30' Aermotor Tower??

[Ron Stauffer]

The standardized Aermotor towers of 21, 27, 33 etc came on board 1915 and were called Easy to Build Up

Prior to the Easy to Build Up towers were 25, 30, 40, etc, although I have never seen a 25 only in a catalog listing. Prior towers were built using 20 & 10 sections with the difference being the full and half sections were added at the bottom instead of the Easy to Build UP using full and half sections at the top.

Prior towers had a lot of variations. Ladder was either pegs or the shorter 15" rung instead of the 16.25" on standardized. Lower X angle braces were either full or half section, rolled ends on both ends or just one, and some extended to the anchor leg that had 3 holes. I have seen twisted bottom lower girts so that the X didnt have to have the twist. Rod X braces could be the button head and keyhole slot and some rods were threaded thru the girts.

Your tower top doesnt have the nibs for a tower clamp. If it has 15" rungs also, it likely originally had an open gear on it. Hole spacing for the mast base was the same for open gear or oil bath masts.

That mast had the earliest 602 on it with the flat bottom case

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

Also some of the towers had cast steps that were about 8 inches wide and flat with turned up ends for a ladder.And while I'm talking about cast the original aermoter and very early bell hub had cast sail ties on the wheel

[Bryon]

...Your tower top doesnt have the nibs for a tower clamp.

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

Yes it does. Zoom in on the photo to see it.

[Ron Stauffer]

Yes it does. Zoom in on the photo to see it.

Bryon
I had zoomed in and looked close. Your turn to zoom in and look close. Those nibs are diagonal nibs for the long mast bolts. There are no nibs for a tower clamp as was the case for open gear tower tops.

Ron

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

The tower clamp that was on the early open gears was different it was two piece but was cast and flat. I'm taking down a early bell hub on a 40ft tower soon.Hopefully the clamp is still on it.

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

There was another tower clamp after the original that had two cast pieces part# T175 and two v bolts part#T176 that clamped the tower top that fit in tower notches.

[Ron Stauffer]

Two early open gear tower tops that are in my yard - no nibs in the angle and no clamp.

First generation clamps showed up some time mid open gear evolution. The corner brackets of them had a protrusion so they required the nib cut out on the tower top

o g tower tops.jpg

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

Ron the clamp i have with the two cast pieces and v bolts came off a bell hub tower and had the nibs.And the tower was original with cast iron steps.

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

Ron do you have the May 15th 1897 aermoter parts catalog they list the clamp that has two cast pieces T175 and two V bolts T176 like the one i have on page 88. Also the 1895 catalog i have has a silloet of a bell hub with the original cast tower clamp that i have pieces of.The same silloet is in chris gills book still turning page 49.are there homemade stub towers on your towers if not it's a mystery.