When you head down South, it’s certainly not unusual to see a truck flag pole containing the Stars and Stripes, although it’s not nearly so common in the North.
It’s certainly a subjective thing whether you fly one yourself and there are a number of ways you can safely mount a flag on your pickup. In this blog we take a look at a few of the safest ways it’s possible to get the job done. So, let’s waste no time in getting into the good stuff, as we give you a rundown on those ways.
You Need a Sturdy Truck Flag Pole
First off, it’s important to say that as well as having a good quality mount, you also need a flag pole that’s nice and robust. What you absolutely cannot have is your flagpole causing an accident on the highway by it breaking off and hitting another driver.
When choosing yours, it needs to be made of metal and whilst it might be tempting to have it out and flying at top speed on the highway, it’s not advisable, as the vast majority of flag poles simply aren’t built for it and may break under the strong winds that come with fast speeds.
Mounting Your Flag Pole
The first way to mount your truck flag pole is to attach it to the hitch – which is perhaps the most straightforward way of doing it. A good quality product will typically come with hitch receivers, which allows truck owners to screw the flagpole safely into place.
Another popular option is to mount it on the flat surface that is the pick up bed. It’s a little tricky to achieve, so if you’re not too mechanically minded, you could get it professionally installed or have a look at the many YouTube videos there are about it.
For people who aren’t feeling too adventurous when it comes to fitting, there are products out there that are especially designed for this very purpose, with many being universally compatible with all truck beds. The most you’ll usually get with a kit like this is the ability to mount a 1 inch diameter flagpole.
Purpose built truck flag pole kits will also typically come with everything you need, including the screw that keeps it firmly in place. The only thing it obviously won’t come with is the flag itself and there are even telescopic poles that let you set it at whatever height you like and the lower you have it, the more stability you’re going to get.
Above All Else – Be Safe!
So, as we’ve seen, there are a number of ways you can attach a flagpole to your truck and as long as you don’t try and go cheap try and cannibalise uPVC plumbing parts to create a DIY mount, safety will be achieved. At the end of the day, this is the most important element in the equation.
Just be sensible and take it down in instances when you know it might get unstable, like at high speeds or during high winds. If you do see your flag pole mount start to look a bit beaten and wobbly, just don’t use it, as it could present a real road hazard.
We hope you’ve found this article helpful and however you use your flag pole, we hope you enjoy whatever event you’re attending.
