Hi, have a manlift question. I wan to use my Groove MZ90 for a flag pole. Been searching but can not find a chart for wind speed that might actually tip the manlift over. There are many places that say not to operate in winds above 28 MPH But what I would like to find: If I have the manlift extended straight up, 90 ft with a 20 x 30ft flag on it. ( basket empty) May even fly two flags on it USA and Thin Blue line, each 20x30 What are the chances of the wind being able to tip the manlift? If there is a high chance, what about adding 4 guy wires? What size wire, stakes, base of guy wire.
One way might be to chain the base to the ground with extra weight. But the boom could still fold up in a stiff breeze. Guy wires would be safest if they do not apply too much down force. The more horizontal the better. My opinion is that the blue line flag and its variants are defacements of Old Glory, but that is just my opinion.
I would not do that. The load is completely unknown and the manlift cannot weathervane with it. If there is a chance of much wind it is an absolute recipe for getting on the news, in a bad way.
20x30 is a big flag. When you say, flying the flag- are we talking a one day fourth of july thing, or are we talking permanent installation? There's no way the basket is designed for those kinds of side wind loads. I fly one on the fourth from the crane, but I try to avoid a 30mph breeze. Any of that older grove stuff is built like a tank, but its still designed for two guys and their tools in the basket. 20x30 in a stiff breeze is a whole different animal. We used to do a christmas display- where they had strings of lights hanging from the top of a flagpole in a cone shape to the ground- with dancing LED lights on it. Wind came through on the third year it was up, and snapped that pole off right by the ground. With a bunch of thin led lights. My personal opinion, you would be fine to hang one on a nice day. Point the lift so the flag is flying straight away from the base. Two flags that size, as a permanent installation in Montana winds, is going to be asking for trouble. Every joint in that lift is just wear pads- wind on and off from the side is going to beat that thing to death.
Even if you don't tip it you're gonna tear some stuff up.
There's an ANSI spec to calculating flag load at wind speeds. (page 2 at link) https://cdcstruct.com/downloads/Flagpoles_NBMCW-June09.pdf Also internet has maps of expected wind speeds... 90 feet ? of man lift ?? Don't do it .. unless it's dead calm and keep everybody out of the boom fall radius