Any experience with roof mounted tripods?

[ClemsonSCJ]

Sorry guys but I feel like I have a question for each face of my shack setup. I’m down to buying the last few things I need (wife’s wanting to save up for a kitchen remodel so I’m having to do the Johnny Cash “one piece at a time” method). Next item on the list is the tripod to mount the antenna. I’ve been primarily looking at the Rohn 5ft cause I plan to use a 10ft fence top rail as my mast, and eventually maybe add another one in the future to make it a 20 footer (guyed of course). With shipping it’ll be right around $100ish. I don’t mind spending that much, and the Rohn seems to be a pretty well respected brand, but I can’t find any specs listed about this things as far as what they’re rated for. Granting I know there’s no way for them to have “weight limits” cause that’s going to vary with mast length, antenna weight, surface area (wind), and endless combinations of those 3 things. But the antenna I’m going to be using for now is just a DBJ-1 so the weight of a 5ft stick of 3/4” PVC is all I got at the top of this 10ft fence rail. So wind drag will be pretty minimal. Also, rather than having the tripod support my mast 100% by itself, I plan to use something like this ( Heavy Duty Roof Mount for Masts up to 1-1/2" OD - EZ 19 Antenna Mast Peak Mount https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012X8PPA...abc_G29MQPGD6RBRN825K3D6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 ) to attach the bottom of the mast to the apex of the roof. This should assist with taking a lot of the leverage/torque off the tripod itself.

So all that taken into consideration, my options are a Rohn 5ft tripod at $90, a Rohn 3ft at $70, or an EasyUp 5ft at $50. Again, I’m not trying to be cheap so if I need to go with the Rohn 5ft that’s what I’ll do. But if anyone has had any experience with the EasyUp and can’t tell me a significant different between that and the Rohn, then a $40 savings would be awesome.

 

[ClemsonSCJ]

Here’s a link to the EasyUp tripods I’m looking at (next to last and last ones are my options):

Easy Up Tripods - Antenna Parts Outlet

Tripods & Roof Towers by Easy Up, Inc.

www.antennapartsoutlet.com

Given my setup plan I may need to go with the last one since the bottom support is a thru-hole rather than the supporting cup of the next to last one. But I can always take a hole saw to it if I’d need to.

Here’s a link to the Rohn tripods:

ROHN Tripods -Antenna Parts Outlet

Antenna Parts Outlet has ROHN Tripods & Tripod Hardware for sale. UPS Shippable! 3' or 5' Tripods available.

www.antennapartsoutlet.com

Looking at these, I can’t see where the Rohn would be any better or worth the extra $40 over the EasyUp.

 

[ka3aaa]

if you screw something down to the roof you will need to water proof the area where it is screwed or anchored down otherwise it will leak, You would be better off buying wall mouinted brackets that you mount on the house wall under the eves or over hang, Nake sure that you buy ones that longer than the width of the overhang. If the overhang is 16 inches deep you would need 20 inch brackets. Mount a pipe to the bracket and extend it above the roof with the antenna mounted on the mast. done.

 

[ClemsonSCJ]

if you screw something down to the roof you will need to water proof the area where it is screwed or anchored down otherwise it will leak, You would be better off buying wall mouinted brackets that you mount on the house wall under the eves or over hang, Nake sure that you buy ones that longer than the width of the overhang. If the overhang is 16 inches deep you would need 20 inch brackets. Mount a pipe to the bracket and extend it above the roof with the antenna mounted on the mast. done.

Yeah I’ve already researched into that. They sell the tar pads that go underneath the feet of the tripod and when you run a screw through it, it creates a waterproof seal. I also plan on adding a ton roof tar (caulking) on top of it as well just for good measure.

The roof mounted version is super solid and done right, there’s no risk of leaks. If I go the wall mount direction I’d either lose about 10ft of altitude on my antenna or I’d have to do the additional 10ft of mast in which case I’d have to start running guy wires, which would also require me to drill anchors into the roof.

 

[nd5y]

if you screw something down to the roof you will need to water proof the area where it is screwed or anchored down otherwise it will leak,

If found that out the hard way one time.
I even thought I was smart because I caulked around the lag bolts and tripod feet. A few years later I found out the wood was nearly rotten around the bolt holesbut it didn't leak enough go get all the way through to the ceiling.

 

[ClemsonSCJ]

If found that out the hard way one time.
I even thought I was smart because I caulked around the lag bolts and tripod feet. A few years later I found out the wood was nearly rotten around the bolt holesbut it didn't leak enough go get all the way through to the ceiling.

You can’t just caulk around the lag bolts cause that’s not where water seeps in. It seeps in underneath the feet of the tripod. That’s why they make the tar pads that go underneath the feet. When you run a lag screw through them it seals around the screw and when the screw tightens down it simultaneously squished the tar pad to create a seal against the shingles and the feet of the tripod. There’s essentially no way for water to get in. Do some additional caulking around the whole thing and it’s impossible to get a leak.

 

[mmckenna]

You usually need to add some bracing under the roof sheathing. Simply running a lag bolt into plywood and hoping you hit a rafter isn't a good plan. You'd need to drill the holes, put some sort of 2x4 in there and either use lag bolts or throught bolt it.

This is one of the reasons I went off my chimney and the gable ends. Nothing to leak.

 

[ClemsonSCJ]

You usually need to add some bracing under the roof sheathing. Simply running a lag bolt into plywood and hoping you hit a rafter isn't a good plan. You'd need to drill the holes, put some sort of 2x4 in there and either use lag bolts or throught bolt it.

This is one of the reasons I went off my chimney and the gable ends. Nothing to leak.

Yeah my plan there was to run the lag bolts in without the tar pads to get a reference on the underside where the bolts are going to go, cut a 2x4 to fit between the rafters and anchor it somehow (either buy some brackets from Lowes or run screws through the side of the rather into the ends of the 2x4). Then rerun the lag bolts into the 2x4 with the tar pads installed. This would give the added surface area of the 2x4 plus it would be anchored to the rafters as well.

 

[mmckenna]

Just make sure it doesn't leak on your wife's new kitchen.

 

[ClemsonSCJ]

Just make sure it doesn't leak on your wife's new kitchen.

😬

 

[N4GIX]

It's been a long time ago so I don't remember just what 'brand' of tripods I bought and installed. However, I've had two of the 3' tripods up on my roof for nearly 30 years. They came with the tar pads, and I sealed the feet and lag bolts with additional tar.

One of the tripods is holding a dual-band 2m/70cm vertical on a 10' mast. The other tripod is supporting a 19' Comet mono-band GMRS antenna also mounted on a 10' mast.

 

[ClemsonSCJ]

It's been a long time ago so I don't remember just what 'brand' of tripods I bought and installed. However, I've had two of the 3' tripods up on my roof for nearly 30 years. They came with the tar pads, and I sealed the feet and lag bolts with additional tar.

One of the tripods is holding a dual-band 2m/70cm vertical on a 10' mast. The other tripod is supporting a 19' Comet mono-band GMRS antenna also mounted on a 10' mast.

Good to know. I’m probably gonna go with the 5ft EasyUp since I can’t see any difference between it and the Rohn that would make it worth paying nearly double the price.