The idea of using laminated wood poles instead of steel for antenna towers made salesman Don Simon say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“When the zoning people reject the steel, you bring out the wood,” said Simon of Mountain States Marketing in Loveland, Colo.
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. recently installed a laminated wood pole in the Loveland snow ski area after local residents resisted the use of steel, Simon said.
“Winds have been clocked there at 130 mph. The wood bends and comes back. Steel is brittle and retains its shape. The power industry has been using these for 36 years,” Simon explained.
Laminated wood poles are placed directly into the ground and no concrete foundation is needed, Simon said. A hole is dug or blasted, the pole is lifted and dropped in, then the hole is filled with crushed rock.
That not only makes the poles a one-day installation job, but less expensive to install than steel poles that require foundation, Simon contended. “You can put in a wooden pole for hundreds of dollars, instead of $20,000 or $30,000,” he said.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the wood poles are less expensive to buy. Some will be less expensive than steel and others more expensive, depending on the size. And because laminated poles may be heavier than steel, truck freight can run a little higher.
The poles are manufactured by Laminated Wood Systems Inc., which is headquartered in Seward, Neb., and has 17 manufacturing sites nationwide.
Laminated towers are fabricated using plantation-grown Southern Pine and Coastal Douglas Fir. No old growth trees are used, according to the company.
The lumber is kiln dried to 12 percent moisture content, killing all mildew, fungi and insects. Defects are cut out. Boards are laminated into beam shape according to plans from the network’s design engineers. Stronger lumber is used on the outside and lower-grade pieces on the inside. An internal cable guide can be provided in the tower prior to lamination.
The entire pole is submerged and pressure treated with Penta & Oil; drilled holes and cable guides also are treated. Because the pole is treated, it won’t rot in the ground and could have a life of 100 years, Simon said.
Towers 75 feet to 120 feet tall generally are designed in two sections, joined with a pre-drilled, clamshell splice. The company said shorter sections are easier to handle and more economical to ship. However, it is possible to ship one-piece towers up to 120 feet tall for quick installation.
The pole can be built with or without internal raceways in the T-shape, I-shape, three-sector configuration, a two-pole structure or a three-sector bell tower.
“It’s relatively inexpensive to fabricate into exotic shapes,” Simon said. Design to production to shipment time under 30 days is typical at this time, the company said.
