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Putting up a pole


97RangerXLT

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When i worked for the telephone company, they set those types of poles so the center of gravity was about 7 ft above ground. That put about 4 ft in the ground

AJ
 


rusty ol ranger

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After i did some more looking and figuring y might just lop an extra foot or so off the pole. So it would be 10 ft above ground. Its going just to the left of the posthole diggers in this pic, as you can see the parking is tight but i have my 18ft equip trailer, my 6x10 utility trailer, F250 and ranger all parked back there and i can get them in and out without moving shit.

20220913_134545.jpg
 

Roert42

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My not just mount the light on one of those trees, the side of the house, or what appears to be a sea container(on the left)?

Looks like you have a tree about the same diameter and position you want the pole installed already.
 

rusty ol ranger

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My not just mount the light on one of those trees, the side of the house, or what appears to be a sea container(on the left)?

Looks like you have a tree about the same diameter and position you want the pole installed already.
I thought about bolting it to the tree....but eh. Just me doing things the hardway.

That building to the left isnt mine, and if i put it on the shed it wouldnt shine where i really wanted it to.
 

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If it is only going to have the light on it, that’s really no load. 3-4 ft, tightly pack the back-fill around it and it’s good. I installed a 16ft pole like that with a light on it 30 years ago. 4Ft buried. Still standing. Customer never had to call me back. I also smeared rooking tar on top and nailed on a cap made out of aluminum flashing to prevent water from soaking into the end grain on the top.

If it was structural, holding tension from heavy cables, or part of a building or tall fence, I would maybe add concrete. But a yard light isn’t going to make it fall in the wind.
 

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^^^
I like the idea of a cap.
 

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The humble cap is under rated, especially on a metal pole.
 

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We put in 20 foot 4x3 aluminum square tubing poles 3 feet in the ground at work for street lights all the time.

I would say that yours will be just fine at that depth especially if you throw in two bags of concrete.

We use aluminum because the residents keep hitting them with their cars. Florida retirement community
 

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We put in 20 foot 4x3 aluminum square tubing poles 3 feet in the ground at work for street lights all the time.

I would say that yours will be just fine at that depth especially if you throw in two bags of concrete.

We use aluminum because the residents keep hitting them with their cars. Florida retirement community
Do you get cold in the winter? Like as in water freezes? And then ground freezes too? Because I think that can happen in other parts of the country... maybe not in Florida...lucky sob!
 

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The rule of thumb is to bury the pole 10% of its overall length + 2’. That puts you at 41”.
I assume @RonD looked up the actual frost line and is accurate at 42”… that’s the minimum I would go with no matter what the height is.
 

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since we have to deal with hurricane and their winds so much, i get the post holios and dig until the handles are ground level and just stick the posts in with no concrete. my fence and carport have made it through all the hurricanes in the last 7 years and didn't lean or lift. (the neighbor did his the "right" way, concrete and going down whatever distance, and the first strong tropical storm blew his fence down into my yard. my carport is tall enough to put my traveler trailer under and i still have 10" above the ac so i can work on it, so its close to 12' tall

i always just dig deeper so i don't have to try and fix leaning stuff. thats just how i have always done fences and posts
 

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No matter what you decide to do, make sure the pole is sitting on a solid tamped bed of gravel and n ot stuck into solid concrete, stone, or clay. Part of the code for pouring construction pads or footers is having gravel underneath to provide water drainage or overtime it can erode the base under the poured concrete structure. When using sonar tubes you are suppose to put a 2" layer of gravel under it for that same reason.

Myself, I would follow the 10% plus 2 feet rule, be sure to be under the frost line, and set it on gravel. Concrete optional. I will tell you I buried my 8+ foot ,1/4 wall, 4 " pipe, about 32" deep for a gate, and when I got my B2/two axle trailer stuck, I ended up using it as an anchor point and started pulling it out of the ground. I moved it a good 2 inches sideways and compressed the soil, before I decided to use a 20" tree instead about 50 feet beyond it for a block anchor point.

When I take it out of the ground to be reset, it is going to be 36" deep (frost line is 32") and 6-7 bags (50#) of concrete in a 8x8 or 12x12 hole, with #3 or #4 rebar, so I can actually use it for pulling.
 

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i put two more 4x4s in the front yard because the stupid neighbors won't stop driving through the front of my yard to parallel park in front of their fence. i put 36" in the ground and 12" above ground with red reflectors all the way around.

if they hit the posts and tear something off their car, tough crap. if they pull them out, i will go to 10" schedule 80 pvc filled with concrete and rebar, like i did for the mail box that time. i asked the multiple times to not drive through the yard and spoke to the landlord about it. neither care so we get to play rougher now. i already spoke to the police too, their answer is to get them on trespassing. i like physical barriers. they actually stop stuff
 

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