Flag Pole Recommendations

[LakeBob]

Anyone have a flag pole they love?   Looking for any recommendations for a nice pole that that I can mount to my hitch.

I've seen several with solar lights that look nice.

Based on past experience, I would buy an aluminum telescoping pole, however there are a lot of fiberglass poles out there, just not sure if they are sturdy enough.

Would like to get a 20 -25 ft. pole.

Thanks!

[timaz996]

I have a Flagg Pole Buddy fiberglass about 23' high and it has been through 60 mph winds. I do have the solar powered led light on top. I like it.

[Scotty Hutto]

I also have a Flag Pole Buddy and am very pleased with it!

[Rocketman3]

I have Flag Pole Buddy four 4’ poles on my Monaco ladder and of course I don’t have a flag… I have a StarLink on it.

I put 2 poles up when no trees, etc are around, with more trees I go to four lengths. They have a nice bag that I believe holds 6 poles.

No issues with wind - but if there is a storm near I often take it down.

[willbo777]

I have been flying a flag with a solar light on it for more than 15 years with a flagpole buddy mount and fiberglass pole, and for the last 3-4 years a weather station on a PVC pipe mounted on a larger flagpole buddy mount, both on our ladder.  A big fan, very easy to do, and with most wind it is fine.

[cbr046]

Made in America and a sense of humor to boot . . . . "Really?", she says . . .

https://flagpolebuddy.com/

Introductory video - https://player.vimeo.com/video/648107092

- bob

[Tom Cherry]

I had a commercial or trade show or “serious NASCAR” kit.  It had a heavy duty receiver mount….no offense, but with all the ladder issues we see here, I would be dubious….but that is just the Engineer in me plus advice from an HR dealer that had 6 “show rigs” and bought 6 kits….

It had a “howizer” rated hitch mount…with a padlock feature on the hitch pin.  Went up to 23 ft…there were three interlocking sections, each had a clevis style locking pin mating design….so, it did not have a cam or some twist or internal lock.  The pulley at the top had a quick push side so the rope was easy on.  There were loops, with brass grommets, spaced out so you could use up to 3 flags..and there were extra loops, on the rope to accommodate different sizes of flags….so you never had a “will it fit” issue.  This was to allow trade show folks to fly flags that were required…

heavy as all get out….but, it rarely “swayed” or boughed like a sapling in a Hurricane.

Deal was….put Mount on hitch.  Assemble pole….1, 2 or 3 sections.  Mount or assemble rope with loops.  YOU COULD use your own poly rope with hand tied loos, but the recommendation was to use an insert as the poly would abrade.  Hoist the sucker….picture the Highland games….log carry.  Put in mount…pin and lock the bottom pole.  It was sturdy.

The cost for the set of 6 about 15 years ago approached $1,500.  I paid my buddy $100.  Used it at tailgating for football…had to bungee poles to luggage rack on Yukon to get it in.  Serious tailgaters would come by and shoot pictures of the brand….that is what eludes me.

Sold it a few years back for $150 to a traveling convoy that had MH & RV’s and set up weekend training classes In hospital parking lots….  They had one brake and the wagonmaster recognized the brand and product from my CL pictures…

My comments…sorry for no brand…but that was the gist of it….from an Engineer’s perspective.  The HR dealer had one of the ladder poles rip off a new HR ladder with 3 flags….at night….he then converted to the Trade Show level….and hitch mounted….

[LakeBob]

Thanks for all the feedback.

The Flag Pole Buddy seems like a good, easy to use design, have the same concerns as Tom regarding stress on the ladder.  

Last night the light bulb came on, duh! , remembered that I can use the pole from the lake house. It’s one of those aluminum heavy duty poles I purchased at a trade show 15 years ago. I’m sure it’s similar to what Tom described.  It is sleeve mounted and I can take that with me.  
Now I just need to get down there and measure the ID for a mount.  
 

Now to decide, hitch or ladder mount. Definitely leaning towards a hitch mount.  Concerned with a heavy duty pole mounted to the ladder. The down side is I’ll have to remove the tow bar and find a place to stow.

[cbr046]

1 hour ago, LakeBob said:

 The down side is I’ll have to remove the tow bar and find a place to stow.

You can get hitch extenders like this one - https://www.amazon.com/CURT-45792-Receiver-Trailer-2-Inch/dp/B00371VLAC but that would extend your tow bar 8 more inches from the coach.  Not sure that's a good idea, especially with a Cadillac's weight.  This one is rated for 3500 lbs GTW.  I see some rated to 5000 lbs but not from a name would I trust. 

