Fruit cage damaged in the snow... how to fix?

[Stan79]

Any ideas on how to straighten the galvanised steel poles?

Thanks all.

[Stan79]

Or can anyone help me with the manufacturer? I bought it second hand off ebay so don't know who made it...

It is circular section, flattened at each end on the horizontals for a bolt with a large plastic head to be screwed through into the uprights...

[nickdub]

If the steel poles have an open end, you can fill them with dry sand, then straighten them by putting them between two strong points like the branches of a tree and pushing on the free end ( the sand stops them from buckling). Obviously its quite a bit of faff, particularly funneling the sand into a pipe.

As it is I use old tent poles for that sort of construction, and these are often available in response to a simple request on Free-cycle or similar.

[Lardman]

If you can't straighten them as nick suggests you can get replacement tubes, the fruit cages I looked at all used standard tube sizes.

What's the ID and OD of the tubes, the 27mm stuff was only £1 a foot last time I looked.

[Stan79]

Hi both,

Thanks for the replies. The posts are sealed at each end unfortunately.

Lardman - where did you buy your tubing from last time?

Many thanks,

Stan

[Vince G]

Stan, I got my brassica cages at Knowle Nets. Very sturdy and the poles are exactly as you describe with the flattened ends

[Lardman]

Hi both,
Lardman - where did you buy your tubing from last time?

Grab your local phone books and look for steel stock holders. Failing that there are a few online, I think I've posted in the past, it saves the "general public" tax you might be subjected to in person.

Metals4u. They also have other sizes in the mild steel galv section.
https://www.metals4u.co.uk/tube-clam...ts-tubes/c6642

Themetalstore
https://www.themetalstore.co.uk/prod...sed-tube-sizes

[Stan79]

Finally got around to ordering some replacements from Nowle nets! Shiney!!!! They weren’t much more than I could buy the tubes for locally!

[nickdub]

They look to be the business.


PS Don't forget to take down the netting next Autumn :-)

[Stan79]

They look to be the business.


PS Don't forget to take down the netting next Autumn :-)

Haha!!! Can you remind me?

My brain won’t remember / I’ll try and chance that we’re not going to get any snow!

In the past I remembered to go and knock it off but forgot this year!