Pole depth for shade sail erection..

dan_351 · Post by **dan_351** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:54 pm

Hey guys,

We are currently renting and have picked up some shade sails which we are gonna put up for the summer. I am going reuse some 95x95mm uprights from the oldies pagola replacement so I was gonna quick set cement some U shaped brackets (forgot the proper name from then)

What sorta depth should I be looking to sink them down? The sails are 3.6m squared one side anchored to the house and the other to the poles. 1 post will be holding 2 sail corners

kickinback · Post by **kickinback** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:24 pm

One third minimum. You will need between 5-10* batter on them aswell.

JasonF · Post by **JasonF** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:38 pm

Those stirrups are for supporting a braced load like a deck Dan. They won't hold a post with a sail attached. I'd be visiting Metaland and buying a decent galv steel post and concreting it into the ground. If you want it easily removeable, concrete in a slightly larger piece of pipe and sleeve the post into it. Also watch to load on the house end of the sail too.

Kickinback's advice about depth and batter sounds spot on.

stinkitup · Post by **stinkitup** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:59 pm

General engineering practice is 1/3 of the actual out of ground height. Put a little bit of outward cant too not too much though.

Ryan

B4408 · Post by **B4408** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:36 pm

If you can't get the depth Kickin suggests look at putting a stay wire back from the top of the post to another anchor at ground level. The constant movement/vibration of the sail keeps working posts loose especially in wet weather.

Bruce

dan_351 · Post by **dan_351** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:26 pm

Thanks guys,

Metals poles are a definite now, one advance is that with the heigh of the backyard the post will end up pretty short over all as the grass level is 500-600 taller then the deck.

i was planning to screw the eye bolts for the house end INTO the ends of the joints or worst case if i can't line then up i'll put a batten between the 2 joints. I am just a little concerned on exactly how much they may stretch as i don't wanna have to dig the post up and move then back further out into the lawn

if the posts are going to be say 1.5-2m ABOVE GROUND do we all think i could get away with something like the piping like the say GIVE WAY/STOP signs could suffice? AS anyone ever heard of a spring being put into the set up to add some give, i was only thing the other night as i has some spring i kept from the oldies exercise trap ears ago

aaronraad · Post by **aaronraad** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:35 pm

Not a bad summary - http://www.mightycovers.com/Shade-Sails ... lation.htm

Note the 6"x6" H5 softwood spec for the posts though.

If your posts are the 95x95mm hardwood laminate posts they might come close? E.g. http://www.bunnings.com.au/hyne-dar-sel ... m_p0061822

kickinback · Post by **kickinback** » Wed Oct 01, 2014 6:48 am

aaronraad wrote:Not a bad summary - http://www.mightycovers.com/Shade-Sails ... lation.htm

Note the 6"x6" H5 softwood spec for the posts though.

If your posts are the 95x95mm hardwood laminate posts they might come close? E.g. http://www.bunnings.com.au/hyne-dar-sel ... m_p0061822

These merbau laminated posts have a tendancy to split along the glue lines when weathered. (Firsthand experience, I have them for pool fence posts) and require regular oiling (yearly)

dan_351 · Post by **dan_351** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:11 pm

VERY LATE UPDATE.... but i'm finally getting time to hit the forum again!!

I lucked onto some steel 2x4 post. one of them was atleast 7m long!! Thanks to the shitpile of stuff at the shop next to us... they went bust and left all their waste sitting about

due to being a tightass....(well more so keep it mimimal incase i have to dig up when we move) but there was 1 or 2 extra back of quickset to hold the poles a bit better Total cost for the poles, fittings, quickset EXCLUDING the sails was between $100-150..... don't have weeks to add them all up as i went to bunning about 30 times and returned more then 50% of the crap i bought anyways... here they are

kickinback · Post by **kickinback** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:31 pm

Was thinking about this the other day. Good to see you got them up.

dan_351 · Post by **dan_351** » Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:41 pm

I took the photos about 2 months ago just never got around to sitting in-front of the PC to dig the post back up. 95% of the time i am on the forums its from email notifications and viewing on the mobile. The little one is getting to bed earlier now 2

After finding the poles it was full stem ahead. Funnily enough the customer from work who was toeing a deep sided car trailer that afternoon dropped em past on the way home, then dropped his post hole digger over too, still needed the crow bar to dig deep but the hole digger save scooping out on hands and needs. went down 600-700mm for most. fixed all points to the house first.. then temp strung them out using tent poles and guide ropes to give them a few days to stretch and so i could see where i needed to get my posts done. I was aiming to get the middle points onto 1 post, but the buckles were 400 a-part and it would have doubled the pull on the one post.

Only problem is now they have stretched in a littl more then expected.... i have mad to swap out the 8mm D shackles for 6mm to close everything up.... and i still need to tighten a little more, they'll come down within the month so i can frig around with them next year........ unless we more at the end of April I HATE RENTING

aaronraad · Post by **aaronraad** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:08 pm

Definitely best to leave yourself as much adjustment as possible with the turnbuckles.

Having the shade sail stretching is much better than finding the posts pulling in!

AusVarmint