Recommendations for dismantling c-band dish

[cracklincrotch]

Any particular recommendations for dismantling an old c-band dish? All I know is it's a mesh dish, probably 25 years old (just guessing) and have no pictures. What I DO know is it's a 90 minute drive to go get it so I'd want to be prepared with more than just a socket set and a breaker bar. Probably a hack saw and a drill to cut off/drill out anything that won't move, and a step ladder?

 

[voomvoom]

Along with what you've already said, take some kind of liquid wrench and some help, as in another physical body. To help you with the weight of some parts of the dish. In fact, get a couple of more bodies if you can.

 

[14karat]

If you can find a can of "PB Blaster" get it. I tried it once and never quit using it.
If you have a method of carrying it, try to keep the dish petals together. I've never had a good way to transport so I've always completely dismantled it.
1. Unhook the actuator (WHILE HOLDING THE DISH!) and let the dish set all the way down (WITH CARE!)
2. Take the feedhorn and feed supports off.
3. Remove the dish from the mount (usually 4 bolts). (Dismantle the petals now if you have to)
4. Remove the mount from the post.
If there is a lot of rust on the mount, I will share a secret I use with all things rusty... I mix used motor oil with kerosene (coal oil or lamp oil also works well) and soak rusty items in this for a couple of hours.
Believe me, it does wonders (ESPECIALLY on the swivel joints of actuators!)
Of course I will say - don't use the stuff around fire, flame, heatsource, etc... I can only assume that everyone here has a bit of common sense...

 

[cracklincrotch]

You're a brave person for assuming common sense these days.

That's why I'm asking. Just never know what might be suggested. Hoping to go tomorrow to get it. :

 

[Lak7]

I can only assume that everyone here has a bit of common sense...

 

[sergei]

Go to Sears and get yourself two adjustable wrench 8" and 10" in size and save yourself from caring a lot of tools. A can of Blaster may also help free some of the bolts, if its a good dish then most of the bolts are most likely stainless steel and they normally don't rust too bad. If you plan on transporting the whole dish get yourself some small C-clamps to help you secure to the dish down. I found that this is all that I've ever needed in getting all my dishes down.

 

[mbarnes]

You did not say the size of the dish. I've had to move several dishes in the 8 foot range. I went to a local non-chain (cheap Mexicans) rental place that rents those high-sided trailers like the landscape guys use of what you would haul brush with. $25/day. We took all the actuators, etc. off the dish and turned it straight up, bird-bath style. Backed the trailer up to the pole and lifted the dish straight up and walked it into the trailer, laying it on the edges of the trailer. If it looks a little flimsy, take some 4X4 cribbing and make a support up to the mount. A couple ratchet straps and you're good to go.

I had to move a 12 foot fiberglass dish once. I bolted a non-pen mount onto a flatbed trailer and just mounted the dish on it. Stood it up to near vertical so it wouldn't extend over the sides. Total height was 12'2". It made getting gas interesting a few times. I towed it from Riverside, CA to McAllen, TX. Coincidentally, I started out the day the second Gulf War started. I got some very interesting comments about it.

 

[Radioguy41]

Take a vice-grips, a couple of vice-grips and, oh yeah, some vice-grips!

 

[cracklincrotch]

If I didn't figure I'd be driving I'd take some rum because it's none too warm outdoors these days. Need to keep the fingers from getting numb. -22C/-7F outside right now.

Don't get numb, get rum! Oh! And eggnog!

 

[Cadsulfide]

If you have a good cordless drill (dewalt, milwalkee) take it, along with a 1/4" and a 3/8" socket set. If you have to break fasteners, you have to, but if you don't ... nice to use the right tools. I agree with 14karat about pb "blaster" good stuff. I also keep an old can of used oil in the barn for soaking frozen parts over winter, they will be loose by spring. mbarnes is right about moving it intact, if at all possible. BTW take pictures, beats memory at reassembly time hands down!

 

[cracklincrotch]

I keep telling myself to take a camera but I KNOW I'm going to forget.

