TENSION THE DACRON (OUTER) ELEMENT TRUSSES
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1. First loosen all of the turnbuckles on the element trusses and apply anti-seize to the threads, this is important so that
you will be able apply tension to the truss later by tightening the turnbuckles to take up slack.
2. The Dacron may be precut to
336” for the 70ft element or 220” for the 50ft element.
3. Feed the Dacron through the thimble until there is ~8 inches of rope on the
“dead” side.
4. Open a double cable clamp and press the Dacron inside as shown.
5. Close the cable clamp (add the lock washers 60-0175) under each nut and tighten the nuts just enough that there is
friction but the rope is still able to slide through the clamp.
6. Pull the rope taught so that the cable clamp is close to the thimble as shown, then tighten the nuts on the clamp fully.
7. Pull the rope to the other attachment point: the 1/4 x
4” turnbuckle at the top of the mast.
8. Pull the rope tight and then cut it 12 inches past where it meets the
“eye” of the turnbuckle.
9. Repeat steps 3-6.
Make sure that you apply tension to the rope before fully tightening the nuts,
any slack left
in the line will need to be taken up by the turnbuckle (and Dacron likes to stretch!) before it can apply tension to the
line. The turnbuckle has only 4” of travel so if you leave too much slack in the line you might not be able to tension
the line appropr
iately. If this occurs, undo the turnbuckle, loosen the nuts on one of the cable clamps, pull the “dead”
end of the Dacron to apply tension to the line, re-tighten the nuts, and tighten the turnbuckle.
10. Apply tension to the Dacron rope by twisting the
1/4” x 4” turnbuckles.
11. Use a level to confirm when the element is leveled. Some droop in the element past the truss attachment point is
inevitable. Tighten until the fiberglass is level but be careful not to overtighten such that the element bows upward.
12. When the elements are level, secure the turnbuckles with the provided locking wire to prevent them from loosening.
13. Use a lighter to melt the loose ends of the Dacron so that the rope
doesn’t unravel and then wrap electrical tape around them to se-
cure them.
Electrical tape