Here is my trick: I pull up the next section when I am on the ground. Get it 'close' to being the right height for installation. Lift up the follow-on section about 18" off the ground and tie the pull rope to it. Now, when you get back up top, you have a natural counter-balance, which allow you to move the section up top around easily with one hand. With the top section, you WILL need the equivalent dead weight of some kind. I have installed any number of towers by myself, including my 140 footer. Also works with Rohn 45. 73 Glen K4KV

Great ideas for effective gin pole construction. Also the two-pulley advantage on weight reduction was genius. Yep, I learned something watching this video. Thank you!

Ran across your videos yesterday while trying to learn towers for ham radio. Thank you for making videos that show actual expectations and practical use. I learned far more about the process from you alone than I did from anyone else. Now I may be able to get over my fear of towers falling, trusting gear, and maybe my fear of heights. God bless!

IM a professional working towers every day (some as high as 1600+’) and do arena rigging on the side! Fu*k what the haters have to say bro! WELL DONE!! You got the job done the best way you could and got $$$! Keep up the good work buddy!!👍👍💯

I used a homebrew gin pole bought it from another ham. I used it successfully many times and was thankful that I it. Trying to schedule others to help me when I had time to do antenna/tower work was often in conflict. The gin made it easier to erect the tower and disassemble. I also used a scissor jack for disassembly of the tower sections. The scissor jack provides equal force to separate the legs. The only regret I have is climber's belts like the one you are wearing were not available at the time I was doing my tower work. Good to see that you had your scissor jack connected via a wire rope. Anything not attached to you or the tower that falls to the ground will cause damage to objects or persons below (of course your ground crew, should have one, shouldn't be standing directly below the tower while you are working). Good video of solo use of proper equipment and safety procedures.

Dude you remind me of Lowell off the old show wings! Brilliant! Thanks for taking the time to make the video.

I'm more likely to tune my piano than put up a tower because I'm a fat lazy slob that makes comments to KZfaq videos and I don't even have a piano but I think this video is GREAT! I actually did use a 2x4 with a pully as a gin pole to put up a giant cross wrapped with Christmas lights 60 feet up on top of a friends tower but that was before I was in a bad car crash.

Good ingenuity. I have been playing on towers for over 28 years, and back in 1988 I was removing a tower for a friend in Ft Myers, and had no tower jack with me to separate the oxidized legs at the swages, so I got creative, just like you, and used the scissor jack out of my new '88 Samurai. You are correct the scissor jack was so much easier, and quicker than using a "tower jack". I still have it in my tower tool box. I also put my 77 ft tower, in Cape Coral, up by myself. Last year I put up my new tower here in central Alabama, I put the first 3 sticks up using a 2:1 pulley system. A trick I used, was using a Prusik knot to tend the slack. Therefore I pulled sections up, and the Prusik held them, then I climbed the tower and seated the sections...123 easy. Keep up the quick thinking. I also use a home brew gin pole.

This guy could make 1000$ per day easily if he wanted. If anyone in Ontario can do this as well as this guy hit me up. We build towers but none of my guys are near as capable as this.

Almost three years ago I went into a baptism class, and God got ahold of me with it. I had already been baptized around eighteen years earlier, but had since lived a life of sin and hurt others, and reoffended. It was like God picked me up, and drew me to that day when the baptismal would be open, and I also would be raised in newness of life. During that time from the class, to the baptism I was a wreck, the idea of being baptized again was inconceivable to me, I didn’t understand why. I also began to understand that when I was baptized the first time I didn’t know what it symbolized, only that it was an important step in our walk of faith. So I did it. Eighteen years later, God picked me up and dropped me there again, except this time with the knowledge of why it's important. And what its meaning is. I went around asking others about their experience, and why they got baptized, and what it meant to them. Did they change, etc. There were times I was in tears searching for answers and direction and meaning from Gods word, he had put such a stronghold on me. It got down to the wire, and I was hiding out in a back room while the rest were being baptized. I had to be brought there by the Lord, and when I went under he had to bring me there, under the water and into the grave, to be raised in newness of life. I jumped up out of the baptismal, I was happy and I didn't even take the stairs! I jumped up and out, over the side and went around happy, hugging everyone while I was soaking wet.

I have almost same rig but 16 ft 2” 1/4 inch aluminum pipe clamp system 1/4” angle iron with welding fingers and hinge threaded rod and wing nuts used it 40 yrs rohn 25,35,45,55 198ft tallest. Always fasten your belt or harness with second line before unfastening first line. Best practice. Watched guy above me go flying by who failed to do so.

