I purchased some solar LED 300W street lights to place along my driveway. What I did not think of was how to get a post to mount them to. I saw some Youtube videos where people tried 4x4 posts and they said that a 16' 4x4 stuck 3' into the ground with concrete swayed like the dickens in wind with these lights mounted.
I have tried Amazon and Google to find say 12'-18' steel posts, but my fail has been consistent and enduring.
Do any of you folks have an idea for an affordable and functional street light posts?
The lights I ordered:
300W Solar Street Light, 2 Light Set Motion Sensor Dusk to Dawn 15000LM Solar Lights Outdoor with Remote Control
I once built my own street lamp, pole, the whole deal. I bought a 15" diameter paper concrete form tube, and enough ready mix to fill it. The paper tube was 4 feet long. I dug a hole for the paper mold and inserted into it a straight and a curved plastic 90 conduit tube so the tube was a inch above the concrete and came out the side 3' underground. The hole in the ground between 3 1/2 to 4' deep. Then I suspended 4 galvanized j bolts into the form hanging from the square plate they would bolt to eventually. the 5" square 3/8 steel plate was drilled in the corners for the 4 j bolts and at the center to fit over the empty conduit. I dug the ground with a shovel to make 3.5' deep hole and set the form tube in place using nails and 2x4s. the pour resulted in an inverted long stem mushroom with the metal plate an inch off the top of the concrete. when the cement set I removed the paper tube and filled in the hole with the original dirt and water to help compact that. a week later I took off the metal plate and welded it to the end of a 10 foot section of 2 1/2" galvanized pipe, I added to the other end a galvanized reducer and another 10 ft galvanized pipe of 1 1/2 " diameter. to the top of that a galvanized reducing 90 elbow then a 1 foot piece of 1" galv pipe.
during storms it would swing, not violently, but you want it to flex because if it did not, it might snap (see Boeing 747 wing tested to failure on you tube).
atop an15' ladder I could lift the pole onto the foundation and viola! my own street lamp 21ft in the air, single handed.
I installed the power wires during the most convenient steps of construction. It weathered many stor!a just fine and I sold that property 10 years ago, the lamp and pole is still there.
I painted all the non galvanized portions with "galvanizing fence paint"
If I were to do it again I would add vertical rebar inside the form, probably 4 evenly spaced would do. 4 feet long bent to 90 degrees at 3 ft so they run from inside the inverted mushroom head up to near the j bolts. or maybe just 4ft long j bolts that reach down into the inverted mushroom head.
definitely remove the paper and refill the hole before mounting the pole.
