Original article from: Wayne Sarosi 
 Reposted by Rob Dennis,Moderator HAM_TECH,for use of the FIDO HAM_TECH echo.
  THIS POST/SERIES NOT TO BE USED IN ANY CDROM COMPILATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL
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SUBJECT:  Tower modifications for redistributing antenna windloads.
 Many Amateur Radio Operators are restricted to a maximum size antenna 
ecause
of the limitations their towers have.
 The windload rating can cut a dream antenna in half because the tower is
rated for something about the size of a ten meter beam. But,that's all you 
an
afford so you take your lumps and settle for something less than you wanted.
 I had that problem and decided to do something about it.
 o I could purchase a larger tower.
  (BTW I finally had one given to me. It's still in the back yard).
 o Find a way to get the weight off the tower and on the ground.
  (Put the dynimite away!).
 Looking at the lastest ads,then looking in my wallet,then at my wife and 
ids
then again at my 9-in triangular crank up and 22-ft beam,then back at my 
ife,
I decided to to the latter of the two (gulp).
 How in the world was I going to relieve the weight from the tower and still
keep my beam up at the same height? That 9-in trangular crank-up wasn't going
to cut it in heavy winds. It was an accident waiting to happen.
 At that point I was working on my "I need a better tower" speech to my wife
and remembered some of my statics and dynamics from college.
 I checked on a couple of examples in the book and found that my idea would
work. The solution? A drive shaft/bearing modification. With the rotor moved
to base of the tower and a vertical bearing set situated just above the 
otor.
 The rotor would have no downward thrust upon it. All it would have to do is
turn the shaft. The bearings turned out to be easier then planned.
 Edmond Scientific Catalog had Lazy-Susan bearing sets for sale.
 I purchased the 1000-lb table type for about $6.50 each. After packing them
in grease,I was ready to install them.
 The drive shaft can be a pair of push-up masts for crank-up towers or water
pipe for fixed towers. The shaft is guyed within the tower by PVC tubing.
 Each tube is about 2-3 feet in length and I used three per forty feet.
 The shaft pokes out the top for antenna mounting. In my case,two sections of
the push-up mast poked out the top allowing me to work and mount a few 
HF/UHF
antennas.
 Here's the basic set-up:
              =================== 2m beam
                       ||
                       ||
     ====================================== HF beam
                       ||
                       ||
                      |||| - PVC tubing over shaft inside tower
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                      |BB| - Bearing
                      ||||
                      |RR| - Rotor location
               -------|--|--------
 o The rotor only turns the shaft - no weight on the rotor.
 o The vertical weight is transformed to the bearing near the bottom.
 o The weight of the antennas are on the shaft instead of the tower.
 o The towers sole purpose is to guy the shaft and the forces directed to
   the tower are distributed along the tower's length.
 This system has been working here for over two years.
-WS
--- GoldED 2.42.G1219
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