how to straighten a leaning pole how to straighten a leaning pole

Get a good look at the fence, and figure out why it's leaning. The following photos were taken today, and show how further wind- and gravity-based deterioration has been stymied: Using salvaged lumber, Jim created a network of diagonal bracing throughout the interior. We only recommend products that we feel are quality-made and that we buy ourselves (see the reviews on Amazon). . . Utility poles: BMK Corporation's Polecrete Stabilizer is a fast, effective polyurethane backfill solution that sets in as little as 15 minutes. The U.S. Patent of Beard (U.S. Pat. Of the poles I have, these seem the most stable. I am thinking about taking the pole down and moving it next to a small shopbut not sure how to take the pole down without breaking the light, Update: ended up digging it up to where it broke and levered it out of the holetied the bottom to my truck and slowly pulled the bottom across the groundsince it was leaning into a V in the tree it slid all the way down as I pulled itthanks people, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Insert the Mailbox Post into the Ground. It is somewhat more sophisticated than what one would normally expect to find in an area barn. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Flag Center understands this problem and is able to fix it for you. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (Get Help Fast Here!). I asked him if it was fun to push the barn into place and he just laughed and enthusiastically said Yes!. Remove as much soil as possible from under the exposed roots and gently straighten the tree. Clothes washer fills but will not agitate. You may find it easier to place a short 24 or wood block on the ledge to increase the amount of surface area. Please always respect copyrights. Take your drill and pass it through the hole on the copper tube. chief Allen Chwalek. The big end is buried 5'. The U.S. Patent of Chapman (U.S. Pat. My husband Jim did this with one of my shepherds staff poles. Jim has thoroughly braced the haymow as well! Begin ratcheting the handle on the jack, lifting the post up out of the hole. But with foam, the pole just needs to be pushed straight, and then a relatively small amount of foam can be poured into the void that is left. Even a good design can hit up against where you are putting it and what you are hanging or mounting on it. Re-level the fence post and add a support beam to hold it in place. Step 2: Examine the floor lamp to find the loosened part. Make your 4x4 clamp. Who do I contact about one of our trees leaning towards the power line from the storm last night, not touching the lines yet, but it is close, and the the ground around the trunk is beginning to break up as if the wind started to uproot it. Both will form triangles using the . No. Tools needed to do the fence repair. The stuff works pretty well. If the wood doesn't go in front of the screws, this fix won't work. Drilling again will make sure the hole is created again even if it was covered by a little margin. GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Driving around Greensboro you . Photo courtesy of Diana. 3. From here, slowly begin straightening the knee against the band's resistance. Step 1: Dig out the base to enable levelling the post. When the post clears the hole, finish . Here, the wedge serves neither the function of aligning the pole nor filling the void between pole and aperture, but rather its function is restricted to receiving the impacts to drive the bracket into the aperture. Now, my yard is not perfectly flat, which may be a factor in getting an H-shaped base into the ground just right so that it stays straight over time. E-Z Mender brackets have a bump called a nailing lug jutting out from the side, which has a flat surface approximately the size of a mallet. I temporarily stuck some wood stakes in to hold it up but that's clearly not a permanent fix. No. The wood should hold your tree in place and keep it from leaning to one side. LOL), Yet another obvious option to keep your feeder pole straight might be to cement the pole in place. Step 3: Make A Level Mark On The Pole Using A Pencil. All the stuff at the "big box" stores like Lowes or Home Depot. 2-" Exterior wood screws. Birdseed & Binoculars is the blog of Nancie Waterman. Next, slowly pour about a gallon of water into the hole and soak all the way through the dry concrete. For instance, if the pool base is 12 feet, make the boards 14 feet. This happens tobe one that Hope you guys/girls can help me..installed cedar fence with 6x6 corner posts in Hi Doug!DK> Just moved into a house built in 1956. The pole can thereby be supported in the upright position without backfilling the hole with soil or stone. If you notice a leaning utility pole nearby, you should contact the company that owns the pole. A severe storm could cause the pole to fall, which may cause damage to your property or injure a person. I want to take the pole out of the sleeve so I can see if the sleeve is leaning by putting a level on it. I also have the Erva pole with four arms that extend out from the center (photo above). Power drill. . If you have a good quality sturdy metal pole and are not putting more weight on it than it can handle, then the pole itself should not bend. If you want to go a step further you used crushed stone instead of dirt to fill an opening next to the post and compact it. Yes, this is the same West end we saw previously! Promise!). The weight you are asking the pole to hold. In my front yard, I have a small inexpensive birdbath at the end of a garden bed. problem over. There is a very large tree leaning against one of your lines at the intersection of **th St. and Avenue H in Houston zip is *****. replying to post2google, Bentley wrote: I backed the car into mine so now it is leaning a bit. (In the photo above, I am using a bit of scrap wood and a mallet to compact the soil around the pole.). The doorway on the west side clearly demonstrates the eastward lean when compared to the vertical freezer chest stored inside. Stand the pole upright and use a level to check that the pencil mark is level. The downside is that it is a pain to get out of the ground again, so you really want to be sure of your location before you