This 400 foot FM tower was in bad condition and had to be removed. The top 60 feet was Rohn 55G bolted to an adapter plate. It was removed in on pick using our 116 foot 2,000 pound aluminum gin pole. The rest of the tower was taken down 40 feet at a time.

The “Headache Ball” is a 200 pound steel plate specifically designed for removing tower sections. When rigging a tower it helps bring the winch line back to the ground. It has connection points on each corner to attach to a tower section.

Because we had to “grab” the top 60 feet below its top, we hung the headache ball at the bottom of the section to help with balance.

Top section on the ground

Most of the gin pole is on the bottom of the trailer. The tapered portion is the top section of the gin pole. The winch line comes up through the center of the pole and over the top sheave (pulley). Called the “Roster Head” in the trade, it is mounted in a set of bearings so it can rotate 360 degrees.

A crane was used to remove the gin pole and last sections of tower.