Guyed Towers
Guyed towers typically consist of a slender structure supported and stiffened by cables called "guy wires". The tower can be fabricated as a lattice type structure, typically solid round rod or tubing or it can consist of a single tube such as the one shown on the image at the right. Permanent guyed towers have 3 sets of guy wires arranged 120° apart. "Tilt Down" guyed towers must have 4 sets of guy wires arranged 90° apart. Guyed towers are very efficient from a design point of view. This efficiency results in a simple tower which uses a minimum of steel. The cost of a guyed tower is generally less than for other types of towers.
Tilt down guyed towers have a hinge at the base. A winch or tractor is used to raise and lower the tower. One advantage of tilt down towers is that no crane is required for assembly, so installation costs can be lower. Another advantage is that the turbine can easily be serviced without having to climb the tower. The tower can also be lowered in situations where severe weather, such as a hurricane, is expected. Aerostar tilt down towers are available with an electric winch kit so that raising the tower is so easy anyone can do it. Pull out a single pin and press the button on the winch and the tower is on the ground in a few minutes.
Guyed towers take more room that other types of towers because the guy wires are spread out from the tower base. A typical 100 foot tilt down tower has about a 70 foot spread at the base.
