Zero for 12 - Finally a "YES"

[RT-Cat]

On the way out of town to a friend of mine's house, I drive by a big dish and have looked a time or two and finally took the time to stop and ask. A nice "little old Lady" was working her nice garden and we had a chat about it. I then asked her if she was using the old dish. She stated it has not been used for many, many years and was a bad investment her husband had made. So, I asked if she would like it removed. She said YES.
We went over and took a look. The square frame was rusted, the actuator was rusted, and the pole was rusted also. The mesh dish material appeared to not have any "coating" on it. Bare material. Not a spot of rust anywhere. Name plate read "Wingard". It looked big to me. May be a 10 footer. No camera with me at the time so....
I told her as soon as I can get a friend to help, we would be out there to remove it. Only have to cut pole off at the concrete line so she can cut the grass. I sure wish I had one of those dish remover tools many have shown here. Would make this job simple.
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Also have another that has one of those "movers" that has gears showing I can have. Only problen it is on top of a 20-25 foot pole along side of a house. Haven't figured how to do that one.

RT

 

[toucan-man]

Only problen it is on top of a 20-25 foot pole along side of a house. Haven't figured how to do that one.

Meow!

 

[rv1pop]

If you have a local outdoor lighted sign company ... Their cranes can lift it and set it done at the street -- as you cut the pole off. Probably cost more now, but if I could match their schedule, getting light poles up or down used to cost me $25 or a case of beer (the only beer I ever bought!)

 

[KennyR]

Congratulations!

 

[RT-Cat]

If you have a local outdoor lighted sign company ... Their cranes can lift it and set it done at the street -- as you cut the pole off. Probably cost more now, but if I could match their schedule, getting light poles up or down used to cost me $25 or a case of beer (the only beer I ever bought!)

I had that in mind when I was looking at a Paraclipse Classic but the owner just could not let that one go thinking of what he paid for it when it was new.
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The 20-25 footer is on back side of house and no way to get a crane in there.
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I am more interested in the one the "little old Lady" has that is almost on the ground.

RT

 

[rv1pop]

The sign truck boom we "rented" was a 90 foot boom! It could reach over a service station to put up or take down signs. Max load weight was about 500 #.

 

[FaT Air]

Maybe fashion something along these lines http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-satellite-discussion/231576-jin-pole.html
Or some inspiration from this http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...61497-lifting-10-bud-into-place-question.html

 

[cracklincrotch]

The bud I'm using right now I felled like a tree. It was up 20-25' or so. Tied a rope around the mount and had a friend pull on it gently to make sure if fell the way I wanted. Then I cut the base of the pole on the side opposite my friend. Once the dish started to fall, I stopped cutting. Dropped in slow motion as the last of the metal that wasn't cut slowly bent. We disassembled the dish and finished cutting the pole off.

 

[RT-Cat]

The sign truck boom we "rented" was a 90 foot boom! It could reach over a service station to put up or take down signs. Max load weight was about 500 #.

Here, that would cost $150.00 and a truck load of beer.

Maybe fashion something along these lines http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-satellite-discussion/231576-jin-pole.html
Or some inspiration from this http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...61497-lifting-10-bud-into-place-question.html

I was thinking of the ladder idea since I have not yet decided to build a good "dish remover."

The bud I'm using right now I felled like a tree. It was up 20-25' or so. Tied a rope around the mount and had a friend pull on it gently to make sure if fell the way I wanted. Then I cut the base of the pole on the side opposite my friend. Once the dish started to fall, I stopped cutting. Dropped in slow motion as the last of the metal that wasn't cut slowly bent. We disassembled the dish and finished cutting the pole off.

While we were looking at this tall dish, your process was brought up. It still may be considered.
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Going after the "nice little old Lady" dish later this week.

RT

 

[Keystone7]

Hey, Great find RT-Cat.

 

[RT-Cat]

Well we went out to the dish today with all the tools and then some. 90+ degrees! When you get East of Custer Michigan and away from Lake Michigan the temp goes up. A friend of mine and I took it down today. Real short of time, gotta get to work, so only a picture or two. More when I get some more time. I still wonder just what that dish is made of. we could pick it up and it really wasn't heavy. It is a ten footer. Not me in picture.

RT.

 

[Magic Static]

Nice! That's a Winegard Pinnacle perforated. I have one on an AJAK. Very good dish, very deep dish .28 FD ratio.

 

[RT-Cat]

OK, I found some more time. I don't have any "take down" pictures because the friend that helped me was "uninterested" and I wanted to get the job done ASAP. We took the button hook off and pulled the Thomson mover. Turned the dish to one side and had it then very close to the ground. We pulled the top two frame to dish bolts, the left and right side sets, and then one of the bottom ones. That allowed the dish to swing to the ground. Took out the last ss bolt and let the dish down flat. Took off all other stuff and cut the post off at cement level. Owner did not care if the concrete was removed. Lots of rust on most of the parts except the dish. Will "play" with the mover today to see if OK.
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MS and Rowdy - Since you have one, what is this dish made of?
I have read that button hooks are not the best for stability. Questions would be if building a three or four arm mount would be a good idea? Another would be would changing from my 8 foot orbitron to this 10 footer be worth the work?

RT.

 

[Magic Static]

The dish is aluminum. Very well built. As button hooks go, that is a a real short one becuse of the deep dish. So more stable than the longer ones. My dish was converted to a quad leg Check the links in my signature.

 

[wallyhts]

Nice find.

Enjoy!! It's unreal how much is on c-band

 

[RT-Cat]

Thanks MS for the dish info. I remember following that great display of dedication to this "hobby."
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I also noticed the picture of the dish at the old owners location showed that it already had the four rod amp mount. I would like to convert to that if (a big IF) I decided to change out to this bigger dish. Not sure if I would paint it or not. Would be "nice" to know the lenght of the rods, but I guess that could be calculated.

RT

 

[primestar31]

Thanks MS for the dish info. I remember following that great display of dedication to this "hobby."
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I also noticed the picture of the dish at the old owners location showed that it already had the four rod amp mount. I would like to convert to that if (a big IF) I decided to change out to this bigger dish. Not sure if I would paint it or not. Would be "nice" to know the lenght of the rods, but I guess that could be calculated.

RT

I guy-wired and turn-buckled an old 11 foot buttonhook feed dish in the '90's at my old house. It worked fine, without all the hassle of installing pipe feed legs. You just have to make sure you get the wires all equidistant, and slowly tighten the turnbuckles back and forth until they can be played like a guitar, and the feed is perfectly centered.

 

[turbosat]

Nice find RT-don't know how anybody could call that a 'bad investment' lol. I have the 7.5' version of that Winegard, very good dish, though mine is a bit small. I parked it on 103 for DW tv. Mine has the 4-leg feed support though, came that way.
They seem to be well made dishes.

 

[richyrich]

OOOOHHHHHH YA! Unit worth $3,500 in today's commercial market. Just picked up one last month, worth the drive? I was just driving out in the country myself, saw somebody next to a big old unused dish; stopped, said I would give him $20 to remove it; and it is mine today! solid 8 foot Wilson, lnb 950-1450 bad; old uniden motor arm (wanna know how many I put of those in); out in the country, gold mine there for the offer. Great deal, hope you answer working next post you make!