How to make a Clothesline Pole?

Keith_McClary · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 1:53 am Post subject: How to make a Clothesline Pole?

I have checked this forum back to 2005 and Googled muchly, but I find very little info: given the height of the pole (4 m. or 12') what diameter pole should I use, how deep should it go into the ground, what diameter of concrete should I pour around it. Should I use steel or (preserved?) wood?

I could get a local fencing company ("Zorro") to do it, but the cost would equal many years savings on electricity bills.

alokin · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 24, 2007 Posts: 700

why on earth do you want a clothesline pole to be 4m high??
Make two T and reiinforce them by diagonals in a height that you can reach concrete them into the ground and that's it.

kpeavey · Expert Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 1127

it is not rocket science
consider trial and error
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idomar

As a qualified Washing Line and Pole Engineer I have over 30 years of experience in this field, there is a book on my shelf from the Association of Washing Line and Pole Engineer's (AOWLAPE) that has guidelines for this situation.

here is an exerpt:

p.25 Inserting and Fixing your pole.

1.find a suitable area to insert your pole

2.ensure any unnecessary overgrowth is trimmed away

snip......

5.for health and safety reasons when inserting your pole you must use the largermuscle groups (Gluteus Maximus). using other muscles can be dangerous.

6.using an up and down motion, thrust your pole in until you are satisfied with the result.

snip...

9.clean your pole after you are satisfied that it has been inserted correctly, we do not recommend household curtains or other valuable objects.

snip........

13.do not use any home made fixing item, these are generally weak and will not last more than a few minutes once dry.

snip...

18.if you are unhappy with your pole placement, simply locate another suitable area to inseret your pole, perhaps a neighbour's.

I hope this helps

Cashmere · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Mar 27, 2008 Posts: 1477

Kpeavy - real asshole answer.

Trial and error. Seriously man, why bother to take the time to type those words? Who the hell wants to spend a bunch of time on something just to rip it out?

I have no issue with a 12' pole as long as you have some way of getting to the line. For example, if you had the other end at 5' or on the house or on a porch.

My last pole was at about 6 feet, which, depending on the length of the line, can be too low. Hang several wet sheets on that line in the middle and you've got enough sag so that the sheets are scraping the ground.

In any case, treated wood 4x4 buried 4 feet, regardless of what's sticking out, is probably fine for a basic line. No concrete needed. Use an auger on a tractor or a post hole digger. Disturb as little dirt as possible. Use a wedge/tamp to set earth around the 4x4. That's important - if you just throw the 4x4 back in the hole and back fill with your foot and shovel, the pole will be leaning as soon as you put lateral pressure in it. Use a wedge tamp to drive dirt down all around the pole, especially in the top 2' of the hole. You may want to have the pole be listing slightly away from the line to "pretension" it.

If you want it to stay close to vertical, then setting it in concrete will do the trick for sure.

Do it once, forget about it.

Negatives are - a lot more work - more money - difficult to remove and discard if you don't want it in your yard.

If you do choose to use concrete, make sure the top of the concrete sticks above the ground a few inches, and make sure that you taper the top away from the wood - I'd seal it as well so no water could get in between the wood and the concrete. Use one of those cylindrical forms from Home Cheapo or bLowes to get smooth sides and prevent heaving. 4' would be great. 3' would probably work ok.

do it that way, and throw some water seal on the wood every few years, and that pole will be there after we're gone.

I don't like using metal for stuff like that because it always rots - it's just a matter of time.

For the line, I think the best stuff is the plastic encased wire - maybe 10 gauge braided with plastic around it. I've had some of that up for many years.

Rope will sag, collect debris, and so on.

If you go with rope, go with the polyester braided stuff - cotton rope will rot fairly quickly.

Good luck.

dinopello

A guy-wire might help keep your pole up straight if you aren't going to sink it in concrete.

Ferretlover

A clothesline pole 12 ft high? Who's going to be hanging those clothes, an Amazon with a jet pack?

If you need one that high due to ground shape (on a hill) and are going to use one of those wheel thingys, then I could understand.

Why not just get a used telephone pole?
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cynthia · Heavy Crude Joined: May 29, 2005 Posts: 348

I prefer the umbrella style. One pole, one hole. And they hold loads of laundry. I set a folding table next to it and spin the sucker around to hang and then unload the clothes. It's a time saver.
cynthia

joeltrout

You all are missing the obvious.

Why not use two fruit trees or nut trees?

It would serve a dual-purpose.

joeltrout
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Pops

Use what you have, make it the height the hanger can get to and expect it to sag - those lines can always be tightened.

BTW, an old tennis ball of four will save embarrassing explanations of the bad cut on your forehead.
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threadbear · Expert Joined: Jan 22, 2005 Posts: 7225

You would need two Clothesline Poles. The Zbinsky twins, one on each end of the string. I think they're available. Smile

WisJim

What kind of soil? How tall are you? How long of items are you hangin on the line? How far between poles? How many lines on each pole, assuming some kind of "T" or "U" poles? All these and more can influence depth in the ground and whether or not concrete might be needed.

We have used welded water pipe, new steel tubing, and 4x4 treated wood with wood crosspieces at various times and places, and they all can be made to work.

kpeavey · Expert Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 1127

If a person is so completely incompetent that they can not figure out how to set up a clothesline, the odds of making it through the next few years are ZERO.

I'm just telling it like it is.

next, the poster will be asking for the phone number for 9-1-1

If you can't pour piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel, you are too damn sorry for your own good. You have a Darwin Award coming in the next mail.

Time has expired for sensitivity. There are those who will make it and those who will not. The absence of the most basic skills at this point in history preclude the possibility of this person being useful in the future. We can't save everyone. We can save some. The effort required to save someone like this would detract from more useful endeavors such as cleaning my nails. Rather than learn self sufficient skills, the poster should instead learn how to fill out government aid request forms and cleaning jack-boots by licking. Its the only way this one will get by.
_________________
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
-George Orwell, 1984

______________
Accept the Facts.

Keith_McClary

Keith_McClary