Telescoping pole question...

[Guest]

Hi folks, I joined the Forum yesterday, I live in an RV park year-round in TN, volunteered to manage the neglected PM house that was occupied by starlings last year. Plan to lower the house, clean it out, close openings and replace the round hole doors with SREH's. The house is supported by a telescoping pole. I've put WT-40 on the nuts and turnscrew thing. Have non-slip gloves and pliers. My questions: do the bolts need to be completely removed? What about the turnscrew thing? Is it better to lower the top section first or start from the bottom? Can this lowering and raising be done by one person or am I likely to make a spectacle of myself trying? Thanks for any helpful hints. TanaroseTN

[roblrich]

My questions: do the bolts need to be completely removed?

Is it better to lower the top section first or start from the bottom?

Can this lowering and raising be done by one person . TanaroseTN

Apologies for no one responding promptly, and welcome to the forum! You can usually get a response quicker. But this is a great service you are providing TanaroseTN. I wish you luck.

I'll try to address a few of your questions. One, can one person lower a telescoping pole their self? Yes, usually. Now I can lower my poles, but I wouldn't want my wife to attempt them as she has little upper body strength. A single man with normal strength can easily handle this task, and a woman may be able to also, depending on the set up. Try it now before you have martins.

Which pole do you lower first? You always lower the bottom pole first, than the next pole, then the top, then that is reversed in order when raising it.

Do the bolts need to be completely removed? Absolutely not! You slowly loosen the bolt until the pole starts to slide down. Once the pole has slidden down to the point you want, then you retighten the bolt in place, then do the same for the next section. When raising, the pole, everything is in reverse. You loosen the bolt, raise the upper pole, then tighten in place. Then raise the next section, tighten, and then raise the lower section and tighten.

All telescoping poles are probably a little different. I have two telescoping poles with three sections that tighten by nuts and bolts, and this is what I described. If your telescoping poles are any different, try to find out what type they are and explain, and someone on the forum with the same pole may be able to give more precise instructions.

It is important that once you are done lowering and raising, that the housing units on the pole are in the very same position as they were before. If not the martins will get confused and may abandon the site.

Again, the best of luck to you.

[Guest]

Robert gave fine instructions. It sounds to me like you may have through bolts as well as friction or jam nuts. If you have through bolts yes they need, to come all the way out. If they are rusty replace them. They are in place, to take pressure off the jam or friction devise. All may be rusty. WD 40 is good for the go but you may need to soak and soak the first time. Only open the friction nuts very carefully and a little bit until the pole slides. If you back out, of the friction devise and it drops down, into the pole you will have lost the ability, to work the pole alone, by inching it up, locking it, in place, to take a break. Wear heavy gloves. Those poles can bite if you catch skin between the poles. If you are a lady never lean into the pole, with a bare skin chest or stomach as would be summer wear. Dumb stuff like that is usually expected of men. Repeating skin between the poles is a very hurtful experience.

My suggestion is to have help the first time. Mark your pole so you can find the through holes and maintain direction of the house each time you up or down the pole. Mark the pole with an (+) The horizontal line will give you the elevation. The vertical line will perfectly line up the hole when you want to replace the through bolt. The horizontal line will be on the smaller pole. Half of the vertical line will be on each pole.

Work the pole up and down as Robert suggested.

[Guest]

Thanks so much Robert! I hope I am doing this right... was beginning to wonder if telescoping poles might be obsolete, people were reading but not responding.. Raining & dark now so will wait till tomorrow to tackle the pole... Want to be independent of RV park staff if possible.. I'm a woman, 66 yr old grandmother, a widow, very independent, 5'10" and strong and capable, used to raise sheep. ....AND determined to manage the PM house. Starlings are checking it out already. The PM project is part of my on-going fight against Alzheimer's .. mental activity is critical to maintaining brain function. Really appreciate your help. ... TanaroseTN

[Guest]

Wow, another response, thanks docgipe, I think the bolts may go all the way through but will check. There is also a turnscrew thing, flat horizontal head, can turn with pliers, halfway around between head of bolt and the nut, on the same level. Don't want to replace the pole if I can help it, but will replace the doors at my expense and hope to enlarge the 12-6"x6" units to make 6-2room units. Got to give the martins the best possible chance for success. Thanks again. TanaroseTN

[carlymac]

Tanarose, I live nearby in Hendersonville, And have hosted martins for the past few years. I just built a new house and am working on getting my second martin colony. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from both the website and its members. If there is anything I can do to share the knowledge I've gained at your site let me know. I am also a Sumner county deputy and have worked the Millersville area. Is your RV park by chance "the owls roost". If so I know exactly where you are and would be happy to help. I'd rather see a managed martin box than no martin boxes at all, So let me know. My home number in 824-6050...Carl McCoy

