portcity_gt Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 This obviously wont work for everyone but its something to consider.I made the base with some shelving material i had laying around, its about 8' across and bolts in two halves.Bought a hook head, added a 4' pipe and welded a loop to the top.I have large oak trees so i ran a rope over a limbAttached the lights to the head and base then pulled it up.The mega is 16'plus a 4' snowflake but it could be as high as your tree limb lol.I was going to build a conventional with a pole, but i was looking at $300 in supplies so i figured id try something different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Arch Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Very interesting - your day at McD's and this tree.Cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Great idea till I thought about it a bit more. My concern would be the limb bouncing around with the wind. Not bad if it lowers. But wonder how many up bounces the wires can take till some start to stretch and snap the wires. Course I am a worry wart and hopefully nothing will happen after all. Still it is a great idea for doing a mega tree on the cheap. What are you using to stake down the bottom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 Well im debating on staking the base at all, that way if it does pull up too hard it will just lift it.And to be extra safe, one could add rope or wire from the head to the base to take any strain off the lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santas Helper Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 That's a good idea on the base.Hey if it shifts a couple inches from the wind, not a big deal. Unless someone gets a tape measure out each night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 (edited) Its currently experiencing heavy rain and decent wind,so far so good. I think i will add some rope from the hook head to the base tomorrow though just because the base will also have the weight of the controllers on it. Edited November 23, 2014 by portcity_gt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 I forgot to mention i got the hook head from 3g lighting creations and their service was top notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Leonhardt Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 That j-clip and bolt looks like a Ford item....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 They were actually leftover from a some steps on a chevy truck i repaired. Pretty much all vehicles use them in some place though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 The rain moved on, and its a beautiful 72 degrees.I added some rope for "just in case" and im installing the controllers now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Arch Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Looks awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 Everything is up and running ready to go live friday.Im going to move the holdman start to the roof instead of the front of the house though, and id like to put up some candy cane spinners but i dont have enough zip cord.All in all i dont think it looks bad for a first year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santas Helper Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Looks great!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Ditto, looking real good for first year. The mega tree looks really good. I am sorry if I came off like a cold wet rag. Just one of those who try to help by pointing out a possible weak point. The idea is def one of those that come out of the blue but real neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougP Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Great Job and are you sure this is only your first year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 It is for sure lol, although i started buying hardware, researching, and building sequences this time last year.I also did a last minute halloween show this year to get a feel for the Christmas show, halloween was 90% rgb though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 I just used some of that same shelving angle to build a stand to move my north star from the front peak to the top of the roof. Hopefully it doesn't make a lightning rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 I noticed today on warm sunny days the tree limbs raise up to the sun, my mega was a foot off the ground all day today lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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