motor clamp ideas ?

[brentb636]

Well, it's about 40 deg today, so I'm outside tweaking my small dish back to USALS compatible position. It tends to shift slightly over time( and lake wind gusts) and I must "fudge " the USALS position to bring the channels back in.

Now it's perfect again. I think the problem is that the clamp bracket for the SG2100 does not hold the 2 1/4" pole securely enough. The brackets have deformed somewhat ( spread apart from their original U shape) and there's not as much surface contact as I'd like to keep the bracket from shifting. Anyone seen any sturdier brackets ? I know the bracket on my STAB HH90 seems heavier guage, since it hasn't deformed and I've had it a year longer .

Maybe a PVC Sleeve would work , if I can find the right inside diameter ( or get one as close as possible and slice it to fit over the pole) . Anybody with any good solutions, or similar experience is welcome to feed my brain.

Thanks,
Brent

 

[Cadsulfide]

A split PVC pipe with a little rubber cement on the inside may work.

 

[Lak7]

I was thinking a piece of rubber between the Motor and Pole.

Or mount a steel plate to the pole, and bolt the Motor to the plate.

 

[starman345]

Amazing Usals is working for you, in the picture the bottom of your bracket is closer to the pole than the top, looks like quite a bit. The metal is so soft in the brackets, bolts and nuts, its tough to get things tight enough to keep from slipping without deforming everything.
The picture I attached is of a 1 meter winegard which is pretty heavy, I don't have it setup anymore but I put in the plate because of the weight on the bottom u-bolt, over time it bent pretty bad, it got so I just couldn't get the thing aligned at all.

 

[gillham]

I was thinking a piece of rubber between the Motor and Pole.

Or mount a steel plate to the pole, and bolt the Motor to the plate.

Right, I wonder if one of those rubber or silicone jar opener things, cut to fit would add enough friction to the motor bracket / pipe? They seem thin enough to not adversely affect the stability of the mount. Also a piece of silicone might withstand the temperature extremes better than rubber inner tube.

 

[brentb636]

Amazing Usals is working for you, in the picture the bottom of your bracket is closer to the pole than the top, looks like quite a bit. The metal is so soft in the brackets, bolts and nuts, its tough to get things tight enough to keep from slipping without deforming everything.
The picture I attached is of a 1 meter winegard which is pretty heavy, I don't have it setup anymore but I put in the plate because of the weight on the bottom u-bolt, over time it bent pretty bad, it got so I just couldn't get the thing aligned at all.

Good Eye, Starman -

I thought that might be an optical illusion, but back out to the dish and there is a definite difference between top and bottom of bracket, compared to pole. If I can find my inclinometer, I'll try to quantify it.
Is that 1/4" cold roll steel that your plate is made of ? That might be the smartest route. I'm even thinking of a 3d saddle clamp, between the first two, to pick up some more of the load.

[edit] Inclinometer shows pole is plumb , and about a 3 degree difference on the bracket . Looks like time to gather up a little material.
Thanks guys, for all the suggestions.

 

[starman345]

Good Eye, Starman -

I thought that might be an optical illusion, but back out to the dish and there is a definite difference between top and bottom of bracket, compared to pole. If I can find my inclinometer, I'll try to quantify it.
Is that 1/4" cold roll steel that your plate is made of ? That might be the smartest route. I'm even thinking of a 3d saddle clamp, between the first two, to pick up some more of the load.

[edit] Inclinometer shows pole is plumb , and about a 3 degree difference on the bracket . Looks like time to gather up a little material.
Thanks guys, for all the suggestions.

The plate is 3/16" and isn't a perfect solution, it worked ok once I got everything lined up but was a bugger to line up, the flat plate on the round mast isn't the most stable situation. It solved my sagging issue but the side to side movement of the plate against the pole became a problem during setup. Once I got it tightened down it stayed. At one time I thought about welding a piece of angle iron to the back of the plate to keep it from slipping out of plumb but once I got it setup it seemed to work fine so I didn't get around to trying it. One nice thing about the plate is you can really crank down on those u-bots and get the bracket good and tight to the mast.....of course as you know, you wouldn't want to do that with the u-bolts that come with the motors

 

[rv1pop]

My thought--- At a auto / truck parts store, can you get a muffler clamp with the right spacing to put 2 horseshoes on each U bolt, against the pipe to keep the bracket square? the truck size clamps are thicker than most of the auto clamps and often use longer bolts, too. You might be able to get just the mast/pipe clamp also.

Some composite or steel wedges between the bolts and the side of the pipe, might keep the assembly in alignment as you tighten it up.

 

[Larry1]

Reinforcing the bracket with two of the muffler clamp horseshoes (on each of the U bolts) would firm up the back of the bracket, (might be all that is needed) but as the motor turns, the side plates will also bend. What is needed, is a new bracket made up of steel plate welded together and two pieces of angle iron welded down the back of the bracket (making a W) to prevent it from moving on the pole.

 

[starman345]

My thought--- At a auto / truck parts store, can you get a muffler clamp with the right spacing to put 2 horseshoes on each U bolt, against the pipe to keep the bracket square? the truck size clamps are thicker than most of the auto clamps and often use longer bolts, too. You might be able to get just the mast/pipe clamp also.

Some composite or steel wedges between the bolts and the side of the pipe, might keep the assembly in alignment as you tighten it up.

Interesting idea, I never thought of those heavy muffler clamps:up

 

[brentb636]

I'm thinking of using those heavy muffler clamps, a 3/16" or 1/4" cold roll steel plate, and a NEW bracket assembly from Sadoun, and see what sort of monstrosity I can come up with. A nice joint engineering project, and I still haven't given up on possibly using PVC pipe sleeve, too.

 

[Anole]

Linuxman has been there, done that:

What's old is new again.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...mestar-mini-bud-experiment-3.html#post1500701
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...ne-meter-primestar-mini-bud-experiment-3.html
Note the small differences in his implementation of the plate 'n clamps.
Seemed to work, and he's picky, so . . . -

 

[turbosat]

I'm NOT gonna pay a lot for this muffler!!

Rv1pop and I thinking along the same lines....I bought some truck muffler clamps once for another project, back when I had dishnetwork. (I was trying to figure out an easy way to clamp the dish--j pole to my tv antenna tower, which is also round)
It worked , and I also came up with a reinforcing plate for the back of the clamp.
I put it just about 10' up the tower, just enough so I would have to climb it to work on it lol.