I was wondering what booms are used for besides lifting things. I saw some boom poles that were $75 and was wondering if they are that useful. Has anyone used them for anything other than lifting? I would like to know if they are worth having around if they will only get occassional use.
Boom Uses
- Thread starter gusg
- Start date
cstocks
Platinum Member
I inherited a boom pole four years ago and have yet to use it. I guess I figure I can do much of the same work with the FEL that I could do with a boom pole. Good question....
Chris
Chris
pajoube
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- Former Owner PowerTrac 425 (September 2003)
Reach would be one good use - the boom pole can extent further out than what you can with the bucket. Depending on the weight you will pick up this is very handy for getting into hard to reach areas. Also you have greater height with the boom pole than the bucket.
PJ
PJ
EdKing
Platinum Member
They are great for pulling a chainlink fence harrow. You can lift the whole thing up making turning around and manuvering in tight areas much easier.
chim
Elite Member
chim
Elite Member
It worked beautifully for me. Our driveway is 300' long, and something less than 1/4 of it is built on a pretty good grade. That part in particular needed attention after heavy rains. It would wash from the water on the parking area uphill from it.
The drag is made from two 5' pieces of 6" wideflange I-beam. They are bolted together with 6 pieces of 1/2" allthread, double-nutted to maintain the spacing. The one beam has four holes to hook the chains onto - 2 above and two below the web of the beam. This was to adjust the aggressiveness of the cut. The two chains have grab hooks and attach to the drawbar. The material it moves can be regulated to be cast to the right or left by hooking the two chains at unequal lengths if you don't want to drag it straight. The lift boom allows it to be picked up for transporting and turning around (first tractor didn't have a 3PH and it was difficult to turn around without dragging material where you didn't want it).
Since the repair links I used to attach the chains to the holes in the beam have rusted, I just flip it over for more / less cutting action. With the chains low on the beam, it will dress up the sand without building up a big pile in front of the beams. Hooked higher, it digs in pretty good.
Right now it's at the home of a friend a couple counties away who used it to level his lawn. Years ago he had a garden that was abandoned and really uneven. He rented a tractor with a 3PH tiller and worked up the soil, then used the drag to put the dirt where he wanted it and get it smooth. He told me it worked well for him.
Best part is the material was free except for the chains. Someone on a project I was working on mismeasured the beams for supports on a rooftop HVAC unit................chim
The drag is made from two 5' pieces of 6" wideflange I-beam. They are bolted together with 6 pieces of 1/2" allthread, double-nutted to maintain the spacing. The one beam has four holes to hook the chains onto - 2 above and two below the web of the beam. This was to adjust the aggressiveness of the cut. The two chains have grab hooks and attach to the drawbar. The material it moves can be regulated to be cast to the right or left by hooking the two chains at unequal lengths if you don't want to drag it straight. The lift boom allows it to be picked up for transporting and turning around (first tractor didn't have a 3PH and it was difficult to turn around without dragging material where you didn't want it).
Since the repair links I used to attach the chains to the holes in the beam have rusted, I just flip it over for more / less cutting action. With the chains low on the beam, it will dress up the sand without building up a big pile in front of the beams. Hooked higher, it digs in pretty good.
Right now it's at the home of a friend a couple counties away who used it to level his lawn. Years ago he had a garden that was abandoned and really uneven. He rented a tractor with a 3PH tiller and worked up the soil, then used the drag to put the dirt where he wanted it and get it smooth. He told me it worked well for him.
Best part is the material was free except for the chains. Someone on a project I was working on mismeasured the beams for supports on a rooftop HVAC unit................chim
Thanks. You may have given me a reason to go invest $75 for the boom. I will have to try and build a setup similar to yours but I don't have a source to get the materials for free but it sounds like it will be worth it.
chim
Elite Member
If there are any construction sites around, or junkyards (oops, "recycle centers" for the PC crowd) check them out. A bud is putting up a building and the beam he installed down the middle - around 24' long - almost ended up in a dumpster on a project he was on. A bunch of stuff was being demolished and they just wanted rid of it.
The place I take scrap copper / aluminum was the source for most of the materials when I made my utility trailer. I found out a long time ago that if I could do some things with minimal expense it left more cash for other stuff. Good luck............chim
The place I take scrap copper / aluminum was the source for most of the materials when I made my utility trailer. I found out a long time ago that if I could do some things with minimal expense it left more cash for other stuff. Good luck............chim
Soundguy
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I don't have a front end loader, so I have found a few good uses for my boom pole.
I take my chain drag harrow out to my other property every few months to drag it. This is how I get it there. I roll it up on itself with a tarp in the middle to keep it from sticking on itself. Then I chain it around the middle, and lift it on to the front of the trailer with the boom, then drive the tractor on the trailer and go. Would be very difficult without the boom.
Soundguy
I take my chain drag harrow out to my other property every few months to drag it. This is how I get it there. I roll it up on itself with a tarp in the middle to keep it from sticking on itself. Then I chain it around the middle, and lift it on to the front of the trailer with the boom, then drive the tractor on the trailer and go. Would be very difficult without the boom.
Soundguy