Solar light hinged frames

[F.J.]

Hi all,

I've just got in from fitting two hinged frames I've made for the Manchester Ship canal, they are to have solar panel led lights fitted so the skippers of the ships can see where they are going in the dark. Quite a simple design but I enjoyed making them and fitting as we were about 70feet above the canal on a bridge. They are the first of a big bunch that need making and the Manchester ship canal company like their 'over engineering' so I made them heavier than they needed to be and also got them galvanised. I used housed bearings for the frames and fastened them to the steel work of te bridge using 10mm plate and M16 threaded bar with two nuts either end.

 

[captain-destructo]

looks good

puts the rusty bridge to shame

 

[gordon stephenson]

Real nice job FJ, Hope you have many more to complete, Just me being picky, Mitre those corners on the mounting straps. (sorry)

 

[Gareth J]

Sturdy. The is the light box steel as well? It must weigh a ton!

Those bearings look a bit exposed to rain though?

 

[F.J.]

Real nice job FJ, Hope you have many more to complete, Just me being picky, Mitre those corners on the mounting straps. (sorry)

No need to be sorry, I did think that once I'd fitted them but they had been galvanised. I rounded them off but the next ones will be mitred I promise haha.

 

[F.J.]

Sturdy. The is the light box steel as well? It must weigh a ton!

Those bearings look a bit exposed to rain though?

The light has a plastic housing and a large glass bulb on top, weighing around 5-7kg's but the Manchester ship canal company love their over engineering hence the beefy design. They like the thought of 'do a job and do it once'.

Here is a pic of the light fitted

 

[Kent]

Well the corroded handrail will be down way before them blighters! Unfortunately access looks to easy I bet some low life swipes the lights off the brackets

 

[F.J.]

Well the corroded handrail will be down way before them blighters! Unfortunately access looks to easy I bet some low life swipes the lights off the brackets

I don't doubt it Kent, I suggested a road closure so I could get my van up to them and weld the nuts to the threads but apparently that would cost too much for the sake of a weld. I am looking for a more secure way of bolting them down as at £800 a light im sure they would wish they would've closed the road for about an hour or so!!

 

[Gareth J]

I am looking for a more secure way of bolting them down as at £800 a light im sure they would wish they would've closed the road for about an hour or so!!

Replace the bolts for a section of steel and use rivets like the bridge!! Nah, I'm sure you can get some kind of security bolts, you see railings and the like bolted down with them loads in towns, especially stainless.

I'm still concerned that the bearing life is going to be way less than the rest of the structure, or will there be a housing to stop water sitting in them?

 

[F.J.]

They are powder coated cast housings and stainless bearings and sleeves so should be ok. Plus the maintenance on the lights are fortnightly so they will also be getting greased up regularly.

 

[Gareth J]

Ah, fair enough, stainless bearings should last a lot longer - I didn't know you could get them!

 

[F.J.]

My customer has loads due to working the length and breadth of the canal for years so he supplied those

 

[Paul.]

They are powder coated cast housings and stainless bearings and sleeves so should be ok. Plus the maintenance on the lights are fortnightly so they will also be getting greased up regularly.

Ah, fair enough, stainless bearings should last a lot longer - I didn't know you could get them!

Stainless bearings are very common, we use them all the time for food industry machinery, you can also buy the bearing housings made from stainless, and thermoplastic, I've always found that painted or powdercoated housings eventually start to rust and peel
Nice Job FJ,

 

[Kent]

I don't doubt it Kent, I suggested a road closure so I could get my van up to them and weld the nuts to the threads but apparently that would cost too much for the sake of a weld. I am looking for a more secure way of bolting them down as at £800 a light im sure they would wish they would've closed the road for about an hour or so!!

of course there is always the "wrong" type of Loctite!, ?