handirifle
Veteran Member
Well I started off with a wimpy Harbor Freight 15' extendable pole. Worked ok for a month, then the locking collars quit holding. Ended up cracking after a bit, so I resorted to screw clamps. Put up with that for about a yr, unscrewing those clamps everytime I had to replace a flag, also HF.
So a couple months ago I got a bright idea. Had a nephew deliver, since he had a truck capable of hauling a 33ft pipe. Local pipe supply has tons of the oil field sucker pipe, 2-7/8" OD approx 3/16" wall. Nice pipe. Paid about $76 for the pipe so gave him a $100 bill for dropping it off for me.
I went to the local steel supply and there it got pricey. Picked up 2 sq plates, 10x10"x1/2" with 7/8" holes pre drilled in each corner, $49 each, ouch. I also bought a 4ft piece of 1/4" x 4" steel plate, and 4ft of 1" sched 80 tubing, and 3/4" steel rod.
First thing was to make a hinge using the tubing and 3/4" rod, and welded to the two steel plates. Pulling the rod (now the hinge pin) out, I welded one plate to the flag pole, which was a 25ft section of the main pipe. I then welded the other plate to a 4ft piece of the same pipe, making sure I alined the hinge in the direction I wanted the pole to lay down. The 4ft piece I placed in the ground in a 2.5ft diameter hole filled with concrete. Thats my base.
Then I used a horse shoe given to us by the same nephew and his wife as a house warming gift years earlier, to make my rope cleat. At the top I cut and reduced the OD of the pipe to 2.5" to match the pulley and cap diameter, and welded a 2.5 stub on to it, to mount the pulley cap.
On the opposite side I welded a U shaped piece of rebar about 5' below the top, amd about 5' off the bottom I welded an upside down L. Those hold the thin cord that I use to pull the cable up that I use to raise and lower the pole. That way I can do maintenance on the solar powered light and pulley on top. Here's a short video I made of the process.
My welding does not compare to most of the projects I see here, so don't judge me on that, lol.
Comments or questions here or on the video. Will try to answer both. Oh, when the video was made, I used the HF 3x5' flag. It now flys my Allegiance 4x6' USA made.
Hope you enjoy it. I did use my tractor to move the pole around and raise it.
So a couple months ago I got a bright idea. Had a nephew deliver, since he had a truck capable of hauling a 33ft pipe. Local pipe supply has tons of the oil field sucker pipe, 2-7/8" OD approx 3/16" wall. Nice pipe. Paid about $76 for the pipe so gave him a $100 bill for dropping it off for me.
I went to the local steel supply and there it got pricey. Picked up 2 sq plates, 10x10"x1/2" with 7/8" holes pre drilled in each corner, $49 each, ouch. I also bought a 4ft piece of 1/4" x 4" steel plate, and 4ft of 1" sched 80 tubing, and 3/4" steel rod.
First thing was to make a hinge using the tubing and 3/4" rod, and welded to the two steel plates. Pulling the rod (now the hinge pin) out, I welded one plate to the flag pole, which was a 25ft section of the main pipe. I then welded the other plate to a 4ft piece of the same pipe, making sure I alined the hinge in the direction I wanted the pole to lay down. The 4ft piece I placed in the ground in a 2.5ft diameter hole filled with concrete. Thats my base.
Then I used a horse shoe given to us by the same nephew and his wife as a house warming gift years earlier, to make my rope cleat. At the top I cut and reduced the OD of the pipe to 2.5" to match the pulley and cap diameter, and welded a 2.5 stub on to it, to mount the pulley cap.
On the opposite side I welded a U shaped piece of rebar about 5' below the top, amd about 5' off the bottom I welded an upside down L. Those hold the thin cord that I use to pull the cable up that I use to raise and lower the pole. That way I can do maintenance on the solar powered light and pulley on top. Here's a short video I made of the process.
My welding does not compare to most of the projects I see here, so don't judge me on that, lol.
Comments or questions here or on the video. Will try to answer both. Oh, when the video was made, I used the HF 3x5' flag. It now flys my Allegiance 4x6' USA made.
Hope you enjoy it. I did use my tractor to move the pole around and raise it.
