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How do I get a siren off the pole?

Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:05 am
by Evan Vander Stoep
Ok, just to make it clear. I know where I can get a siren and how to purchase it.
(Of course I'm not giving out the details until the whole deal is complete)

The siren is a Thunderbolt 1000 but the issue is how to get it off the 30 foot or so pole its mounted on.

What kind of equipment do I need to rent? You obviously have to get up there to undo the mount to the pole and attach a belt to lower it down.
I can't get up there if I rent a crane and I can't lift it down if I get a cherry picker.
(I'm not sure how much it weighs and if the cherry picker can support it. I also need it to be able to lift enough to get the blower onto a trailer.)
What equipment can I use to do all those things and not have to hire a licensed operator?
How much should I expect to rent this equipment?
Also, can the blower be disassembled into manageable pieces so I don't have to have a crane to get it off the uhaul trailer when I get it to its new home?

Keep in mind that I also work in the radio communications industry so I have experience with tower climbing and rigging climbing gear.

Thanks for the help! :D

Re: How do I get a siren off the pole?

Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 6:09 pm
by Ohio_Man
Your best bet is to take the siren off in parts. Start with the horn and rotator, then blower pipe then blower itself.

You're going to need a crane/boom/cherry picker with the appropriate weight capacity. Thunderbolts weight about 1000LBS all together, heard horn and rotator assembly is 300.

If you need further ideas there are siren removal videos on youtube.

Also take your time and if you are uncomfortable doing this alone see if you can get a company to help. I had a plan to get the Deer Park sterling M10 down and I had the money to rent the boom and all the permissions but then my truck couldn't safely pull the boom and Also covid happened.

Re: How do I get a siren off the pole?

Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:57 pm
by OHIO Desperado
This is NOT something you can do by yourself. It's simply not possible. You will need a pole truck with enough capacity to carry the siren and the pole safely to the ground. And you need to be sure that you can take the pole. It the pole needs to remain in place, you will need a crane and a bucket truck. The crane will be needed to lift the head off the to and the bucket truck for gaining access to the top of the pole to get the head unwired and unbolted. Once the head is safely down then you will need to remove the blower if it's also pole mounted with the crane. The pipe is last. Don't bother trying to save the pipe or conduit. Just get new pipe later. But it will also need removed.
Since you are asking how to do it, expect it to take all day. So rental on a crane and a bucket trunk for one day. Operators for both. You are looking at thousands of dollars. It says in your profile that you are a two-way tech. I would get with the company you use for antenna / tower work and get a number from them. They are going to have the proper equipment to do the job and do it safely. Your only other option is to rent a 80 foot man lift and take the head done a piece at a time. The horn, horn bracket, rotator, motor out of the gear head and then the head. I would guess it would be 4 days of work. The blower is the harder part because the motor and blower are very heavy and lifting them into the man cage will be a chore. It's possible though. You might get the rental for the lift with the delivery and pickup for just under 2 grand