Flagpole or Steel pole??? - Lights, Lights, Lights! Read Only. No more posting. - PlanetChristmas! Forums. Read Only. We've moved to http://talk.planetchristmas.com - The Forums of PlanetChristmas have moved to http://talk.PlanetChristmas.com
Thanks, here is a rough pic at night after I first installed it. I have better pics I can show you later. The little white cap is where the sleve is. I have it painted green so you can not see it and I can show you that one later.
Just a quick question, have you ever thought about using a clevis or hitch pin at each section rather than the fernco couplings? The reason I ask is that based on what a Fernco is made of that it may be more likely to compress under the load where the pins wouldn't and the load would be transmitted to the pole directly.
I don't want to drill into my pole, since it gets used as a flagpole the rest of the year...
I've never had the problems you describe, but what one could do is not engage the pin at all... have one person hold it just a bit lower than the hole (e.g. the section about 1/2" or 1" lower than normal) then secure the fernco connector. Then the pin won't be taking any of the weight at all...
How does that 50lb stand wrk out? Pretty stable in the wind? I am doing a 15ft tree this year and don't really want to put in a permanent sleeve in case I don't like the location. I would think you could still guy wire it to make it more stable. Where did you get it?
Worries: 1.) would look aweful durring the summer with just a cement foundation with a hole in the middle
2.) HEAVY
3.) Storage
4.) Where do I find interlocking poles?
5.) Cost? Please let me know your suggestions and opinions!
I don't know anything about the flag poles but here's some thoughts on your worries about the steel poles.
1. If you do it right all you would see in the summer is a cap. The one thing I would change from xxxxxx's description is to have the cement 4 to 6 inches below the ground so that there is 4 to 6 inches of dirt on top. Otherwise soil won't drain properly and the grass may not grow.
2. Yeah. Builds muscles?
3. Garage maybe?
4. Home Depot, Lowes, any hardware or plumbing supply store.
5. Less than the flag pole I think.
We are just about to take the last mega tree down. Here are three pics of this tree. The base is a 24" x 24" x 1/2 steel plate with a center threaded hole for the 21' x 1.5"pipe and four smaller holes for stakes.
This tree has been sitting just like the pic for 6 weeks now with no wind problem. We have had several 35-40 mph winds come through and all it does is shake the lights.
There are no guy wires at all. The 9' diameter aluminum base ring is sitting on top of wood stakes and held in place with metal strap. The light strands give the whole rig it's stability. There are 4800 reds and 4800 gold minis on the tree. If I lived in Chicago or Boston I would probably guy it anyway.
I know what you're saying about drilling the hole as mine is used the rest of the year as a normal flag pole as well. I was thinking that I could use small hole plugs during the off season to cover the holes. My flag pole is the clear anodized aluminum so using stainless hole plugs wouldn't be very noticeable.
Just some thoughts about overall stability and minimizing possible damage to the pole.
Tony
____________________ Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
TED wrote:
1. If you do it right all you would see in the summer is a cap. The one thing I would change from xxxxxx's description is to have the cement 4 to 6 inches below the ground so that there is 4 to 6 inches of dirt on top. Otherwise soil won't drain properly and the grass may not grow.
That is how I did mine and all you see is the cap and you really have to find it during the summer since the grass is thick and the cap is painted green. I am really picky about my yard so I cringed when I was digging into it but I am good at yard work so if you do it now by summer you won't even notice it is there. You just need to measure everything out really well and make sure your pole stays level all the way around. You want it like mentioned so the cap is just at the grass line like I got mine. Like I stated in my other post I used rebar to hold the PVC in place inside to form for extra strength and to keep it level. Then with the extra concrete outside the form everything is really soild. Inside the form the PVC is sitting on small river pebbles for drainage for when water gets in it while the cap is off and to elevate the PVC above the form to get it level with the grass line. You do want it so high that it will get hit during mowing, but you don't want it to low that it gets covered in dirt. See the diagram below for a better explanation. Hopefully I will get my how to and pics wrote up soon.
I thought about that too but it is a little more visable then a 2" small green cap that gets lost in the grass. With the sprinkler access cover you see where it is at all time.
