Boom poles - hinged vs not hinged ?????

[kebo]

I have two boom poles, one is a hinged homemade design, the other is factory made one piece welded design (no hinge) that most people have and use. Maybe I am blind, but I just don't see any real advantage to having the hinged design, so maybe someone can give the reason(s) if there is an advantage in doing it that way? The only possible advantage I can see, with all things being equal, the hinged design might give you a larger range of motion, or lifting height??

 

[chim]

A picture would help, but could it be for compact storage?

 

[CalG]

The only important design feature of any boom pole is that the chain slip off the boom before the tractor flips over.

The rest? A matter of taste

 

[JRP]

Chain slip off? Never heard of it. My chain would bounce and unhook. Now I have a plate welled on that makes chain adjustment very simple, and you have to pull a cotter pin out of Clovis to remove the pin. Now I never have to find a chain.


How does it slip, and shouldn't you keep the load low and stay well below tipping load?

Curious

 

[Daves3032E]

I'm certain that the hinged design (part of boom pole replaces the top link) would allow for a greater lift height at the expense of lift capacity.

 

[LD1]

IF the hinged design you are talking about is as Daves3032E describes, where you dont use a top link, rahter the boom itself is hooked straight to the TL bracket on the tractor, then yes, that gives a MUCH greater range of travel, but does reduce the lift capacity. IE: Double the range of motion, half the lift capacity.

The "hinged" method is how most post hole diggers are. For range of travel. The homemade one was probably made out of a old PHD that blew a gearbox or something.

 

[CalG]

Re: Boom poles Should and reality

Chain slip off? Never heard of it. My chain would bounce and unhook. Now I have a plate welled on that makes chain adjustment very simple, and you have to pull a cotter pin out of Clovis to remove the pin. Now I never have to find a chain.


How does it slip, and shouldn't you keep the load low and stay well below tipping load?

Curious

It has been my experience, that EVENTUALLY the operator attempts to drive off with a load sufficiently heavy to rock the tractor up off it's front wheels.

The classic tractor wreck, often associated with injury and even death.

Same as hooking up to a log and catching a grounded stump. In the case of a boom pole, It's very purpose is to put the load point up in the air. Makes for an even more vulnerable situation.

Common sense is all, I don't care how anyone uses thier stuff, but good design is the easy part ;-)

 

[kebo]

IF the hinged design you are talking about is as Daves3032E describes, where you dont use a top link, rahter the boom itself is hooked straight to the TL bracket on the tractor, then yes, that gives a MUCH greater range of travel, but does reduce the lift capacity. IE: Double the range of motion, half the lift capacity.

The "hinged" method is how most post hole diggers are. For range of travel. The homemade one was probably made out of a old PHD that blew a gearbox or something.

Yep, I think that higher lift is the answer, as I had guessed it. Here's a pic of the homemade one, it was made out of steel pipe and other steel pieces. It will fold flat for compact storage too.