were 400-plus foot triangular guyed towers, mostly Rohn 80. They went up in the early ’90s. Each tower had to cover about a 10 mile radius. There were a lot of dead zones.

[@jamesboberg]

@@ethanlamoureux5306 Wow, are you serious about there were a lot of dead zones? No trees or what??

[@ethanlamoureux5306]

@@jamesboberg No, dead as in no signal. There were (and are still) lots of trees, and the trees absorb the signal. You can’t expect cell towers to cover a 10-mile radius with a useful signal!

[@peterharmer4444]

Commentator done a lovely job

[@peterharmer4444]

Yes supa

[@turbojoe2]

Highest I've helped put up were 30m Light poles. Same construction, but we would assemble it on the ground and lift the whole thing onto the base. I was a 1st year Electrician at the time. Great experience!

[@rayburns3031]

So that's how they put up those monopoles, great job guys!

[@geniemcguire6328]

Amazed to view in 2015 that "sleeving" is a manual process achieved by a 'dogman' with a pair of reigns. Design a system of tapered (curved taper) guiding brackets that are fixable by the dogman on 1 side such that he can pull the upper level into this "gate", and also use rope attached to catch pins on the upper level, then hooked around to guiding bracket can lever the upper section into place. This leverage is fine-tuning. Simple engineering required here.

[@SuperAWaC]

they do have towers like that but they are more expensive, this is the absolute minimum cost option in the video

[@tiredoldmechanic1791]

The ones I've seen have alignment guides bolted to the base of each section. It saves a lot of crane time, which is very expensive.

[@MsJinkerson]

the guy on the tower is a hell of a lot braver then me

[@tonys2794]

Excellent job by all and incredible nerves of steel by the tower climber.

[@jeffreynichols8391]

They installed a 180' monopole on my property about 25 years ago and they did the lift in one assembly. The sections were assembled on the ground and the come-a-longs used to pull the sections together were left on during the lift by a 200' crane. They didn't have to worry about lining the sections up with the wind blowing them around that way.

[@miguelmunoz5068]

Amaizing, very hard work , congratulations

[@zadvindersingh4234]

If they place three taper guides on the top of first pipe it's lot easier to slide down the second pipe. And take less time.

[@nivid01]

Yep, exactly what I was thinking.

[@tomoakhill8825]

I worked for years in a GM press metal shop. Our dies weighed 120,000 lbs. The die-setters bolted them into the presses with nuts this size and they had standard crescent wrench that would fit those nuts at the bottom, and as seen at 9:40 in the hand of the man up the tower. There is no possible way to get the torque on those nuts using a pipe wrench. A pipe is threaded with a *taper* such that it does not need high torque for a seal, thus a pipe wrench is adequate. But not here.

[@roncrider]

Where where you when we built this???? We needed you!

[@kenjohan]

"We have a little wind blowing here..." Yes, that can easily be heard all the time.

[@rkelsey3341]

If only there were a muffling device to put on the microphone to cut out the wind noise. Oh wait! You mean there is?

[@kenwhitney9146]

Great show! That high man is amazing the camera man, not so good. I love watching these videos!

[@kenwhitney9146]

@The Oracle you take maxine as the face to represent you while you lecture me on my punctuation?? See what happened there? No capitalization or punctuation to express no respect, especially for a loudmouth lowlife like maxine! Haven't you got anything better to do? Like embezzling the hard earned money of black folks?

[@jddr.jkindle9708]

No problem here - experienced radio tower guru here. ....

[@tomoakhill8825]

Bolts and nuts that size, if they are ASTM A490-Type 1, have a minimum yield strength of 315,000 pounds, and there are twelve of them for a total of 3,780,000 pounds. Each bolt and nut has a technical specification for the amount of torque that yields the result the engineer wants. It is not easy to get that correct in the field, and I suppose that either it was omitted from this video, or they just went by the sear-of-their-pants as shown.

[@dougankrum3328]

Yeah, I'd expect about 8 foot long breaker bar and a BIG socket.

[@towerbeast3873]

We go by ansi and Tia structural standards in towers sir... but yes they are doing it wrong but we do have a tool designed to torque them to Tia specs.

[@lhr1701]

They do make torque multipliers as well as hydraulic wrenches just for this type of application .

[@flyboy61b]

I've never seen anyone plumb a 150-foot tower with a level. We always used a plumb bob.

[@towerbeast3873]

We always use a transit for the base of the tube and a 2 ft level for the nuts underneath we would shoot every other nut with the transit then lay the level on those nuts and run the others up to the bottom of the level once done all the way around we set the base then stack the rest of the tower not gonna plumb the rest of the the pole as it draws from the heat of the sun

[@flyboy61b]

Thanks.