[Guest]

Hi, Carl, Robert & Dwaine, ... so great to hear that you, Carl, are having such success just a few miles south of me!! I live in Sumner county, at the Nashville Country RV Park, south of Millersville City Hall. Have you spotted any PM's yet? .... Major progress today re the telescoping pole...enlisted help since it was nearby, lol, got the bolts removed & house lowered. Cleaned it out incl. sad sight of dead last year's baby of some sort tangled in string. Blocked the round holes w/cardboard. Explained to manager my plan to modify holes with the starling extruder plates and to modify the 12 units to make 6-6"x12" ones. Said I'll pay for the plates. Manager said the maintenance guy will do the modifications:) Finally was able to join PMCA and will order plates etc. soon. ... House is still lowered, forgot to mark pole as Dwaine suggested but will remedy that tomorrow. Am strong enough to raise house, need better technique but am glad I will be able to manage it on my own. Thanks for all the help. TanaroseTN

[carlymac]

Tanarose,
You asked if I had seen any martins...Well As I was working on my martin house at my new home I heard the familiar gurgling song of a male martin. I looked up and lo-and-behold a single ASY martin was flying overhead. He made a short hook and made a second pass at my new martin house. I believe he saw what I had to offer. Now I realize he is most likely set on another site but I started my last colony with an ASY pair. They even layed an egg the first day at my site. SO I'm hopefull to get a colony started here the first year. Not to jinx myself but were in a martin rich part of the country...Best of luck with your endeavor and if I can be of any help what so ever just pick up the phone and call 615-824-6050....Carl

[Guest]

Carl, I was delighted to hear of your sighting of the ASY male! And to hear that we are living in a martin rich area, I didn't know that. Am I correct in thinking that I should get the SREH plates installed and the house raised as soon as possible? The plates, CD's, decoys and fun stuff were ordered today. The house is only about 5 ft. from the ground now with round holes blocked. Perhaps I should raise it to normal height. It might not look suitable so close to the ground. Still, most coming through now would be heading on north, if I understand correctly. About what date would martins actually settle in, in this area, if they are going to?? Think it would be several weeks or more. Any help would be appreciated. Lorrain

[carlymac]

In the few years I had returning martins they would settle in during the 3rd week of March...
I'd get your housing up when it is suitable for martins...This is just the beggining of our window.
Do you know if the house your managing had martins last year?

[Guest]

thanks Carl, 2 more weeks isn't long and the house should be ready within a week. .... I hadn't yet thrown out the last year's house contents so just now spread them out and took digital pics of the feathers, dead baby tangled in string and the nesting material. Surely these pics will help me determine what was nesting in the house last year. Will post again after I've done some online research. Tanarose

[Guest]

just a little update. I've come to the conclusion that the dead last year's baby is a starling, the beak is longish and pointed. One nest was a starling nest because of being full of nesting material. Don't know what to make of the greyish feathers. ... Got the round holes blocked with cardboard while I anxiously await the arrival of the SREH plates. Got the house raised to its highest position. Got it halfway yesterday and the rest of the way today. One bolt is bent. I think it would be easier to put a short bolt in from each side. Anything would be easier than the present system. Ideas welcome. .. Glad your PM's are returning Robert. .. Love the Jay school site:http://www.nisd.net/jay/martins/ Check it out if you haven't already.... G'nite. Tanarose

[Carlton]

I bought two new 14 foot (installed height) poles and like them but find them VERY HEAVY to lift with 4 Troyer Horizontal Gourds and 4 Supergourds on each. I am 58 years old and quite strong but it is all I can do to hoist them up especially since the steel had to be oiled as it was sticking badly. Also, one time I made the BIG MISTAKE of not paying close attention and allowing the top section to slip down on the bottom section with my finger inbetween!!!! Got a nasty/cut. BE CAREFUL everyone!!! From now on I wear nonslip gloves too and pay close attention to the position of my hands. I can see how someone could be BADLY injured by a dropping top pole. I had the levers that lock the sections in place. If I was purchasing another setup I would pay extra and get a mechanical device to help raise and lower the gourds. I am okay with this now but in the years to come will have to erect fewer gourds. I think that this setup would work better with an aluminum rather than 8 large gourds.

[Guest]

TanaroseTN, If you have a hardware store near by try this. Take one of the bolts and nuts to the store and purchase enough wing nuts to put on the top part of the connector that holds the sections together. While holding the upper sections you can turn these wing nuts much easier than a regular nut and if you shoot some oil on the threads they won't rust and lock up again. Usually finger tight will hold each section in place.