Well it looks like a break in the weather forecast for Nashville will be on Sunday. High in the mid sixties.
I have put out the call to all my buddies, and think I can raise three of them for the trip. I have been in touch with the owner, and he will be home, so it looks like a good possibility of a go. I have also PM'd djkurious to make sure that we can get that one at the same time if he is available.
Since my last post here, I have found a piece of equipment that will do the trick of taking down the dish. I own a drywall lift that I had forgotten I owned. It was buried in the warehouse, but I drug it out a couple of weeks ago. This lift will support a 12 foot piece of 1/2" drywall, so I think it will support the dish and mount. I also got a lift for hanging over the edge of the roof for bringing things up that I will borrow the pulley off of and the 200 feet of rope that came with it. Pics below.
My welder is making me a tube for the top of the lift with a pivot point to stick in the top where the lift platform usually sits, with a hole for hanging the pulley on one end.
He is also making a piece of flat steel with holes drilled with centers for two points on the back of the dish and front of the mount. There will be a hook welded to the flat back for grabbing with my rope hook.
We just climb up on a ladder, take the top six bolts out, loosen the bottom six bolts, lean the dish forward away from the mount, slip the flat steel between, put in two bolts, grab onto the hook, take the weight off with the rope, remove the bottom six bolts, and lift the dish away from the mount and gently set it on the ground. Do the same with the mount, and cut the pole and we are off.
Piece of cake!!
Here's the pics:
View attachment 22341 View attachment 22342
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the lift folds up for travel in the back of the van.