00/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E 30 FOOT LAND TOWER KIT For WHISPER 100 AND 200 WIND TURBINES Made in the USA by: Southwest Windpower 1801 West Route 66 Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (928) 779-9463 Whisper is a trademark of Southwest Windpower Inc.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E 30 FOOT WHISPER LAND TOWER KIT CONGRATULATIONS! You have just received the simplest, most economical 30-foot tower kit available for your Whisper 100 or 200 wind turbine. This kit is designed to be very easy to assemble and erect, however it is important that you read this manual thoroughly before beginning assembly. If you have any questions on proper installation or usage please call either Southwest Windpower or your dealer for more information.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Introduction This tower kit is designed specifically for the Southwest Windpower Whisper 100 and 200 wind turbines. To our knowledge this is the most economical and user-friendly tower kit available for the Whisper wind turbines. Two level, guy wire supported construction allows the use of lightweight tubing while providing plenty of strength, even in high wind conditions.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Raising a Tower With a Gin Pole A gin pole is essentially a smaller second tower that is used to gain the mechanical advantage necessary to raise your tower off the ground. The gin pole is raised first, with all of the guy wires on the front side of the tower (Lifting Guy Wires) attached to it. Ropes (“gin guy ropes”) are tied to the side anchors to stabilize the gin pole.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Pulling continues until the tower is vertical. One at a time, the lifting wires are then removed from the gin pole top and attached to the lifting side anchor. The gin pole can be removed and used to erect other towers or stored until needed later.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E 30 Foot Whisper Tower Kit Parts List Part Tower Base Upper Guy Wire set L Pivot Bolt and Nut Lower Guy Wire set 3/8” x 2” Bolts 3/8” x 3 ½” Bolts 3/8” Lock-nuts Cable Thimbles Cable Clamps Quantity 1 1 2 1 6 6 20 8 24 Part Quantity 3/8” Carriage Bolts 8 Tower Insert (included with turbine) 1 Pear Connecting Link 1 Rope 100 foot Tower Base Coupler 1 Gin Base Coupler 1 Gin Pole Top Piece 1 4 link Chain 1 Connecting Link 1 Please inspect the contents to se
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Necessary Items Not Included In This Kit: Anchors (explained further in the “Anchors” section of this manual.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E between your tower and the batteries it will be necessary to use a heavier gage wire to reduce the resistance of the wire. The power consumed by the wires can be calculated using the formula: Power = Current x Current x Resistance Since the resistance of the wire is directly proportional to its length, making the run shorter will dramatically reduce the amount of power “lost” in the wires. Please refer to the section on “Tower, Base and Anchor Layout”.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Pieces of Pipe Needed: (1) 13 foot (7.3 M) length of pipe for tower (wall thickness selected for local conditions) (1) 17 foot (7.3 M) length of pipe for tower (wall thickness selected for local conditions) (1) 15 foot (7.3 M) length of pipe for gin pole (.065” (1.6mm) or greater wall thickness) ***In some areas there are subsidies and grants available for installing renewable energy systems.
0/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E this case the two “side” anchors should be at the same height or elevation on the hill. The two remaining anchors should be directly uphill and downhill from the tower base. Be sure that the anchor points and base position are in a line when sighted from anchor to anchor. This will help to insure that the forces on the guy wires are balanced properly, make final guy wire adjustments simpler and will help a great deal during the actual raising of the tower.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E 5) Set tower base at desired location with lower pivot holes toward tower assembly direction. 6) Secure base with stakes or ½” diameter steel re-bar driven into the ground or bolts in concrete. Step 5: Guy Wire Anchor Installation There are four types of anchors that are most commonly used with our towers; screw in “Auger” type anchors, hammer driven “duckbill” anchors, cast concrete anchors and expansion bolts (for use only in solid rock).
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Augers depend on the ability of the soil to hold together for their strength. If augers cannot be screwed in, simply digging a hole and burying them will not work. We recommend buying augers, and if they cannot be screwed in properly, a hole can be dug and the auger can then be cast in the concrete. This will provide a good loop for guy wire attachment and make an excellent anchor in the concrete.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E point. One good tactic is to purchase either augers or duckbills and if they cannot be used as intended, then dig holes and cast them in concrete. Otherwise some other means of attachment must be created for the guy wires, such as a loop of steel reinforcing bar (re-bar) or chain. Holes for concrete anchors should be at least 24 in. (60 cm) in diameter and at least 36 in. (1 m) deep.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E For softer types of rock, such as sandstone or limestone, a hole 1-inch (25 mm) diameter and 8 inches (20 cm) deep can be drilled and an eye-bolt 5/8 inch (16 mm) in diameter cemented into it. The cement should be mixed just thin enough to pour and poured into the hole before the bolt is installed (a straw inserted to the bottom of the hole before pouring will help prevent a bubble from forming).