[@mikegregory2535]

I would just stand back bout 2 feet and look over my extended thumb with one eye.

[@ernestthomas5281]

not in that wind.

[@Nyck461]

Steve Cottrell I thought the same when I saw the guy leveling with a level. Are this guys professional? Does the contractor know how to do this job?

[@mugnumps7910]

Chase me around parking lot with a loaded gun, still couldn't get me to climb that tower.

[@esperanzacuni7200]

😁😁😂😁😁😁😁

[@neillindenberg282]

The worst part about climbing these is not the tower swaying... It's when people have pulled their cables up and routed them down with cable ties and then they don't cut them flush so u get cut...

[@PeopleAlreadyDidThis]

The 48 inch level was only for setting temporary plumb. Once the entire 150 feet are up, they’ll use a 72 inch level for precision finish work.

[@digger105337]

Can't, its tapered. You have to align it with a plumb line by sight or survey instrument. Also base is NEVER 100% square to centerline no matter who manufactures it.

[@aircommuter]

@@digger105337 would work if you know the taper angle.

[@theHBauer]

Yes Ronald, the crane mast gets hot from induction if you have an AM transmitter nearby (what do you think the detuning skirt does?)..... A little forethought to have the station engineer go to partial power would have saved you the delay and would have been safer for all involved. Just saying...

[@vimeel4420]

The man at the Top is so brave.

[@af4od02]

Thanks for the video. I like towers

[@davidwatsonii9469]

i worked every phase of this kinda job, i started with the drilling company, then got on with the installers that mount the equipment, then got in with the companies maintaining the equipment

[@astroliight2224]

Nice... free climbing at its finest!

[@lsellclumanetsolarenergyll5071]

wow is really is some wind hitting there .... not an easy job. Good work guys.

[@barrykery1175]

I can't believe they only used a pipe wrench to tighten the base bolts. A slugging wrench with a 16 or 20 pound sledge hammer or a hydraulic wrench would have been my choice. Barry

[@Ivansgarage]

They forgot there, Cresent Wrench

[@andrewwilson8317]

Bit surprised to seeing the guy use a pipe wrench to snug the base down. Would of thought they would have a torque wrench and socket to do it? Pipe wrench would work if in a bind but certainly not from new ! Certainly would not let myself be filmed doing it! Chews up the galvanising on the nuts.

[@Nyck461]

I noticed the same. Pipe wrench, as the name said is for pipes.

[@neckarsulme]

Lowest bidder maybe?

[@johnsiders7819]

wanna upset the cell people walk in a store and place a 2 inch galv nut on the counter and walk out LOL .

[@tomlangley140]

It's initially hand tightened in order to get the perfect level. Once the base is set perfectly the bolts are then mechanically tightened down to a specific Torque.

[@Goldarr1900]

Tom Langley I agree. The guy wasn’t giving it all he had on the bolts, he was just tightening them just enough for them to hold the pole.

[@rayjones3212]

On W. 56th, just West of Georgetown? I'll have to wander over to that side of town and take a look sometime. Well at least you had good clear weather to get this done in.

[@jimw2707]

The Warsaw Radio Mast was a telecommunications tower located near the town of Gąbin, central Poland, and the world's tallest structure at 646.38 metres (2,120.7 ft) from 1974 until its collapse on 8 August 1991...There, now that puts 150 ft in proper perspective.

[@1stevenj83]

Love the camera man saying the crane operator needs to hurry lol. He not the flagger or the operator just worry about that wind noise on your future vidz

[@Nyck461]

Almost at the end of the video, the guy at the pole is working without safety harness. Is he crazy? It is a dangerous job.

[@Incognito-vc9wj]

I’ve designed thousands of cell sites using these things for mobile carriers all over the country. First time I’ve seen one getting set up. Always used Sabre tower or American tower.

[@dbx1233]

Stop being modest, you've designed millions of these.

[@MrJonah53]

Interesting video, APART FROM THE WIND NOISE, oh I'm sorry was I shouting.

[@jaymorrissey7072]

Never, ever, try to tell a good crane operator to hurry.It ain't happenin.

[@earlharman2040]

USF Hollland, I used to drive for their sister company, USF Bestway. Cool. Good job guys.

[@NotSoCrazyNinja]

I wonder how difficult it would be to erect a similar type tower on my property so I can have a nice viewing platform of the surrounding area.

[@MrIgottap]

Picnic table with Spotting scope and a couple sand bags. Ultimate deer stand!

[@davemassie3726]

Perfect 5 G tower.

