How deep a hole for 21' pole?

[mshaffer]

Hi guys, I just got a 21' pole for my Winegard Pinnacle. How deep does the hole have to be? My soil is hard clay.

Also, the guy I got the dish from has a 2' wide concrete base. Do I really need that or can I just make it a little bigger than the pole?

BTW the pole is a little thicker than schedule 40, I forgot what they called, it, extra strong or something.

Thanks

 

[SpeedTrap47]

1/3 the heigth

12 inch base depending on the load and wind speed you intend on encountering

 

[jimjo3298]

go at least 2ft deep, have set many dishes on poles should be 2ft deep

 

[mshaffer]

Is there any way to go deeper than 3.5' which is as far as my post hole digger goes? I have a pressure washer that can cut through anything.. but would make a mess..

 

[rv1pop]

A well driller or an auger (powered) will get you deeper. Here, a 10 foot dish on a 21 foot pole would not be needed, but if used would need to be 6 to 7 feet in the ground with the biggest glob of concrete at the botton to get below the frost line. Very little concrete above 2 feet to the surface so the frost could not push it up out of the ground.

 

[sergei]

Check out the site below to get the factory installation instructions on how to install a base post for their heavy duty polar mount.


http://www.dhsatellite.com/images/INST MANUAL Heavy%20Duty%20Polar.pdf

 

[mshaffer]

Would this be a bad idea? I already bought a 12' 6x6, I was thinking I could bury 6' of it and bolt the other half to the bottom of the pole to give me more height. Of course I would have to have the pole attached when I set the concrete.

In the attached picture, the 2x4's are 21'

 

[Radioguy41]

Wood warps and twists, you need the pole to stay steady. In my opinion if you dug a hole at least 18" square by 4' deep, and widened the bottom of the hole by about 3-4 inches all around that should be enough to support your pole. A regular post hole digger can do that. Once you set the pole in the hole you must brace it in every direction and make certain it's plumb all around. Pour the concrete and tamp it down every few inches so it spreads into the undercut at the bottom of the hole. Bring the concrete up a bit above the ground surface and arch the top so rainwater will run away from the pole. Let it set for about 2 days, remove the bracing and your ready for the dish. If the pole isn't steady enough, flexes, or isn't plumb you may have to add guy wires to it.

Now, how are you planning on getting the dish up there (17 feet) and then tuned in?

 

[SatelliteAV]

Attach rebar or place bolts through the post before setting into the cement. This will prevent the pole from spinning.

Do not attempt to use the wood. You will regret it!

 

[Anole]

digging a hole

I set a 40' telephone pole in my back yard some years ago.
Not suitable for a BUD, but the hole story is interesting...

I dug it with a shovel. Maybe two or three feet in diameter.
Filled the hole with water from time to time, to make it a little easier to dig.
Took weeks of part time effort.

I think I managed close to 8', but that last bit was with a spoon-like tool I borrowed from the local power company guys.
The handle was maybe 10' long, and the end was a shovel head at about 90 degrees.
Once I got down to a shale-layer, there was nothing I could penetrate it with...
... short of dynamite... which I didn't have...
So, I stopped there, trimmed out the bottom of the hole 'till it was flat, and then let the power guys use their rig to drop the pole in place.

Gettin' past six feet is a real challenge. -

 

[mshaffer]

It looks like my Winegard can actually take a pole up to 4" in diameter, should I call them and change my order to a 3.5" pipe instead of a 3" pipe? I ordered it on teh weekend so I don't think they've cut anything yet.

It looks like a3" pipe will work too since there are a bunch of adjustment screws, kind of like a Christmas tree holder.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Purchase a pipe that has an outside diameter that is the maximum that the Winegard can accommodate.

I would not use a 3" OD pipe for even a 10 foot pole..... at 21 feet it will sway like a sapling!

 

[mshaffer]

I mean the one I ordered is 3.5" OD, but up to a 4" would fit.. I called the steel yard and left a message. Hopefully they haven't cut it yet.

I finished digging the hole. I made it 6' deep.

 

[phlatwound]

I think 21' is a common length for pipe, so maybe they weren't even going to have to cut it.

You will definitely be better off using the largest piece of pipe that will fit your mount, especially if you are going that high with it.

 

[AntAltMike]

It is my recollection that most Winegard big dishes took a 4" pipe that is 4.5 inches in outer diameter.

I don't follow the C-band forums anymore. I dropped the last sports bar C-band account I had a couple of years ago, and I just converted the last assisted living community C-band system I serviced to DirecTV. Why is anyone bothering with C-band anymore?

 

[phlatwound]

It is my recollection that most Winegard big dishes took a 4" pipe that is 4.5 inches in outer diameter.

I don't follow the C-band forums anymore. I dropped the last sports bar C-band account I had a couple of years ago, and I just converted the last assisted living community C-band system I serviced to DirecTV. Why is anyone bothering with C-band anymore?

Not much left on analog but there is tons of great FTA digital programming still available on C-band.

The rumors of C-band's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

 

[mshaffer]

I started using c-band b/c I wanted to record tv episodes on Comedy Central and share them on the internet. I haven't done that in like 4 years though because everything is posted on the Comedy Central website now. It's pretty cool though to see my Dave Chappelle rip that I did 4 years ago still floating around the torrent sites haha..

 

[glparrish078]

s

 

[mshaffer]

ok I called them, they switched it to a 4" OD pipe.

 

[crawfrdb]

Where exactly did you get a pipe? Can I get 4" from Home Despot?

All this talk about cement bases. Necessary if the dish will be mounted on a pole 7-8' above the ground if I bury 4' in rocky soil (no frost here)?

Thanks.