FlagRunners are in Geff Illinois, a small town in the Midwest with a large agricultural presence. We were drawn here by the 6 foot shy of 200 foot landmark that could be seen from miles around. And after about 6 months of hard work and creative engineering, a flag flew over Grainergy Farms. In this video, we discuss with Nick Zurliene, the lead engineer on this project and head of Zurliene Enterprises, Inc. how he was able to install such a tall flagpole. FlagRunners had the great fortune to visit one of these facilities and climb the 144 ft. tower to where a 50 ft. flagpole was secured and flying a beautiful 15 ft. x 25 ft. American flag.
When we think of a tall flag pole, a really tall flag pole, we think of 100 ft. large steel sectional monsters which sit in lot, flying 20 ft. by 38 ft. flags or larger. These flag poles are impressive, with 13+ inch butt diameters. But a tall 100 foot flagpole is not the only way to hoist a flag into the stratosphere. What makes the Grainergy flagpole unique is how it utilizes it's grain tower to turn a 50 foot flagpole into a nearly 200 foot tall expression which is viewable for miles around.
Zurliene Enterprises, Inc. was able to accommodate us.
Like skyscrapers in a sea of golden brown fields, granaries tower the landscape and are visible for miles. There were quite a few things that brought this particular project to our attention and we wanted to share with you how these flag flyers solved the rather daunting task of flying a 300 square foot sail from 194 ft. in the air. Many of the parts that made this flagpole engineering feat possible were crafted on site and custom made for the flagpole as well as the bolt pattern of the tower itself. To recap the video, we will take you through, in some greater detail, exactly what our concerns were and how
ANCHORAGE:



The flagpole was installed on the most structurally secure beam of the four columns. But now, however, torque on these columns was very unbalanced, as the flagpole-installed column carried much of the burden. It seemed we needed one additional anchorage element to even out the loads on the grain tower columns. Custom collars with beams were tightened around the flagpole about 8 feet from the base. These collars were anchored to the two adjacent corners.

FLAG MAINTENANCE:

- What size flag do you want to fly?
- How are you going to replace the flag once it wears thin and frays?
When you've been a flag flyer for years, whether you are a corporation or just flying a flag out of your home, you know the most important thing is that your flag looks good and lasts a long time. What limits your flag life more than anything else are obstructions. Your flag should fly free. And by free, we mean with the least amount of objects that it can run into. Blunt metal is particularly bad for a flag. That is why we ask everyone to check their flag pole hardware and make sure it does not have any rough edges. Before a multiple flagpole project is drafted, we encourage the architect to place the flagpoles apart with ample room so the flags (whatever size they are) do not run into each other.

How are you going to replace the flag once it wears thin and frays?
As FlagRunners, we travel to all sorts of flag displays and see all sorts of contraptions. Some make flag flying easier, while some just make flag flying possible. In the case of many granaries, replacing the flag can be a several man, couple hour job. Climbing to the top of the tower, using winches, cranks and all sorts of gadgets. When there is a strong, steady wind, replacing the flag can also become dangerous. It is best to set up a system that makes it easier and most importantly, safe. That is why, on this job, we supplied extra halyard or flag pole rope, for the flag. This halyard runs all the way down the tower to the ground. This way the flag care person can replace the flag securely from the ground. Even from the ground, it can take two people, though.