[@PicaDelphon]

Nice Job, but the Wind Noise is killing my Ears..(MUTED).. Good Job, and Yea, Just Love Timing of Karma on a Tower Build....

[@rodwallace6237]

Watchable if you skip ahead each minute or so.

[@billcoley8520]

Man cut you a wrench out of steel to fit those bolts, get rid of that damn pipe wrench. And while your at it get rid of that one armed lineman

[@billcoley8520]

Richard Driskill dude I was a high-line lineman for many years. I know exactly what I’m talking about and I know exactly what you are saying. Only thing that is need in the beginning is a wrench cut out of a plate of metal that fits the nut and can be hammered on . This operation looks like rookies

[@illusiontv92]

Of all the towers Monopoles are my least favorite to climb... Just something about them throws me off any others feel this way from time to time?

[@theHBauer]

Like when you think you will be smart and climb the shady side and discover it is beyond vertical from thermal deformation?

[@martyspargur5281]

It's because the tube bulges out between the two sides that the pegs are on, like it's trying to push you off. Not like climbing a ladder at all.

[@DanielGouldingnavy]

Geeeezzz could you turn a bit further into the wind and completely destroy everyone's hearing

[@hotpeppersrcool]

Yep. They make these things called "windscreens" - and for a reason!

[@winterwoodcottage3425]

LOL So how do you plumb a 50' tapered pole with a 6' bostich level ?

[@dougankrum3328]

It would sort of work if you checked it at maybe 4-6 different 'clock' positions...

[@insitejp]

Scott 1 you level the nuts before you put the bottom section on. This will make the base plate level. If the base plate is level then put the washers and top nuts on and tighten them down. Tower will be plumb. Quite simple process. You can also use a transit or theodolite. Putting a level on a tapered tower will not work.

[@darrellstrickland8388]

@@insitejp smart man! built these mono poles for long time lot dangerous than your standard guy tower especially when you put the top cap on

[@darrellstrickland8388]

@@insitejp probably not a good person to have as ground man if he didn't know that!

[@insitejp]

Darrell Strickland I have been doing this type of work for the last 25 years and can tell you first hand that there are a lot of people in this industry that shouldn’t be.

[@j12torts]

I bet all the new guys are the ones told to climb up there after the first section is erected haha

[@FreeStuffPlease]

Nah I doubt its the new guy but I bet when that guy is on the ground he doesn't do shit. At least if that was me I wouldn't lol. Hopefully he wasn't one of the guys in the beginning tightening the bolts.

[@dougankrum3328]

I'd make a few comments about this tower, but Hey, what do I know.... I worked at Jam-Pro Antenna in Sacramento, California (1997-2000). We made TV channel 2-13, and UHF antennas. Lots of RF waveguides too. 6" by 20 foot .120" wall copper tube...Brass flange connections TIG welded on there. And some big-ass rectangular aluminum waveguides...more miles of TIG beads....3 guys 10 hours a day, then 2 more at 10 hours a day on swing shift... I welded up the 160 foot 'Spike' that is on top of the Patronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, and our RF technician went there to install and tune 64 UHF antennas... I also made a couple cell-phone towers 80 feet tall....16" heavy wall pipe, 2 sections 40 feet, inner sleeve type connection, not tapered like this one. We didn't make very many towers, that was mostly done right down the road at Magnum Towers..... Right down the road at Walnut Grove are a few tall towers, one is 1,500 feet with a 105' triangular platform, and 3... 2,000 foot towers...

[@eldonweeks2969]

L0

[@towerbeast3873]

I've always leveled the nuts underneath before setting the pole works much easier... And they also make a beater ring that goes over the nuts with a square head on it meant to be tightened by hitting beater ring with a sledgehammer

[@James_Bowie]

Props to that crane operator.

[@all-profastenersinc.1524]

Do not tie off on Steps Bolts when climbing. There are not meant for fall protection! Very dangerous! See 12:35 mark on video.

[@thomasharding7771]

personally when we stack these its a 50' SRL attached at the top and clipped on the bottom before its lifted, not sure why they are free climbing it...

[@ethanlamoureux5306]

Oh, I wouldn’t complain about his tying off to the step bolts after he climbs with no fall protection at all. If I were his boss I would fire him for unsafe climbing. The problem as I see it is that there is no proper place to tie off for fall protection. If it were me, I would probably be using my positioning rope looped around the pole as fall protection. Yes, I know it’s not designed for that either, but there is nothing there other than the pole and the step bolts.

[@TingILi]

Outstanding !!!

[@SoupyOatmeal]

This entire video is the equvilent of the three stooges erecting a radio tower , pipe wrench , carpenters level on tapered tower , guess you get what you pay for.

