Thursday, November 8, 2012

One day, a military man called me up and asked a peculiar flag question. "How may trucks can you find on our military base?" Before I could answer he replied, "Three. One on the top of each flagpole out front." We both gave a laugh and then he explained there were flagpole trucks and military vehicles or transports.


This is just a quick overview of internal trucks. You should also be aware of the pole top diameter and if the pulley system has clearance. Particularly on light pole conversions into flagpoles. For more information on internal cable system trucks, click here

The flagpole truck brings the whole apparatus together. Today we are looking at IHT or Internal Halyard cable system Trucks, but any outdoor flagpole depends on the truck for it's flag and flagpole life. The truck houses the pulley system and can either revolve or be stationary. In some cases revolving (or non-fouling) is the only option. Other times, the rotation for a truck is optional. It all depends on the location, relative wind speed (see point 4), and height for your outdoor flagpole application.

Here we are looking at the IHT Truck, an internal cable system revolving truck. On this 70 ft. flagpole, This truck is designed with heavy-duty components to take the stress loads of a 20 x 30 ft. flag or 600 square foot sail. This truck accepts a 5/8" Spindle for an ornament, however in this application, the bucket shaped truck is so impressive, it acts as an ornament. For this reason, on some deluxe internal commercial aluminum flagpoles, an ornament wont come as a standard accessory. This pole top accepts an 1-1/4" NP threading from the base of the truck. These two measurements are key in determining if the flagpole truck you want will be compatible with your pole and other parts.

We also take a look at various sizes as well as the stationary internal truck equivalent. It does not have a fully encased pulley system. These trucks are used up to 30 ft. You would never find a stationary truck on a 70 ft. flagpole like this.