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OTHER NEWS: Dateline: March 2004 New Tests Confirm that Fold Over Kits lift BIG Towers: Tests performed from February 26 to March 26, 2004 on actual 88 ft. and 120 ft. towers confirm the ability of our current Fold Over Kit design to lift large payloads. Our previous tests in 2001 demonstrated that our motorized Fold-Over-Kits could lift an extremely heavy duty 72 ft. tower with over 330 lbs. of dead-weight attached 4 ft. above the apex of the tower. We did further testing with taller towers to confirm that our mathematical interpolations of the earlier tests were accurate, and our expectations were satisfactorily met. Our smaller gearmotor (1105 in. lbs. output) lifted 60# on the end of a 120 ft. tower, whereas a new large gearmotor lifted 145# on the end of a 120 ft. (4.4 sq.ft. model) tower without any stalling or drive reversal. Both gearmotors easily lifted over 230# on the top of an 88 ft. tower. Some flexing of the tower occurs in the horizontal position before fold up, but the tension and displacement of the structure, of course, subsides in the vertical erect position. Stronger Gearmotors available at a reasonable price: Our new stronger gearmotors may be ordered at only $100 more in price than the regular gearmotor, which sells for $815. So, our super heavy-duty gearmotor runs for only $915. "Voltage Drop" may be the worst enemy: Like any electrically powered working device, our gearmotors require proper electrical service with minimal voltage-drop to work efficiently. Customers with generator-powered electricity or sub-standard wiring/electrical infrastructure may experience difficulty operating their motorized Fold Over Kits. Our gearmotors require near total efficiency, that is near 120 Volts AC electricity, to generate their specified torque output. Electrical lines that are distant from main facility power supply or perhaps generator supplied power, may experience what is commonly referred to as voltage drop. Any time voltage falls more than a few percentage below the specified voltage that a motor is designed for (in this case 120 Volts AC), that motor will experience a dramatic loss in efficiency. This effects gearmotors with a large drop in output torque, thus possibly rendering some motorized Fold Over Kits unable to lift specified amounts. Voltage drop occurs where insufficiently heavy enough wiring is used from main electric service. For instance, any time you use a long extension cord, you can measure voltage drop on its outlet, and this is more noticable if you are putting a larger amp drawing motor or appliance on the end. Sometimes this drop is overlooked because the motor compensates for the loss of voltage by drawing more amps. However, this is an unsafe and foolish game to play with any motorized appliance, as the additional amperage will sooner or later burn the motor and will not operate the motor to specified output efficiency anyway. Ask your local lawn-cutting professional who ever uses electrical lawn tools whether this is true or not. Then ask a motor manufacturer regarding larger motor efficiencies. Unfortunately, this problem can manifest istself in some areas of tower work, where consumer and commercial customers sometimes try to stretch their electrical service 'beyond its means'. Locations of towers are often located at some distance from main electric power sources. This 'stretching' of the power capacity in lines may not be noticed with the lower power needs of radio equipment, but will certainly be noticable when running 1/2 or 3/4 HP gearmotors. Always be careful when testing or working with electricity. Electricity has the power to damage property, can cause injury and even death! Hire a licensed electrician when installing new power lines.
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