[@martyspargur5281]

Not criticizing but where the tag lines are half hitched to the pegs, tape the tails up to the pegs after tying them on so they don't interfere with or get caught in the sliding taper. They could jam up the joint when they're hanging loose and long. Just hitching them on with shorter tails is too risky, they are tied on correctly. Oh, and don't forget the silver dollar set in a blob of caulk on the middle of the base before setting the bottom section!

[@kenmunn4421]

A wind shield over the microphone would have been nice. To plumb it up with a transit level would have been a better idea. Always enjoy watching this stuff. Cool video_

[@EllwoodSunnell]

Brings back many memories.

[@throttlebottle5906]

i don't know why they don't have bolt on "open" cone shape rebar cage inside the sections to guide them in very close and keep aligned. climber would still need tag lines for final alignment, it would be within a handful of inches offset and the wind couldn't blast it all over as wildly.

[@pyrotash]

Looks like this is their first time at pole installation.

[@michaelkim4251]

After the horizontal level work is completed, and then the post is assembled. Also, a person hanging on a pole must secure another hanger. Another safety line should be secured.

[@johnvandiver598]

Jabberjaw, has never done this before................amazing

[@peter9180]

A second crane with a basket would have been helpful.

[@dougdiplacido2406]

You would think that they would have a custom wrench to tighten the bolts instead of a pipe wrench that messes up the nuts. I give the tower climber credit for having guts-he is in a real dangerous place. If the engineer that designed it would have tapered the very top of the sections so they would not be so hard to align, it would be a lot easier on the installers. If the shirt and tie had to be up there, I am sure it would have been designed differently.

[@gewglesux]

They do have those custom Wrenches... i've seen em... I don't know why there wasn't one here..

[@BoogieButts]

there hammer wrenches we had closed and open ones.

[@michaelcrowley7330]

We call them slam wrenches

[@davep6977]

I've done tower work. If they had a small tee pee frame, maybe 3 ft tall sticking out the top. Maybe 3 or 4 legs that were removable from inside _> O_

[@bebo5558]

Those nuts are hard enough that little wrench isn't going to hurt them. They still might do a final tightening and leveling with a transit after they get it erected. They probably only had the crane for one day and want to get it all up.

[@parthbiswal]

Fantastic 👍👌👌

[@johnmal801]

The climber don't get paid enough

[@MitzvosGolem1]

Had same Grove crane. Should make top tube slightly bell mouthed to ease insertion.

[@Bass.Player]

If I had to climb that tower there would be a brown streak all down the side to the bottom..

[@PAPATexas]

lol, for sure

[@johnbrewer9833]

So you would go up on your own and come back down with ginger Marx! Honest bloke though, I am no good at heights....

[@Rajithaaa]

Super

[@wajidyoutuber4555]

wow very good work my dear i like it keep it up

[@fabianvasquezjr8852]

I have one of those every morning! Haha someone had to make a joke about the title right?!?!

[@rpv9271]

A cherrypicker next too it would be easy and more safe

[@geoffhazel2]

Cameraman gets distracted and misses the critical moment when the top piece slides down. grrrrr....

[@USSBB62]

Geoff your so right. To bad you can't thumbs up more than once. But look at the count. GRRRRRR......

[@FreeStuffPlease]

Seriously he had one job 😆

[@RobbieHatley]

Actually, the videographer _did_ capture that moment. You can see the top third slide down into place during the five seconds from 22:50 to 22:55 . The reason it's not as dramatic as the sliding of piece 2 onto piece 1 is that piece 3 is lighter than 1 or 2, and doesn't have any weight pressing down on top if it, so doesn't need to slide down as far.

[@Inkling777]

The upper sections might be easier to install if each included a bolt-on and removable cone to guide it into place. Then the alignment could be close rather than perfect. That or perhaps the guide rods that others have suggested.

[@broph71]

Why did he put a level on the side of first section of pole? It is tapered. You must use a transit on every anchor bolt nut before you land the tower. They most likely did this and didn't show it but the level attempt on one side doesn't help... Good job stacking guys

[@getredytagetredy]

They are called Nelson studs and are outlawed in about 30 states

[@Darnic-Fab]

I amazed they use a 4' level to check for plumb.

[@roncrider]

Good pont!

[@kornami8678]

Little or no climbing safety equipment. That's a death waiting to happen.

[@markshropshire5995]

Free climbing is never the answer.

[@nioskzrinz9626]

very good worker and supervisor.. NO FUCKING SAFETY GLOVES.