Great video! Kudos to the wife for the great job of running the camera!

That sir is how the pyramids were built. Love the video ❤

Good video on using the gin pole and the pulley system. Thanks for posting. Really appreciated as I needed to see, real life, if what I have done to the top of my tower is right for removing and installing new antennas. My gin pole is clamped "permanent" at the top of the tower (it can be removed) with a sliding section of TV antenna mast at the top to reach above the mounting point which is my rotor.. My heaviest antenna is around 25 pounds. Stay safe.

Great video and info. I like your use of ingenuity and the material available. I am the same way. I use what I have because I'm not the rich Hami Hami that only knows how to spend their money for the best of everything. Here's to the common man making it happen. 👍👍 ✌

Great video! I can tell the wife is very excited about it all! Lol. Thanks!

l have been putting up and taking down towers for almost 40 years and all l ever used is a homemade gin pole made of two steel pipe one . the upper half made of 1 and 1/2 inch welded in to the lower half 2 inch making it 14 feet long with two steel rods bent in to hooks that fit over the z bars and another steel rod bent in to a loop at the top to mount the hook pulley in to . l bent it one time while installing a Lazer 400 vertical and horizontal directional beam. afterwards I found a forked tree and stuck the gin pole in the fork and straighten it right back. homemade works great like you said cheeper too !

Awesome, I was searching for a solution to raise my tower alone. Thx

USED THE JACK SYSTEM TODAY INSTALL THE LAST SECTION OF TOWER WITH ROTOR AND MAST .SOLVED THE PROBLEM THANKS

Extremely informative way of tower assembly, thank you for sharing.

Very good video and impressive installation. Thanks for putting this video together.

Nice set up - I did a bit of tower work back in the day - made up a gin but was not using it well as I had to strong arm the sections up another foot and into position. I miss that work but the people I worked for were Aholes so I got out and never went back to that type of work. Stay safe. Cheers, Patrick

Thanks for taking the time to film and post this video! It was very helpful.

The bolts holding the pole are 2 in, the ones to the tower are inch and a half

I like your attitude. Very blunt.

I call it working smarter not harder. good job

As A retired professional tower erector with a company out of Park Ridge Illinois /Stann and Associates I'm amazed more of these self made experts aren't killed or injured we would never consider using any tools of the trade that are not designed specifically for the purpose some of our gin poles had to be certified by a structural engineer before we could do a job.When you are erecting or dismantling say a 1500 foot structure or even a 50 foot structure the last thing you want is an equipment failure case in point where the tower crew was raising the top half of a TV broadcast antenna and the U bolts on the homemade gin pole snapped and the falling antenna snapped the guy wires and 4 workers lost their lives. Heres a little saying from erectors FALLING IS NOT AN OPTION and more than likely you will only fall once. I had a friend that fell from 30 feet and died

You sir, you are a genius !!!!!!! I've learned more in 14 minutes from you, than anyone else out there over the past 10+ years. Thank you!

Good job,doing that by yourself takes lots of energy and patience..

Great video, don't pay attention to the haters or "Know it all's". I have made my own GP, 40' pushup mast with permanent GP, AND Towers myself as well! and really not that hard at all. It just takes a bit of time and patience and not only do you feel the accomplishment but you also save a ton of $$$$ doing it yourself (now I sound like Geico, lol). Thanks for posting this video, 73 DE KD6SBR

Good climbing skills and able to use tools at height..... Good job. You will be in need for field day and portable ops.

Every day, and around every corner we have a choice for wisdom or foolishness, good or evil, for God or for the enemy.

Lazy? Perhaps NOT. Working SMARTER , not harder is a gift.

My rohn 25/45g gin clamp won't fit around larger diameter tower legs. This idea of using the heavy duty antenna clamps will help me take down a tower this coming weekend. Maybe take a couple extra minutes, but will get it done!

If this guy had EVERY piece of safety equipment and was using it flawlessly, there would still be people b*tching about how he's going about things all wrong.

Spec for Rohn Gin Pole. Head to Home Depot Overall Length: 12' Pole Diameter: 2" Pole Material: Aluminum Min / Max Tower Leg Diameter: 1.250" / 1.250" Sheave Diameter: 2.500" Sheave Groove Diameter: 0.375" Weight: 22 lbs Use with: ROHN 25G or 45G Tower Rope not included.

gin poles are basically strong aluminum antenna masts, essentially. I've done amazing work with them.

