My HUGE HEAVY mast

A pole, a tower, a chimney... anything to get it up there!

My HUGE HEAVY mast

Postby turning green on Fri Feb 20, 2009 7:27 am

I built my solar water geyser on poles. I had no suitable north facing roof aspect and no suitable slope. The geyser sits 4.5 meters high on it's own platform atop two wooden poles. The solar panel attaches to the platform by a solid steel bar forming a hinge. It was a study in Roman catapults. I hinged the poles that carry the geyser with two others grouted into the ground and built the whole contraption on the ground and then "catapulted" it up to it's final resting place. The panel was jacked up on a set of "rails" that finally swung up on the steel hinge mentioned above and the lower legs of the rails attached to two other poles grouted into the ground. IT ALL WORKS !!!!!

Needless to say I am now a pole "expert" or so I thought. I love hinging things and devising systems. Anyway being the greenkeeper for the bowling club I was able to buy the old levelling machine from the club. Two parts of the machine consisted of two 6 meter long 11cm steel channels. I intend to box these channels and that will form the central carrying "pole" of my mast and it will be hinged in the middle between two 6 meter wooden poles grouted into the ground forming a scissor arrangement. To this end I went shopping for my poles and bought two 6 meter 150 mm dia "cylinders" (machined wooden poles that have the same diameter throughout). Just there I encountered my first epiphany - these cylinders are HEAVY.

The cylinders were loaded at the mill on to my friend's bakkie and When we offloaded these I found out just how heavy these things are !!! I was staggering backwards with the one end cupped in my hands between my legs when the other end came off the bakkie. Old Dries had his arms around the cylinder intending to make a controlled transition between the bakkie and us. It never happened like that. It was simply too heavy. He barely had enough strength to get clear and let it fall - I was forced to let go as well. No one was hurt but we were a bit wiser. With a lot more circumspection we offloaded the other one.

All this heavy stuff is lying in my backyard. Well now I have a much wiser me. It's heavy !!!!!!

I am devising plans and am as happy as a cricket because that's what I do. Plan and execute - watch this space.

turning green
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Re: My HUGE HEAVY mast

Postby windgat on Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:43 am

I thought it might be useful to post the diagram you sent me.
Mast Feb 2009b.jpg
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Re: My HUGE HEAVY mast

Postby windgat on Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:47 am

I am not sure if the wooden poles will be rigid enough. If they can move just a few millimetres that might be enough to set the tip of the pole oscillating (think about holding a long fishing rod...) If this is a problem, perhaps stays near the top of the metal pole would solve it, or A-frame supports on the wooden poles.
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