[@dixiemay1996]

Seen the title and thought what? hubby is on here? :)

[@jamesrindley6215]

Nice professional job until the guy got the Stilson pipe wrench on those nuts - c'mon guys, surely the budget would stretch to a proper spanner.

[@eltigre249]

If you look closely, I think you will discover that the pipe wrench has no teeth and so in effect is an adjustable spanner. 8:22

[@JustSnapper]

Torque value? German torque me thinks.

[@lt4324]

@@JustSnapper goodNtight!

[@MrBen527]

@@eltigre249 I'm not sure about that. Kind of hard to tell

[@martyspargur5281]

They got one stilson and one pipe wrench. Surprised you don't recognize that it's a TORQUE Stilson, you can only find those at flea markets anymore.

[@kondwanijelenje6066]

There were supposed to be tug lines from the ground guiding the top sections surely.

[@throttlebottle5906]

I wonder how it's working out and holding up today.....

[@rhymeandreasoning]

these men are amazing !!!

[@geoffreylee5199]

rhymeandreasoning but the idiot chattering away needs to shut up.

[@newdogatplay]

they should put 2 bolts /pins on either side of bottom sections to throw the guide ropes around to alighn the top post on their setup so the man on the pole guiding the top post only needs to keep tention on the guide ropes instead of him tryng to guide the top post himself ,witrh a eye or bolt put on each side ,the post would be drawn straight down with the guide rope as they sld thru the eyes ,hope i explained good enough

[@jamesvandamme7786]

Gotta be a better way than how they did it

[@daqt6079]

Good job fellas!

[@libradacastro5248]

Good,,,bless,,,fellas,,,great,,,job,,,safety,,,harnest,,,together,,,family,,,new,,,workgear,,,go,,,shopping,,,go,,,go,,,

[@davidhsloan8732]

had to laugh using a six foot level on a fifty foot pole yep its plumb boys

[@BoB4jjjjs]

Holding the level on the side of the pole was pointless, it tapers!!!

[@eltigre249]

What happened to him? In other words, "Where'd he go?" (Vertigo) How long before the aircraft warning lights are installed? Only 150 ft? We have trees taller than that here.

[@ethanlamoureux5306]

Unless you are near an airport there is no need for lights until you get over 200 feet.

[@robertcooke1266]

I would use a wind sock over your microphone, a good film destroyed by wind noise. And, using stilsons to tighten the base nuts is a no-no should be using proper size socket to apply the correct torque!

[@TomandJerryGamescartoon]

Wow..wow.. I like it!

[@wickednine2886]

Holly shit the crane did what?

[@larry785]

That pipe wrench is going to bust when you torque those nuts out.

[@mattcampbell3105]

As long as the base bolts are level that's all you need. No second checks are needed. But if you wish to look important have at it junior.

[@throttlebottle5906]

so, you expect the base to be perfectly square with a giant column jutting from it and that to make it perfectly vertical :)) half of thousandths of an inch at the base would nearly equal "feet" of lean at top of base column and worse the higher you go...

[@johnnysaltyaircrabcake8030]

A.M. RADIO LIVES,, they said it was a Lost signal..lol

[@jandejong6498]

Sometimes i have a scary dream. [by the way, excellent video quality!] Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@AhmedAhmed-fe4mb]

Good

[@POLOAZTECA]

That is some big nuts...

[@lorenwilson8128]

A pipe wrench on a nut? Seriously, just spend the money on a real Williams wrench and socket set.

[@coastwiseable]

Is this tower erection crew professional? Why in hell are they using a Stillson Wrench on a nut?

[@MrBen527]

You people and your "trade" names

[@WBDavis01]

@@MrBen527 It's generic talk & names, like Kleenix. Many companies make stilson wrenches, and that's how they are known to both DIYers and professionals. Be happy, stay well, live long.

[@MrBen527]

@@WBDavis01 yes I know. That's what I'm saying about trade names

[@hahnkf8111]

Socket wrenches are gay

[@johnnysaltyaircrabcake8030]

why isn't there guide pins on the next piece to guide it down onto the base...

[@chrisbaker2903]

Would have been very nice if the camera person had shielded the microphone from the wind. I lose a lot of what he's saying to wind noise.

[@richardbriley3151]

That. Supergrunt was RIGHT. ON.He will make a difference. If you LISTEN. 1 is too many in a WEEK.

[@micglobal]

Not very professional using a pipe wrench. Proper spanner wrench and / or socket would be appropriate. He's chipping the protective coating off of the nut. There looks to be a ding/ dimple in the tower base section too. He's putting a carpenter's level against the base section for plumb. Is the base section tapered? Who are these guys?