SECOND IDEA is to just have a 2" square ID tube welded to the top of the tow bar.  It wouldn't have to be official receiver material (1/4" thick?). 

- bob

[willbo777]

5 hours ago, LakeBob said:

 

The Flag Pole Buddy seems like a good, easy to use design, have the same concerns as Tom regarding stress on the ladder.  

 

Now to decide, hitch or ladder mount. Definitely leaning towards a hitch mount.  Concerned with a heavy duty pole mounted to the ladder. The down side is I’ll have to remove the tow bar and find a place to stow.

Somehow I can't believe there is a tenth of the stress on the ladder in 30 knots of wind compared to my 220# climbing it:-)

JMO, but I cannot imagine pulling off my towbar each time I wanted to fly the flag which in my case is every day.

[Tom Cherry]

6 minutes ago, willbo777 said:

Somehow I can't believe there is a tenth of the stress on the ladder in 30 knots of wind compared to my 220# climbing it:-)

JMO, but I cannot imagine pulling off my towbar each time I wanted to fly the flag which in my case is every day.

Hey, NOT knocking your logic.  But I have seen maybe say 16 ft of flags and some them, especially the ones that were from south with large flags with negative connotations….they were huge..Now my old mechanics and physics profs would want to calculate some stress or force vectors.  Not having aced those courses, but done a lot of repairs and redesigns and also testing.  Your 220 pounds is considered as a straight or regular shear force.  That is spread over all the pop rivets, presumably the weakest link as the push in fasteners on the supports are rated properly.  If your ladder is like mine, then the ladder hooks over the roof.  So, pop rivet the ladder in place with just the top or roof mounts.  I would expect that the ladder with the 4 vertical mounts not even fasten would support your weight.  But since you are going up and down and not when you are mid way up, having a rope attached to the roof and leaning backwards until your 220 pound mass is horizontal….which would put a “moment” or be like putting a pipe horizontally on the ladder…say 3 ft out and then doing pull ups on it…. My gut…the ladder’s 12 pop rivets on the vertical side is just to keep the ladder firmly attached when you go up and down and don’t don’t do gymnastics on it or lean back…. ROUGH…but my logic and remembering all the idiotic drawings and and moments or force vectors…

NOW.  In a wind, with flags, wet….and such, and the flag pole is attached to the ladder, you go from a downward shear, to a pull out.  Take a big flag or a bunch of them, heavy flags….think two thickness of denim and then getting whipped around.  The 12 pop rivets are all that is holding the bottom part of the ladder in place.  The top hook over is attached….and there is a shear force on it.  Remember the use of a big old piece of pipe.  Put a 3/4” drive “T” or end on a 12” handle.  Put your body with both hands on it and push down….say 50 pounds…put a 8 ft pipe on it….now 400 pounds.  I worked at Sears during college.  Joe Shadetree would bring in a 12” 1/2” or even 3/4” drive T handle, bent like superman used to in the opening scenes of the 1950’s TV show….and  say, I just rared down on it and it bent.  YEAH, you and Mr. Six Foot Pipe and Mr. Ten Pound Sledge…but we gave him a new one.  The length multiplied by  force of thick and big flags, up 16 ft….will, IMHO, out a heck of a force or torque on the bottom 6 rivets.  Think on a ratchet wrench….you keep hitting those rivets with maybe 50 pound feet of torque….they pull and then that force goes to the mid supports…

All I know is what the HR GM told me and he had to get his techs to install the replacement ladder….at the dealership’s expense…

Totally agree on a hitch extender.  Pure simple physics.  You downrate your hitch….and have to read the plate data on the extender to see if it will pull your vehicle  YES, if the Hitch extender downrates to 3000 pounds, then you can pull a Toyota Corolla….not a medium size SUV like a Acadia…much less my 6000# Yukon…

And 

[Paul J A]

I had a receiver tube welded to the hitch cross member, left of the hitch receiver tube for the flag pole display bracket.

[LakeBob]

Paul, great idea!  I think I'll have an extra receiver welded on.  

I determined my pole is an Uncommon USA flag pole.   

I've had the Uncommon 20 ft. telescopic pole for over almost 20 years, and it looks and performs as new.  Flags never get twisted and it's very easy to raise and lower.  Not cheap but I would highly recommend. 

As we head south for 6 months out of the year, it will be easy to pull it out of its sleeve and use while on the road.  It's a 2.5" diameter pole and pretty stout so the reciever mount is my best solution.  In addtion, the half ladder we have on these Dynasty's is so high it would require another ladder to set up and remove the pole. 

Uncommon USA (uncommonflagpoles.com)

Thanks for all the feedback and comments!