As for intact, heh, I've got a Subaru Legacy wagon. I fit a 30" snow blower in the back every snow storm. Another storm coming Sunday that's supposed to drop 8" to 16" so I'll get to play with the AWD on the roads and drink after the parking lots are done. But the dish? No dish is going in that car in one piece!

I'm hoping to go get it tomorrow since there's only about an inch of the crusty snow on the ground. After Sunday dropping a bolt is gonna make things interesting.

 

[cracklincrotch]

If this dish hasn't moved in a while is there any reason why I should NOT try to move it before disassembly? I am getting a receiver (presume it's analog. I'm crossing my fingers) with the dish. I don't know if it's currently hooked up or not. I would prefer to know, before I take the dish down, whether the actuator works or not so I'm not left wondering if I put something together wrong or was it just broken when I got it.

 

[Cadsulfide]

If this dish hasn't moved in a while is there any reason why I should NOT try to move it before disassembly? I am getting a receiver (presume it's analog. I'm crossing my fingers) with the dish. I don't know if it's currently hooked up or not. I would prefer to know, before I take the dish down, whether the actuator works or not so I'm not left wondering if I put something together wrong or was it just broken when I got it.

Car Battery or a lawnmower battery will do to test it. Even if it's stuck, grab it. You may be able to free it up indoors later. You can always use a turnbuckle in it's place until a jack falls from the sky. You're not going to plant it till spring, are you? I bet the ground is a bit stiff right now.:

 

[cracklincrotch]

Depends on the size of the pole it takes. If it's 3" I'll do it now on an existing post I have. Otherwise I guess I'll have to wait.

Though now that I think about it, Xmas day is supposed to be about 45F and it hasn't been too cold here for too long. Maybe I'd rent an auger from HD on the 24th and get some bags of cement too, and then Xmas morning I'll rush down the steps at 5am and get my boots on and run outdoors and start 'er up and have it up by the time the turkey is done?

Oh, wait a minute.... Oh, crap. (In Al Bundy voice) I'm married, with children.

 

[Cadsulfide]

You can always rig up a non-pen, freeze it to the ground and use it until the thaw.

 

[cracklincrotch]

Got the BUD! I'll be damned that I forgot to take a picture of it.

It's a 7.5' aluminum Winegard with a Van Weiss (?, not sure now) actuator. Mesh is completely intact. Worked the last it was used but the cable was snipped off several years ago by a lawn mower. Came with a Startrak 6 and remote. On a 4" pole that was at a 25 degree angle. No problem with the bolts at all. Nothing rusty. Some lightweight too!

Just cold. Damn cold. -5F. And the nuts were tiny enough that I had to have my gloves off to take it apart. Fit fine in the Legacy which was pretty cool. 200km round trip.

Just gotta pray that spring comes sooner rather than later so I can get it up and running.

 

[rv1pop]

If you have room, I would suggest reassembling the dish and get it ready to go back up! You never know when you might get a couple of nice days in a row. But does the HD auger go down past 2 feet? The ones here do not.

 

[Cadsulfide]

-5? Is that all? The school kids here would be running around in t-shirts.

GET TO WORK, YOU LAZY BUGGER!

 

[cracklincrotch]

If you have room, I would suggest reassembling the dish and get it ready to go back up! You never know when you might get a couple of nice days in a row. But does the HD auger go down past 2 feet? The ones here do not.

I've used a two man auger from HD myself and did a 4' hole 8" round for the clothes line post that I now have two 75E dishes on. Mind you, the auger was pretty much on the ground by that time. But it worked fine. Nasty bruise on the side of my leg from it bashing me whenever it hit a rock. Nearly 5" across.

 

[cracklincrotch]

-5? Is that all? The school kids here would be running around in t-shirts.

GET TO WORK, YOU LAZY BUGGER!

Get to work? Do you know how much work it is to get the wife to say YES to THIS??? That's work. And I haven't heard her say yes yet. But she didn't say no the last time I asked.