I finally got my dish up on the pole but realized my pole is about an inch to small for the clamp to properly grip the pole.
Do you think it would be alright to weld a sleeve on the top of the pole to get the proper fit for the clamp to hold better?
I was thinking I could use some liquid steel and/or just weld it, to build the diameter out some. What are your thoughts?
? An INCH too small ??? How big is the pole, and can you describe the "clamp"?
Most 10' dishes come with a mount that will work with 3" schedule 40 pipe, which has an OD of 3.5". If you by chance bought pipe that was 3" OD instead of 3" Sched 40, then I can see where you might be off by a half inch. Above, you say that your pole is 3" but don't say if that's the OD or the ID or if it's 3" Sched 40.
There are some dishes that come with a mount for 3.5" sched 40, which would have a 4" OD, as someone mentioned above, however those mounts are usually for dishes bigger than 10' or heavier than most 10' dishes.
Anyway, if your pole is really a whole inch too small, then I would worry that it wasn't stiff enough to support the dish. If it's just 1/2" too small, _AND_ if it's sched 40, you might be able to get away with slipping the next size up of sched 40 over top of the other pipe, although I think I'd use more than just a sleeve at the top. I think I'd use several feet of the bigger pole, and perhaps fill the smaller pole with concrete, if you haven't already. I don't usually fill poles with concrete, but in your case, it might be a good idea.
I'm also curious about the "clamp" description. Most 10' dishes I've seen have the next size pipe as a mount, with 3 or 4 tabs welded on threaded for bolts. Or alternatively, some dishes have a sort of collar that goes 90% of the way around the pipe, with bolts that pull it tight around the pipe. I've only seen "clamps" on smaller dishes, although you might call the collar thing I described as a clamp. Mainly just curious on that question.