Telescoping poles

[Guest]

Has anyone tried the Coates heavy duty telescoping poles? Comments for specific brands of telescoping poles would be helpful. (Coates, Nature House, Blitz, Heath, S&K, any others?)

An initial look at the forum comments on poles (I'm a new member) seemed to favor the very expensive rigs, but that's impractical for me.

Most of my 8 martin houses are communtiy sponsored, so telescoping poles are the most econmical choice. I've had the martin houses for about 10 years in Ocean Pines, Maryland, and on Assateague Island (famous for the wild ponies and the story "Misty")

Also, some of my locations are very close to tidal saltwater areas, raising the concern for how to replace a worn lanyard or cable if the pole contains a pulley arrangement Salt air and winds could quickly wear out cables and lanyards.

Thanks for any information or experiences you might share.

Tom

[Guest]

Tom, I have the heavy duty coates watersedge pole at our lake house. I found that the pole was very sturdy (although a toronado did lay it down on the ground, unbent, tho). The draw back to me is the way it raises and lowers. It has 1 eye screw (someone correct that term if it is wrong) in each section and they are a pain in the neck. Since it is a very sturdy pole, it is heavy and if you aren't careful you can pinch your hand - my husband got a bad pinch from it - when lowering it. If you are looking for sturdy, it is that. Hope this helps. I'm sure others will have good suggestions for you.


Welcome to the forum. You will get a wealth of information here.

Lanell

[Dave]

Aluminum will out perform steel in your salty area. If you try alum. wipe it down with Endust once a week and it will last a long time.

[CraigMo.]

I have the s&k tri-pole and it works very well. Not to hard to use either. Just gotta make sure you don't pinch your fingers when you let it down. 1 pinch and you learn your lesson. We have tornados and heavy winds in the spring and mine has stayed up fine. I think it is 5 years old now. I do lower it one notch when I am home during bad weather just to be on the safe side. I would guess its one of the best for the amount of money you spend on it. If you buy it make sure you follow the directions when you put it in the ground and that will save you trouble down the road. I didn't follow the directions when I put it in and it holds water in the bottom part of the pole and when you put it down it squirts water on ya. 1 squirt and you learn to stand to the side. You might ask Dave if the poles will work with your type of housing. He posted a reply to your topic already. Good luck

[Guest]

I have a Coates medium duty pole with a house and gourds on it. Like others I have pinched my hand on numerous occassions. It is heavy with my set up. I would never buy another telescoping pole. And, as mentioned the tightening bolts are a pain.

[Rich Jewell In]

I have a coates hd pole and also a tri-pole. The tri-pole is aluminum and the coates is steel. The coates is a very strong pole but like others have said you can pinch your fingers and if it slips watch your head. The wing bolts must be tight so the pole doesn't turn when extended. Then when you want to loosen them, you better have pliers. The problem I have with the tri-pole is when you push the plastic buttons to let it down. The pole sections hit the buttons below and knock the buttons out. Then you have a real problem because you have to take the pole apart to put the buttons back in. This happened to me with a nest full of babies. If I had to choose I would have the coates pole. However the smartest choice is to stay away from any telescoping pole. This is just my opinion since I have both poles. I soon will be ordering deluxe poll with a pulley system.

Rich

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses Rich, Kel, Craig, Dave, and Lanell. So far we?ve only gotten comments for Coates and S&K telescoping poles. My Nature House experiences are noted below. Can anyone comment on the other telescoping poles? Heath, Blitz, others?

I?ve been been using the Nature House poles, but they discontinued their Heavy model with the "Pins". Always used leather/palm gloves and had no problems of pinching hands. As some of my martin houses are in public campground/parks, I'm hesitant to buy their "quick release" model, which is the only Heavy one they now are selling. Kids could tamper with the handles of ?quick release? model and hurt themselves (or the birds)

I?m also concerned with the "push-button' arrangement on the S&K poles that could be a similar problem for tampering by kids in a public campground/park area?

And Rick, you described a problem of the buttons breaking off S&K when sections are lowered. And Craig described water squirting out while lowering the unit, (perhaps needing better installation.) And also I've heard something about people putting some cushioning inside the poles to cushion the ?fall?, but not TOO much cushioning, which could obstruct the complete retraction.

Tom

[Dave]

Try using a bike lock in public places.with the S&K Pole. Always drill a small hole at ground level, in all poles to reduce the ground water presure.

[Guest]

Tom - I also have a Heath pole. It is fairly heavy duty but the tornado I talked about in the other post, bent at the ground; however, no one ever said that any pole was tornado proof. Personally, I like the way it lowers, but I don't know if kids tamper with the lower "clip", if you will, what would happen. I don't know how far the lower clip is from the ground.


Anyway, good luck with your endeavor.



Lanell

[Guest]

Dave, you suggested using a bike lock to prevent tampering by kids in the park/campground location of my martin houses.

I'm not sure how that would be rigged to the pole. Could you describe in more detail what you have in mind?

It seems that holes could be drilled and a lock inserted all the way through the pole sections when they are in the elevated position. Or, are there already holes in some of the telescoping poles, eliminating the need for drilling?

Would the pole be weakened by drilling additional holes? (a lock would need a rather sizable hole?) Are there brackets that could accept the holes, instead of the poles themselves?

Any suggestions by others on the forum would be appreciated, with other Brands of telescoping poles. Thanks

[Guest]

Lanell, you said that the Heath pole was bent at the ground during a tornado.

How did your other poles do in the same storm? Was the Coates HD also in the same storm? Do you think the aluminum in the Heath is not as sturdy as the galv. steel in th Coates pole?

I'm also wondering what pole you will be using to replace the bent one. And your reasons for the choice.

Thanks again for the info>

[Matt F.]