It's a very good idea don't get me wrong but I am very picky about my yard come spring and summer time.
Has anyone tried using the water filled base from portable basketball goals? When filled, they weigh hundreds of of pounds. The lightweight steel pole could be replaced with a heavier gauge pipe. My yard isn't huge, so a 17 foot height would be fine (a 10ft piece of pipe with a smaller diameter piece that fits inside the base piece.
After Christmas, I could return it to service for basketball, too. I'm not too wild about having a 20 ft lightning rod in my front yard during Texas storms.
Last edited on Thursday January 10th, 2008 02:25 am by JonB256
I use a 24' aluminm tapered pole for a 21' 90 degree megatree. I have used this for 5 years without any extra support wires. I have a sleave 3' into the ground. I have not had any problems using this set-up. On this 90 degree tree I use 2800 lights.
J Morgan wrote: TED wrote:
1. If you do it right all you would see in the summer is a cap. The one thing I would change from xxxxxx's description is to have the cement 4 to 6 inches below the ground so that there is 4 to 6 inches of dirt on top. Otherwise soil won't drain properly and the grass may not grow.
That is how I did mine and all you see is the cap and you really have to find it during the summer since the grass is thick and the cap is painted green. I am really picky about my yard so I cringed when I was digging into it but I am good at yard work so if you do it now by summer you won't even notice it is there. You just need to measure everything out really well and make sure your pole stays level all the way around. You want it like mentioned so the cap is just at the grass line like I got mine. Like I stated in my other post I used rebar to hold the PVC in place inside to form for extra strength and to keep it level. Then with the extra concrete outside the form everything is really soild. Inside the form the PVC is sitting on small river pebbles for drainage for when water gets in it while the cap is off and to elevate the PVC above the form to get it level with the grass line. You do want it so high that it will get hit during mowing, but you don't want it to low that it gets covered in dirt. See the diagram below for a better explanation. Hopefully I will get my how to and pics wrote up soon.
Is there any concrete under the pvc sleeve, I was wondering if you dont have any concrete under it if the tree will sink through the sleeve into the ground.
Also, what does everyone use to hold down the outer ring that the lights are attached to?
Last edited on Sunday January 27th, 2008 02:58 am by mattera68
What I was planning on doing for my 20' mega tree, is to make a large "X" out of 4' 2" metal rigid electrical conduit (the heavy stuff). Take a 2" threaded coupling and weld it in the middle of the "X" so the coupling is usable from both sides. That way I can pound a t-post into the ground, then place the coupling from the "X" over the t-post and slide it down to the base. Then I can screw the 2-10' sections to the coupling to get my 20' tree. When I build it this summer, I may lower the height down to 16-18' depending on the look. That way it's completely portable, can move it's location as I want each year. I'll also have 24" rebar I can pound into the ends of the "X" for added stability. And for safety I'll use 4 guy wires, I don't want the liability of it coming down. The t-bar is optional at this point. I'm going to build it without it to see how stable it is, if needed, I will add the t-bar, but am figuring it will probably be left out.
JonB256 wrote: Has anyone tried using the water filled base from portable basketball goals? When filled, they weigh hundreds of of pounds. The lightweight steel pole could be replaced with a heavier gauge pipe. My yard isn't huge, so a 17 foot height would be fine (a 10ft piece of pipe with a smaller diameter piece that fits inside the base piece.
After Christmas, I could return it to service for basketball, too. I'm not too wild about having a 20 ft lightning rod in my front yard during Texas storms.
This is how I built my mega tree this year. The main pole was 4" diameter, and I found that the flange on a peice of 4" electrical conduit fit perfectly over it. I added a 7' peice of conduit to the pole which gave me 15' total. I planned to use guy wires, but once I got it built and in place, I was very suprised at how stable it was! I also planed on covering the base with "pressants", but that was very low on the list, and I never quite got around to it. I was very happy with how it turned out, and plan to use this technique again next year, but I'm gonna go 20'. I have some pictures if anyone is interested.
of AC and 
of DC from D-Light
2008-
