How to Lift a 20-Foot Wind Turbine Tower From the Ground

Large turbine towers can be lifted with the help of a gin pole.

Lifting a large twenty foot turbine from the ground requires the use of a gin pole. This pole is erected at the base of the turbine with a lifting wire through the top that is attached to the top of the turbine. Guy wires are also attached to the top of the pole and at the turbine anchor points. The lifting wire is then pulled by a truck, which pulls the gin pole down and the turbine up. The guy and lifting wires are then detached from the gin pole and used to anchor the turbine.

Things You'll Need

• Truck with hitch, pulley set up or people to pull up the tower
• Gin pole set (guy wires, gin base couplers, gin pole top, gin pole coupler)
• Lifting cable, chain, wire or rope (optional)
• Socket wrench

Instructions

1. Assemble your turbine tower lying on the ground. Set up all your anchors so when you lift the tower you can attached the guy wires to the anchors immediately.

2. Attach the side guy wires to the side anchor points. Anchor attachment varies depending on the type of anchor used for your expected turbine load and soil types. The instructions for your turbine should have a list of acceptable anchors for soil type and how to attach the guy wires. Someone should be at each of the side gin wires to guide them as the tower is pulled up.

3. Install the gin pole and guy to the tower base by attaching the gin base couplers with the guy wires to the tower base with bolts. Attach the gin pole to the base with bolts. Tighten with the socket wrench. Run the top guy wires through the top of the gin pole. Attach the lifting wire to the top of the gin pole if you are not using the guy wire only to pull the turbine up.

4. Raise the gin pole up so that it is at a 90 degree angle to the turbine tower.

   Attach all the remaining guy wires to the anchor points for the turbine.

5. Attach the other end of the lifting cable, chain or rope to the truck hitch and pull up the turbine. This should bring the gin pole to the ground and lift the turbine up at a 90 degree angle to the gin pole and ground.

6. Attach the lift cable to an anchor.

Tips & Warnings

• Always lift the turbine tower without the turbine attached first to make sure you have all anchors correctly in place.

References

• Other Power: Large 20' Homebrew Wind Turbine
• Other Power: Wind Turbine Towers
• Wind Energy: 80 FOOT LAND TOWER KIT