making a boom pole?....

StevenPaul · Sep 23, 2005

Hello All,

new to farm life and new to group but have been reading a lot of post here. Very cool and informative website! I've got a question, we bought a farm and have been finding some interesting things on it. One is this 3pt hitch thingamajig. We also have found some galvenized pipe laying around. I was wondering if I could make (I have a flux core welder) a boom pole out of these two items?

thanks!
Steve

MikeIA · Sep 23, 2005

Do you have a hydraulic cylinder, also?
That type of three-point hitch would lend itself to building a boom pole modeled after a engine hoist.
How heavy are the pipes? Will one slip inside the other, to make the boom stronger? You could also attach a triangular truss to the top of the boom, for reinforcement. My experience is that you will always try to pick up just a little more weight than the boom will take, so stronger is better. (until the front end of the tractor comes off the ground... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

Also, people usually reply to their own first post when posting more pictures, or adding information, to keep the forum index from getting out of hand.

Farmwithjunk · Sep 23, 2005

A nickels worth of free advice?

When posting a series of pictures, #2 should be posted as a reply to post #1, and not a seperate thread.

I've been dying to say that! Finally beat everyone to the punch!

BB_TX · Sep 23, 2005

There have been many posts here on the subject of boom poles. Here is one thread. You can do a search for boom pole and probably find several others.

BB_TX · Sep 23, 2005

Here is a picture of one I saved from here. Don't remember who posted it. Someone speak up and claim credit.

BB_TX · Sep 23, 2005

And here is another. And I don't remember who posted this one either. Ain't CRS a terrible thing? /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I suspect one of these was the inspiration for the other. Very similar except for color.

StevenPaul · Sep 23, 2005

ok, got it now, reply, not new post! thanks for the help and info

slowrev · Sep 23, 2005

Just be careful when welding the Galv pipe.
Poison fumes you know.
Ben

StevenPaul · Sep 23, 2005

I've heard about the fumes from galvenized, I made some "honey do" clothes line posts with it and everything went fine, out in the open air with a fan. I was wondering though, with a boom pole, will the flux core welder give sufficient welds? Also the pictures of the other ones has given me some great ideas.

thanks again,
Steve

slowrev · Sep 23, 2005

Steve,
How big current wise is trhe flux core welder. will probably work ok, but grind and do multiple passes. I prefer a stick for that kind of welding, but many use wire feed welders for it.
Ben

Farwell · Sep 23, 2005

I think you may be further ahead if you go to a metal salvage yard and get some heavier gage steel. I am like one of the other posters on this thread said, "always trying to lift things heavier than the boom was designed to lift". The end of my boom pole is much closer to the ground than it once was. I have used galvanized steel pipe for many things and found that it is great for some things but it is quite soft and bends much easier than the heavier gage steel tubing. I also like the stick welder for the heavier welding projects.
I like the 3pt hitch thingamajig you found. It is simple in design but looks like it can do many things for you.
Farwell

chim · Sep 23, 2005

Here's one I made from some scrap schedule 40 galvanized pipe and pieces of 1/2" square steel. I used a stick welder on this one. Pipe was bent on a hydraulic bender I rescued at a company garage sale (real cheap). With the rig you found, I'd make it detachable so you could cobble up some other "attachments". Looks like it could be fun.............chim

Edit to add: I can get the front end of the tractor - a B7500 - off the ground without affecting the pole.

jim_wilson · Sep 24, 2005

When you weld galvanized metal it gives off phosgene gas - which is one of the things the English, Germans, and French used to gas each other with during WW1. If you using MIG or TIG the galvy can contaminate the weld too - grind off all the galvy in the weld area and you should be ok. If you are worried about corrosion you can use steel and then paint it afterwards with one of the spray galvanize coatings - RustOleum makes one that works really well.

TMcD_in_MI · Sep 26, 2005

( When you weld galvanized metal it gives off phosgene gas - )

Sorry, but I believe you're mistaken about the phosgene. The fumes from welding galvanized steel would contain vaporized zinc and zinc oxide along with iron vapor from the steel and maybe lead vapor too.

Phosgene is a compound of carbon, oxygen, and chlorine. I can't see where you could get any chlorine from galvanized steel, and not much carbon either.

With all respect,

Tom

bobodu · Sep 26, 2005

Welding near perclorethylene (dry cleaning solvent) DOES produce phosgene....It is NOT PLEASANT!!!
So...please leave your welder in the car when you get your suits.

Farwell · Sep 26, 2005

Must be one of those urban legends about the phosgene coming from welding galvanized metal because I have heard it from numerous sources over the past 50 years, may have even read it in welding manuals. Have to check that one out. I still am going to use plenty of ventilation when working with galvanized metals.
Farwell

TMcD_in_MI · Sep 27, 2005

Although I didn't think of it in my earlier post, I think the main worry about welding around zinc is cadmium vapor. Like lead, cadmium is an impurity found naturally in zinc and is pretty toxic stuff. In recent times, the safety folks have gotten pretty concerned about our day-to-day exposure to cadmium. Like lead, it accumulates in our bodies and in most of us, the amount starts at zero at birth and maxes out around age 50.

As bobodu said, welding around chlorinated solvents like perchloroethylene or trichloroethylene (TCE) can produce phosgene. Since TCE is used as a degreaser, it seems possible that someone could use it on some steel, and then weld soon after, making a little phosgene. As long as the solvent had dried first, though, I wouldn't think there would be much of any residual TCE or much phosgene either. I could be wrong.

Tom

Dachshund · Sep 27, 2005

A good way to get rid of the galvanized coating is to dip it area in Muratic Acid and flush with water. Well ventilated area, etc, etc, etc...........

mhalla · Oct 13, 2005

( From the cdc website. "Use air blowers to blow fumes away from you when you are outdoors and it’s windy." )

Lot's of good advice in regards to protecting one's health while welding.

Someone smarter than me is going to have to explain the above quoted precaution.

Seems like it should say to use blowers outdoors when it is NOT windy. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Mike