It’s not often you run into a “game changer” as Guy Bonifas of Montgomery, AL calls his new invention. As a construction manager with Crown Castle for the past six years, Bonifas has had a front row seat to the trials, tribulations and dangers involved in gin pole usage at tower sites.
“After witnessing numerous tower crews fight with the new heavier multiport antennas,” to get them into position on the sector mounts, he told Inside Towers, “ I started thinking how much safer and easier and cheaper it could be if we take the crane out of the equation.” He began designing the device in 2007, with some quick sketches on an Office Depot pad (see above). Eureka! The Spartacus Gin Pole was born.
“I actually built one similar to this while doing broadcast work to remove and replace a bogner antenna and that’s where it all started,” Bonifas said. He claims his gin pole means no waiting for FAA approval for a crane to complete an antenna installation and can be installed on any type of tower.
“Even if it’s installed at the top of the tower it will not exceed the authorized FAA height,” he said. The Spartacus will require a Class IV Rigging Plan to use and should be out of fabrication in a couple of weeks.
Source: Fryer, J. (2018, Sept 4). Tower Construction Manager Invents “Game Changing” Gin Pole. Inside Towers Magazine. Retrieved from https://insidetowers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Tuesday-September-4-2018.pdf
I agree with this article completely. This pole is going to change the way we do things in this industry. It’s going to make installations much safer without the need for cranes on site.
Guy,
I would like to provide my honest input on your new design for gin poles. I have had a chance to review the drawings you provided at length and feel this is going to change the way we approach the installation of the new heavier antennas and rrus required for the LTE expansions. I am not saying that is the only benefit for these poles, but it is a huge one for us. For example when at the top of a tower and doing a mount replacement or even a multi carrier add it would normally be a crane site or require a large and cumbersome gin pole to be mounted which is often just not feasible for many reasons. With this new gin pole and its more compact design the mounting and use of the pole will be much faster, safer, and efficient rendering the use of a crane unnecessary. They will not only be useful at the top of the tower even at lower levels mounting a fully assembled LTE antenna with rrus attached is often a difficult task due to the side pull from being offset from the tower. The new design allows you to rig up and put you pole directly over the position you are working making it a direct pull allowing antennas to be mounted with much less stress on personnel. This will not only up production but more importantly will lower fatigue and increase the safety of the entire operation. Safety being the top priority for us at SKT this is a huge factor for us. I personally cannot wait to put this new design to work on our sites. I look forward to the day we get our hands on one.
Guy,
We at NIS are excited to try the new Spartacus Gin Pole. The simple design and ease of installation looks to help it be an integral part of our day to day operations. Our crews will surely appreciate a tool that helps combat their struggle to overcome the daily issues that arise when trying to install equipment with minimal headroom. With the constant increase in both tower overloading and safety regulation, it is nice to see a product be manufactured that reduces the stress inflicted on the tower while also increasing the level of safety and reducing the likelihood of injury to the guys on the tower. We look forward to getting our hands on one and putting it to good use as soon as it is available.
Thanks,
Can’t wait to see this thing in action. I could envision how the Spartacus gin pole could improve efficiency and save the project $. A practical design to address everyday challenges in the industry, good work Spartacus!!!
Looks like an absolute game changer. As a climber I can say something like this is long over due and highly welcomed. Can’t wait to see it!
Guy
I see this as a absolute game changer with all the mount change outs coming up….Can’t wait to see this gin pole in action!!!
Guy,
I would say that I can’t wait to see this in action, but we have finally had a chance to put the Spartacus to use. The scenario was a 350lb antenna swap, on a top hat platform. Due to the surroundings of the site, crane access was out of the question. Years of erosion and growth have completely shut the access road down to large equipment. Thanks to Spartacus, and the Monopole Adapter Kit, we were able to rig the pole up above the platform mount and install not only one antenna from our initial pole mounting position, but all three thanks to the new swivel design on the 15ft Spartacus. We have not had an opportunity yet to work with Spartacus on a mount swap with a wire rope, however this application was more than enough to show how beneficial the pole and design can be. Look forward to seeing some of the photos posted online.
Game Changer