Tom,
I'm running a Nature House MPQ pole. This pole has the quick release clamps and is very easy to raise and lower - no cumbersome pins or bolts to deal with. The clamps allow adjusting the pole to any height.
Also, the bottom clamp comes ready to accept a padlock, if you wish to lock your pole.
This pole, like the heavy duty Coates pole, is made from heavy-gauge galvanized steel, and is pretty much bullet proof.

Lanell's Coates pole, was not even bent by a tornado.

[Guest]

Tom - The pole that was not bent was the heavy duty Coates pole. The Heath pole was bent down by the ground (or right above). I don't think I am going to replace it because I have ordered an S&K pole and single gourd rack. I still liked the way the Heath raised and lowered, but it sounds like Texaswhaler has a better one. Oh, I think I said in my last post that I do not like the way the Coates pole raised and lowered.

There are obviously pros and cons to every pole. I still think Texaswhaler has one that meets your needs.


Good luck,

Lanell

[Guest]

My martin housing is in an extremely salty environment....5' from a saltwater canal. I have telescoping poles of which I am slowly phasing out. Each time I lower them, I spray them with corrosion-X and silicone to keep them from freezing in place. They get a little dirty due to dirt catching on the spray on but I wipe them before I re-spray. BTW, my poles are aluminum.

Sue
City by the Sea, TX

[TreeGreenwood]

Rick, you described a problem of the buttons breaking off S&K when sections are lowered.

Tom, visit the SKMfg web site. Down at the bottom is a link to instructions for most S&K products in .pdf files. I also sheared off a plastic button... because I didn't read and follow the instructions.

And Craig described water squirting out while lowering the unit, (perhaps needing better installation.)

I have the same problem in spring. Even with an extra-deep hole and gravel in the bottom, the Virginia red clay and blackjack is more suitable for lining ponds. Last spring, I pumped several hundred gallons of water out of an 18" diameter, 28" deep hole. My dirt does't drain, doesn't perk. Even several days after the last rain, took several more dry days to get the hole dry enough to pour cement.

When water gets in, it fills up the cavity in the bottom section of the TriTel or QuadTel poles. If I lower too fast, I get squirted. If I lower slowly, the excess water just bubbles out around the pole. If I lower too fast, I also risk slipping and shearing off another plastic button. Slow and steady is good.

And also I've heard something about people putting some cushioning inside the poles to cushion the ?fall?, but not TOO much cushioning, which could obstruct the complete retraction.

That was me. Download the instructions. I've had no problem with the TriTel or QuadTel poles after I actually read and followed the instructions. The poles looked so simple that I didn't until after I created problems.

I like both poles. The TriTel is good for front-opening PM houses. The QuadTel is preferable for gourds where the monitor has to look down into them since it lowers down father than the TriTel.

Tree

[Dave]

Thanks Tree

[Rich Jewell In]

Tree & Dave

Thanks for having stupid old me read directions. A couple of plastic garbage bags stuffed in the pole solved the problem. That makes the S&K pole perfect for me. Thanks again

Rich

[Guest]

Hi Tera,

I have an older second hand Trio house and a Heath telescoping pole thats 4 yo. Both took a 60 mph gust front last summer with no problems. The Trio pole is alot easier to raise/lower. The heath pole is kinda tricky... esp trying to put the locking pins in while holding up 4 Super Gourds full of nesting material and chicks.
I installed a Perky Pet aluminum pole for my Mom a few weeks ago with Super Gourds. It was fairy easy to install and raise/lower. The only problem is the cleat didn't line up with the hole, because of the way it was welded. I'm thinking of putting one of these at my house if I have enough Martins this year for another set up. Both Super Gourd rack were "custom built" by a friend.... basically a larger piece of metal to fit securely around the pole with 4 arms welded to it.

Chuck

[Guest]

And Craig described water squirting out while lowering the unit, (perhaps needing better installation.)

I have the same problem in spring. Even with an extra-deep hole and gravel in the bottom, the Virginia red clay and blackjack is more suitable for lining ponds. Last spring, I pumped several hundred gallons of water out of an 18" diameter, 28" deep hole. My dirt does't drain, doesn't perk. Even several days after the last rain, took several more dry days to get the hole dry enough to pour cement.

When water gets in, it fills up the cavity in the bottom section of the TriTel or QuadTel poles. If I lower too fast, I get squirted. If I lower slowly, the excess water just bubbles out around the pole. If I lower too fast, I also risk slipping and shearing off another plastic button. Slow and steady is good.

Tree, remember to drill the hole at the bottom of the pole as Dave suggested and I'll bet your days of getting squirted are over. Drill teh hole on the opposite side from where you stand while lowering the pole.

And also I've heard something about people putting some cushioning inside the poles to cushion the ?fall?, but not TOO much cushioning, which could obstruct the complete retraction.

What problem does this solve?

[Guest]

I've decided to order two of the Coates HD poles. They seem to be rather heavy, strong and durable, from comments you've all sent, so I'm giving them a try.

Both of these will be going on to Assateague Island, a Maryland coastal park with campground. That's the same (miles long) Island know as Chincoteague in its southern (Virginia) portion. The wild ponies are still there, and once each year there is a pony round-up and some ponies are auctioned off in Chincoteague to maintain the size of the herd. That event attracts a lot of sightseers.

These new poles are replacing two old ones. One near the ranger station and one near the Nature Center in the Maryland park. The old telescoping poles lasted for six seasons before needing replacement. They were the Nature House MP14 with "posi-lock pins". They were heavier poles than the DP16 that Nature House also sells, but the MP14's have been discontinued.

As I mentioned before, there were no problems with hands being pinced, as I always use leather-palm gloves when handling the poles.

So we'll see how the new Coates poles compare, and let you all know.

Thanks to all for the helpful info.

Tom