Excellent instructional video. Thanks!

You do make it look easy. Thanks for the help

Extremely helpful video. Many thanks.

Thanks , nice video I learned what i need to know for my next 60 foot tower

Wish I had someone like you around central ky.

6:22 "Ive got the two nuts in my pocket"....SO DO I 😁 [great video, thank you!]

I bet this dude could crack a walnut in one hand.

I like your Jack. Nice video. Thanks for posting.

Excellent video showing all of us how to be safe !! He does excellent job but he makes it look easy but which it's not. Great video for tower installation!

come to PR and install a tower for me please ... I'll pay you and ground crew; travel, meals and boarding... must bring along 4 sections of 25G and ginpole in a suitcase If it got to do with a tower... you'll get it done keep climbing Chuck, is what you do best. :)

Nicely done. A lot of great info in your video Thank you.

Thanks for your video very helpful!

Obviously not specific to the task, but something like a Petzl Grigri would be nice for raising the next section of tower. 30 pounds is easy-peezy to pull, but what happens when a gust of wind or a wasp comes by and you let go of your hoist line?

This is awesome, where do i find those clamps, and what pipe did you use for your pole?

All i can think of is White Goodman from Dodgeball. This is comedic gold!!!!

Sir, great tutorial. You said you are working with Rohn-20,, which I have as well. If I have the bottom section cemented on a pad, what is the max height you have done with Rohn-20? Mine will be free standing it secured to a building at 12’. Very small windload antenna (Diamond X510) fiberglass vertical design.

Can you please tell me how you built your gin pole Please

Where did you get those clamps at

WOuld love to see your insurance docs..

Nice work, you make it look easy, which I know it is not.

What is the name for the bottom clamps. I need to source them but I don't know what to ask for.

Turn the camera to landscape for a better view

lol, this dude is great.

Was always fun to work on top of a tower on a windy day... not!

Great video I like your style .

I'am Your Newest Subscriber In Florida I Love My Antron 99 Antenna I Just Got A Used Ground Plane Kit For My Antron 99 At The Hame Radio Fest 25.00 US

Great video. I've built the same this week. Question: are you using two single pulley's, if so how did you configure ?

I really need some advice, looking for a gin pole. Needing one bad, if you have any plans on building one. I would be willing to purchase them. Are the cheapest place to buy one a pretty good one. Thanks please respond

I feel like that gin pole should be a foot or two taller so that you aren't totally maxing out its capabilities every time. Wouldn't have to worry so much about miss aligned eye bolts either if it were a bit taller. Or am I missing something?

Eat your Wheaties in the morning and you won’t need a 2 to 1 pully. LOL. Great video thanks

You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish! :)

Thanks for your insight !!

The average person today would say “Could you come show that one more time.”

Nice work man.

I’m here because my internet company said I need a 40 ft tower to mount there equipment. I’ve seen some of these towers that have a hinge on the bottom and you winch them them up and down in one piece. Doesn’t it make more sense to fo that rather than climb it every time ??

Too Good this video and helpful

Put up several of those towers, never used a Jin pole just rapped my legs around the top section pulled up the next section and stuck it on the lower section, could not do it today, to much muscle gone and old age!

Well I learned something. If it were possible to use quick release axles from a bicycle wheel on that gin pole clamp, think you would still need to carry the ratchet?

Where are you located? I need a tower dissembled and reassembled in another location

Where can I buy those clamps for gin pole

Where can I buy one at?

How many feet deep is the concrete and is it a special mixture of concrete?

But how do you tune a fish?

Belle manœuvre !!!👌

Thank you for the video!! You make it look easy. Doing anything this week end? lol

Nice job.

Good information

Nice work

Nice vids, you helped me a lot, thanks.. Louis Tully

well you can tune a piano but you cant tune a fish!! 73 good video

Must have missed what the length of pipe is.

Napoleon dynamite.

Time Index 7:03 Matthew 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen

that's pretty cool.

sick bass line at 2:42

Awesome stuff thank you Man

that same storm took out my 80m dipole and hexbeam

Thanks Brother!

Impressive!

What kind of antenna is going on that tower.

Where did you get the gin pole clamps or what are they called?

No hardhat, no work gloves, no steel tip work shoes and no fall arrest while climbing. This guy is a serious tower incident waiting to happen! Try standing on a tower for more than ten minutes with the jogging shoes he is wearing!

hey do you have a list of parts you used?