hack a poles foot in this way. Although the wedge key does fill the void between the foot block and the socket, this device cannot be adapted for the purpose of straightening a tilted post. Your email address will not be published. plus you can move this pole if ever necessary, I was given this advice by the salesman who sold me a light pole over. The length of the brace is in the range of 1 to 3 feet, depending on the size of the pole/post to be straightened, with base dimensions of 3 to 6 inches by 6 to 10 inches. As with setting a new pole, foam used . If you have been reading my blog, you know that I tend to move things around. Use a brush for even application. Thread a screw eye through the hole and then drive two stakes into the ground. In my yard, this is the biggest factor in whether a pole leans. So these are the tricks I use to keep my feeder poles and birdbaths from leaning. Enter your email address to receive email notifications of new posts. Instead, you need to work on firming up the ground AROUND the base of the pole. I'm a utility engineer. The manufacturer recommends two E-Z Menders per post, one on each side. First off, dig up the soil around the fence post to expose the existing concrete base. This will work regardless if your post is set in concrete, gravel, or dirt. Now. But this one had a very simple solution. the amount of lean can be very deceptive. Ive found the poles with the least tendency to lean have the weight of the feeder(s) distributed most evenly on the pole. Trees tend to fall in that direction too. Jim begins to prepare the wall for some more coaxing Photo courtesy of Diana. Typically a form is used on the top of the foundation to help finish the base. Over the years, many mailbox posts tend to develop a slight lean. (There is even a base option for putting the pole on a flat surface like a deck or patio. I held the box on to the post with sheet metal screws and some paste epoxy to keep it from rocking. In the following sections, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in some detail. Replies to my comments If you have concrete surrounding your post, this anchor will still wedge in between the wood post and concrete, providing very solid support. Two Erva Shepherds Staff Poles and Erva Four-Arm Pole, Platform Feeders Mounted on Poles With a Deep Ground Anchor, Four-Arm Pole Secured With Augur-Style Ground Anchor, Shepherds Staff Poles with H-Shaped Base with a Horizontal Triangular Blade, Erva Twister Ground Anchor, Pole Top, Pole, Arms (Four-Arm Pole), Erva Pole, Baffle, Ground Anchor and Mounting Base, Three Identical Suet Feeders Distribute the Weight Equally on the Pole, Feeder Weight is Distributed Around the Four Arms of the Pole, My Backyard Leans Toward the Back Center Right of This Photo, Compacting the Soil Around Bird Feeder Pole. I can't imagine that it will take all that much given the length of the lever. In fact, I don't even think she believes its a problem. And now the other corner Photo courtesy of Diana. Love the photo of the upper level interior with the dappled light. I know there is torque and other things I am not thinking of. The cable, if I remember correctly, was about 1/4 in diameter. An Ideal Solution for Pole Straightening Straightening leaning poles can often present a challenge for linemen because there is typically no dirt available to tamp. Position a bumper jack or a handyman jack against the post, with the hook against the post. Fish the end of the new cord through the hole in the umbrella pole that is inside of the housing. What gauge? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The cable runs through the barn and emerges at ground level in a doorway at the opposite end. www.utilityproducts.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. This is the most probable place for the lamp to be loose. Unusual for its T shape, the antique barn was showing its age. I also like the way they look. However, you may find that using only one bracket will suffice, depending on your post and the ground conditions. Level the mailbox post and fill the hole with dirt. Use a stringing tool or wire to fish the cord through the pivot point. (Repeat Method 2) Creativity has no limit. 2 Straightening a Leaning Post Set in the Soil. Insert a pencil into the basketball pole's hole at the desired level mark. The process began in mid-September. We are always interested in new DIY mailbox repair ideas! I also touch on bird photography, stories about birds and birding field trips. While one friend holds the pole, hammer the wooden stakes into the ground. This angular post also emphasizes the problem! They seem to be a standard diameter to fit the light on the top. That wrapped up the first day! These two covered platform feeders (photo above) each sit centered over their pole. A few repairs and a new roof will make this barn productive for a long, long, time! Each situation is going to be a little bit different. Additional Options: -Custom - 4 ITC RGB Overhead Lights. This way, insert both the broken pieces into the tube. The angularity of the barn quilts reflects the movement accomplished by Davids efforts; they are no longer aligned with the siding. When hanging feeders from these hooks, I try to keep the weight fairly even to discourage pole tilting. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Once you determine from where the lamp is leaning, you can make the . You must log in or register to reply here. A conforming wedge key is inserted into the key seat to wedge the foot block tightly in the post socket. In a perfect world, you would simply insert the pole upright into the ground and call it a day. Required fields are marked *. Privacy Policy. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Heard about the storm, we had one like that a few summers back in northern MI. But Ill still post about both. . A second brace is then inserted and driven down on the opposite side of the hole to support the pole in the upright position. Step 3. (The four-arm pole and the Studio-M birdbath have augur-style twister pieces at the base that screw into the ground. Me, I'd dig it out on the side it needs to go to, then push by hand. Use wooden planks over the base/foot pegs of the pole. 6,343,446) describes a tubular sign post anchor with rectangular projecting fins. Here are some pictures: http://imgur.com/a/9i3XZ, You answered your own question: the service line is pulling the pole, and thus it needs to be guyed and anchored back in the opposite direction. Wrap a chain or nylon strap tightly around the lower end of the post and over the hook on the jack. Device and Method for Straightening and Supporting a Leaning Pole or Post, BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL, Towers; Masts or poles; Chimney stacks; Water-towers; Methods of erecting such structures, Means for adjusting the orientation of the post or pole, ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION, Kit for orienting anchor bolt mounted in concrete and method of using the kit, Guard rail structure having auxiliary brace and method for mounting the same, Support fundamental pile and installation guider, Non-boring blow type anchor and soil nailing method using the same, Anchor pile for coupling sign and the like, Post anchor with drive pin and ground displacement wedge, Method of defining crest, and auxiliary tool for defining crest and reinforcement bar, Standing structure and method for signs that do not require on-site welding, Deck using plate file foundation and installing method thereof, Ground anchor for reinforcing guard rail brace and method for mounting the same, Pole basic structure and pole installation method, Method for installing crossing side ditch and foundation block, Retaining wall construction method using backward tension, Apparatus for fixing reinforced retainaing wall block, Information on status: application discontinuation. Lol. In the U.S. Patent of Stephen (U.S. Pat. 'Cause they don't know me. Though in shadow, barn quilts attached to the side of the barn can be seen. Next, he prepared to install new studs along each side by removing all siding on the walls leaning out. This process is automatic. Nothing looks rotten, at least to me. Notice the deep length of the twister ground anchor. 4,598,512) teaches a semi-tubular support bracket with a wedge-shaped driving member for reinforcing a post that has rotted below ground level. 5. I hang a variety of feeder types from this pole, so I need to be careful to get the weight right. This is yet one more incentive (beyond not leaving wet seed to mold) to clear snow and/or wet seed out of feeders after a storm. ), I purchased the Erva four-arm pole (photo above) from my local bird store (Mother Natures). 3. You may need to have a friend hold the bracket in place. All are made by the folks at Erva. Do you sell the EZ Mender, or would you be interested in an alternative method of repair? Altogether, not a bad smell at all. There is 3 bags of concrete around the sleeve so I have some digging to do. It did take far more dirt than I expected. The barn waits patiently as help arrives. But is heavyweight too much of a jump for the American? In addition to the cable passing through the center of the barn, Jim has attached chains and cables to each corner. It looks like a privately owned pole, which means she may have to pay the utility to take care of it. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. That was my first thought also, are you sure the ground did not give and it is leaning and not actually bent? This device is explicitly designed for use in a rigid, fixed aperture, not a hole with sloping walls deformed by a leaning pole. You'll have to evaluate the relative "looseness" of the hole as the pole could "lean" towards "Jonses" either right or left rather than moving straight back into the vertical . Like I said above, if the sleeve in the ground is tilted and the bole is bent, if you can get a good grip on the bottom of the pole and turn it 180 in the sleeve the bend and the tilt may just cancel out and be straight enough. The roots must be replanted below grade level. This option offers a quick DIY method on how to fix a leaning mailbox post, adding durable strength, without digging or using concrete. When soil shifts, the pressure of the soil against a wall can cause the wall to lean or bow in, which will result in foundation repairs. A second brace is then inserted and driven down on the opposite side of . Sometimes arranging the hooks directly opposite each other can be helpful in distributing the weight more evenly. Step 4 - Mix a 60lb Bag of Concrete. Use a hammer to lightly tap the pencil until it is flush with the pole. I have only been in two or three barns in my lifetime, and havent been in one for at least 30 years But I can immediately conjure up the smell made up of sweet hay, old wood, a bit of leather, a hint of ammonia, peppered with some manure. in order to further straighten or support the pole or post, sequentially inserting one or more additional braces around the circumference of the pole or post and sequentially driving each of the additional braces downward into the hole by applying impact force to the base of each additional brace. So use your foot or a mallet or a stone or whatever to compact the soil around the poles foot support. Pack the soil firmly around the roots and attach two or three guy wires to the tree, anchoring them about 12 feet (3.5 m.) from the trunk. I did that once, not again please. If the pole wants to rotate, use your 4x4 clamp and have someone hold the pole in position. when the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association decided to fix the 18th century barn on their Unity, Maine campus (at my recommentdation as the structural parts were in great shape in addition to it having many unique features), it looked OK from the outside but when they finally got the ridgepole back into place, they found it was 22 out of plumb. Not sure of flag "etiquette" but once the pole is out could some of the pole be cut off then re-install the pole vertically? Here, however, the wedge has the function simply of enabling the post to be more easily driven into the ground. Sturdier, cheaper. Overlap the ends of the boards about 3 inches to keep them straight. Step 3: Remove the Loose Fence Post. While not perfectly plumb, the barn is much less contorted than it had been previously. A set of two or more wedge-shaped braces are used to straighten and support a leaning pole or post, such as a utility pole that has been impacted by a vehicle or a storm.