In Search of a Rotatable Mount for Wood Utility Poles

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is a bar stool swivel mounted to the back of the box.

You don't say if it needs to be locked in a certain position.

This would necessitate single point mounting.

Your turn.

Interesting...

Mounted to the back of the box. With the description given I had envisioned

something along this line, revolving about the long axis.

As you say, time for a little clarification.

You could be right.

Depends on perspective. It'll be interesting to see what the OP says.

I wonder how you manage all the wiring in either case.

Cheers.

maybe an automobile wheel & bearing system. If this is a one-off, it might be cheaper to find something in the junkyard like that.

60 years ago we put our wooden power poles in a metal frame, that for its part had a concrete block underneath. This was a good way to prevent the wooden poles against rotting away in the weather zone. The pole can rotate in it before fixation. Is this what you are looking for? Like a museum pole size holder, as a candle holder? The metal frame was made out of 2 U beams upright, out of the concrete and 4 half rings. one set bolted down below and a second about 4 to 5 feet higher. Metal: U beams 6 X 3 (3/8" thick) Half rings 4 X 1/2" thick. Bolts used 1/2 inch - 24 pcs. Just in case.

Is the axis of the enclosure's rotation intended to be the center line of the pole, or is it intended to be through the ends of fixed stand-off arms (as in an earlier post's pics)?

Sounds like a deer stand project to me in which case when you have it mounted on the transmission line pole and the line patrolmen come along they'll remove it for you in tiny little pieces. This will make it easier for you to show your buddies in your favorite bar what a bunch of a#%holes the power company has working for them. Never mind the fact that if the line goes down you are putting someone at risk that has to climb the pole to restore electrical service to the invalid down the line; or, to the hospital, etc.

On the plus side, you can check out "Outdoor Life", "Field & Stream" and other outdoor magazines plus Cabelos, Bass Pro and Gander Mountain as they all carry products such as you may be looking for.

sounds like a wind turbine mount to me, so the turbine can rotate to align with the wind direction.

because if you have powerlines nearby, and you need power, all you have to do is throw a meathook over them.

I thank everyone for their expertise and recommendations. For further clarification on what I currently have in place here's a couple of pics. The reason I would like the enclosure to rotate around the pole is to move the video screen from direct sunlight at certain times of the year. Regardless of the specs of my current sunlight readable monitor I will still have viewing issues certains times of the day and season. Because this will be installed in between tracks, I have a limited space for rotating this enclosure, so a sun shield or viewing hood would not be practical. I originally had envisioned this mounting a on a rotatable sleeve of some sort via the upper and lower mounting straps. The wires would be mounted in such a way to allow rotation of the enclosure around the pole to 180 degrees if sun was an issue. There would be hard limits to prevent over rotating and a locking postion for each position. The modified Nema 3R Hoffman enclosure that I used contained a UPS, 100w heater, sunlight readable monitor, two 6" fans, and misc video, wireless, surge protection equipment weighing @ 150lbs (including enclosure).

So, no cigar for anyone. Doorman's idea might work, but not enough room, I'll wager. The pix say it all. I'll have to ponder this some more.

Now, unfortunately, I have to ponder things that people pay me for.

Cheers.

Could you leave it fixed and use a curtain like an old time camera to drape over the viewer's head to block the glare. Maybe use a hook and loop (Velcro) strip on the box and one sewn into the the curtain. (Use this only when viewing is required as spiders and others creepies might congregate in there.)

When not viewing you might hang a hard (melamine like) cover over the screen for sun protection. I'm all about low tech solutions!

Jeff

can you clarify the purpose of the station, re: who are the users?

it would be cheaper to build shielding than rotating mounts.

Chris

Have you contacted Hoffman? They offer a pretty large selection of parts, and will modify parts as requested. Here is a rotary bracket, for the top and bottom of your cabinet

... and here is a standard wall bracket. I would guess they would extend the horizontal for you

... as required for the desired rotation. A plate for mounting to the round pole will need to be made, but that should not be a big deal.

These, and the many standard suspension parts are shown here

As a bonus, the connectors are hollow... this will allow cabling to run into the cabinet through the fixture... might not be a bonus for you here.

Doorman,

Thanks for the feedback, definitely some good ideas.

I did call Hoffman in respect to this with no positive recommendations last week. I also came across those fittings and was considering them but was concerned of the clearance required to make those work as compared to my original idea. But if this turns out to be one of the more solid solutions then obviously I need to consider this option.

Lynlynch, Jeff and Chris, and all

Once again thanks for the feedback. I concur that a shield of some sort would be easier and definitely more cost effective. We have tried the curtains/velcro but with the elements wind ,rain etc this was not feasible. I also looked at finding a fiberglass/plastic molded hood much like what A-6 aircraft had for viewing for bombing runs (which is what I would've preferred personally). But whatever I use I have to worry about the spiders/bees, etc and any prutruding structures that could become a safety hazard during operations 24/7. As for purpose of monitor. It is used to show location of cars via cameras prior to remotely moving boxcars, etc to protect shoving movements of trains by a remote control operator (RCO). I have many of these to install in the near future. Where I have the space I will use bungalows with safety glass or plexiglass view on all four sides and all of my equipment but for locations where I have to work in between tracks the enclosures I am originally speaking about I need for the tight areas.

• Option 1) Instead of turning the entire box, mount a Visor on a short arm that you can simply swing and clamp to block the sun. If you come back an hour later, you would just swing the arm again a few degrees.
• Option 2) A tinted plexiglass box or cylinder like a phonebooth, but only the upper half. You would have to duck under and come up inside (like the cone of silence)
• Option 3) Change the orientation of the screen to a downward 45, and apply tinted shields. (and raise the panel up a couple of feet) and you would then enter the viewing area, and tilt your head up to see the image.

Chris

Would the drive section from an automatic gate work for you? Those can be rotated remotely and I think you can stop them in just about any position.

Oh, Oh

Look at this:

PLus

This bar stool gizmo:

Use the "hose clamps" to mount the verticle plate on the mount.

If you can make the box revolve around the center line of the pole, I think it will encroach less into the surrounding space, than with standoff pivots. I would think along these lines: Make two semicircular pieces of aluminum flat bar and lag screw them around the pole to form a full circular collar. Make a similar but larger 2-piece collar with (3) V-groove wheels mounted to it with axles tilted 45° so that the wheels ride on the inner collar. This whole thing is now kind of a trunnion carriage. Attach the top of the box to this with suitable brackets. At the bottom of the box mount two vertical-axis wheels to hold the bottom off the pole by a similar amount as the top. I'm sure this prototype idea can be refined.

Have you considered a self darkening lens, like some glasses have incorporated into them?

Will the camera be manually rotated or automatically rotated.?

Matter of fact, if you wil give me the space constraints, as well as the box sizes, I can make

them for you.

With either push-button manual control or automatic, if the quantity justifies my efforts.

The boxes will lock in at the stopped position,without manual intervention.

Contact me at:

tsimm1@embarqmail.com