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E 3) Lay the tower pipe on the ground and locate the base coupler into the tower base with the clamping side of the coupler facing down. 4) Align coupler with the lower pivot hole in the tower base and install the pivot bolt through the base and coupler. Tighten the nut onto the pivot bolt so that it is snug, but not tight.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E tower pipe using supplied template. A tower drilling template is included as the last page of this manual. 11) Install the round tower insert onto the turbine’s yaw shaft. Tighten the two set screws to 4-5 ft-lb. (5-7 N-m) 12) Install the turbine electrical wires to the turbine using split bolts or solder. Insulate well with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E The rear wires length can be estimated by pulling them to a side anchor and placing a piece of tape on the wire at the distance of the side anchor. The rear wires will then be attached to their respective anchor at the point marked by the tape. This should make their length approximately correct when the tower is up (again these will be readjusted, so don’t worry about a couple of inches (5cm) one way or the other).
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E 2) Install the gin base coupler onto the bottom of the gin pole so that the pivot bolt touches the end of the pole. Torque the two pinch bolts to 45-50 ft-lb. (60-68 N-m) and withdraw pivot bolt. 3) Lay the gin pole on top of the tower pipe and locate the coupler into the tower base with the clamping side of the coupler facing up. 4) Align coupler with the upper pivot hole in the tower base and install the pivot bolt through the base and coupler.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual 8) Document #0027 REV E The 100-foot (30m) rope will serve as guy wires for the gin pole as it is raised. Tie one end of the rope to each of the two side anchors. Pull the rope tight from each anchor and tie to the lifting connector on the gin pole. A loop will hang from the gin pole if this is done correctly. Figure eight knots are simple and effective for the ends of the rope attached to the anchors and lifting link.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual 9) 10) Document #0027 REV E Prepare winch or vehicle and attach a lifting cable or rope from the vehicle to the lifting link at the gin pole top (lifting rope should test to at least 1,000 lb or 450 kg for safety). Run lifting rope or cable through a snap link or the eye of the anchor you are pulling toward. 11) Raise the gin pole manually until it is just past vertical and the lifting guy wires are tight.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Step 9: Raising the Tower Before attempting to raise the tower make sure that all side and rear guy wires are attached and that all cable clamps are tight. Also be sure that the two bolts on the guy wire hanger are tight. All bystanders should be clear of the tower base by at least 35 feet (11m) While tower is in motion 1) Move vehicle forward to take the slack out of the lifting wire. Slowly proceed until the tower lifts off of the sawhorse.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Failure to adjust the guy wires properly before raising the tower may cause the tower to buckle and collapse, seriously damaging the turbine and tower and possibly causing serious personal injury or death! 2) Continue forward until tower is vertical, stop vehicle, set brake, leave in gear and shut off engine. 3) One at a time working from the upper guy wire down, remove the lifting wires from the pear shaped connector and attach them to their anchor.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E 4) The gin pole can now be removed if desired. 5) At this point the tower should be checked for guy wires that are slightly too tight or too loose. Guy wires that are too tight will cause the tower to bow. If they are too loose the tower will usually sway back and forth a bit. The proper tension is where there is no tension and no slack. This is easily achieved by hand without turnbuckles.
100/200 30 Foot Tower Manual Document #0027 REV E Step 11: Lowering the Tower 1) Disconnect your turbine wires at the controller. 2) “Short” the wires together to stop the turbine from spinning 3) Reassemble gin pole and attach the lifting rope or cable to it in the same manner as when it was used to raise the tower.
Proprietary rights are included in the information disclosed herein. This information is submitted in confidence and neither the document nor the information disclosed herein shall be reproduced or transferred to other documents for manufacturing or for any other purpose except as specifically authorized in writing by Southwest Windpower. REV. NC A REVISIONS DATE DESCRIPTION sep 0 dec 3 initial release sheet resized APPROVED DAJ JGL 00 9. 8.378 212.80 0.375 9.53 4.516 114.71 4.189 106.
