Fixed my sign

I FEEL GOOD
James Brown

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good... so good... I got you!

Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice... so nice... I got you!

Okay, maybe the lyrics without the music isn't the same, but... I do feel good! I replaced the sagging pole over my driveway today. Ironically the song was played on the radio shortly after I fixed my pole.

Yes, this is the pole and sign I had to lift above my Uncle Curt's motorhome when he visited this past May, and which he wanted to replace. And the same pole that Colleen wanted to replace for me shortly after she met me. I know they both had ideas on how to fix my sagging pole, but fixing it couldn't wait any longer. (Don't worry Curt... I am sure we can find something to fix around my ranch when you visit next year. )

I didn't plan on replacing the pole today, I merely thought I would patch it and add some support to it to make it last until next year when I would replace it. The pole was sagging in 2002 and I straightened the pole and then added a few boards to patch and support the pole and that patch lasted five years.

This afternoon I had taken my stock trailer for a short test drive to test the adjustment I had made to the brakes over summer. If you remember, my trailer's brakes had locked up when I brought my cattle home this past Spring. It appears my adjustment worked as the brakes didn't lock up. Still I am not "counting my chickens before they hatch" as my trailer brakes worked initially this Spring before acting up. I may have to pull the trailer around longer to see if my adjustment really worked.

Anyway... when I returned from my test drive I stopped under the sign. Standing on the trailer I could reach the pole. After I climbed up and looked at the pole I realized that it was in such bad condition patching it would be hard to do and it would take as much or more work than replacing it now.

The problem is that I do not have a 22+ ft pole. The longest pole I have is 19 ft. Hmmm... what to do? I went with Plan B and that was to bolt two poles together to make a 22+ ft pole. I bolted a short pole to the 19 ft pole and made a 22' 6" pole. The bolt holes in the support posts are 20' 6" apart, and 22' 6" gave me a foot on each side of the posts.

Before bolting the two posts together I cut them in half at the ends so joining them made a seamless joint of the same width of the pole. I think it looks good.

I had just carried the pole to the driveway entrance when Kelly arrived to hunt deer on my land. My truck and trailer blocked the driveway so I had him go to hayfield entrance. Before he did I asked him to help me put the pole up. It was perfect timing for him to arrive when he did. It was sooo much easier and quicker to have two people carry up each end of the pole instead of having to get one end up and partially bolted, then handle the other end.

Once I bolted the pole in place I put the hooks in that held my "Tall Pines Ranch" sign. Instead of placing the hooks at the bottom of the pole I put them in along the backside. I also shortened the chain links. Now with a straight pole, and the sign hanging closer to the pole, it should be no problem to Curt's motorhome to fit under the pole and sign when he comes to visit me next year.

After I finished with the pole and sign I parked my stock trailer in my hay shed. That will be better for it than sitting out in the rain and snow in my backyard. I can see signs of weathering on the trailer. A future goal is to repaint the trailer. A new skill to learn.

Photo 1 is from 2005.
Photo 2 is from a few days ago.
Photo 3 is after I fixed the pole.



Photo 1 is the sagging pole.
Photo 2 is no pole. It doesn't look right with no pole there, don't you think?
Photo 3 is after I fixed the pole.