Is there a weight limit? I know everyone wants it light as possible but if sore arms weren’t an issue, how much weight could you safely have 4-5 storys up on those poles?
If we leave out the physical strength side (which in a practical application we can’t) the amount of weight would be dictated eventually by the weight at the top of the pole. As we all know weight has a greater effect once it has the power of a lever behind it - which is exactly what a telescopic pole is a 45ft lever.
Realistically I used to work with an early Exel Universal Carbon Fibre 45ft pole which weighed about 9kg (20 lbs). I would not want to work with anything heavier at that height and it is doubtful that I could. I now work with a pole that weighs just 2.3kg (5 lbs) at the same height.
To a degree. But if a good portion of the weight was transfered to the legs there is some leeway for…ah, never mind. I’m trying to invent something.
What I was concerned about was pole failure. There must be some kind of weight limit, like what if I want to put a 4 foot brush on it? It would weight 4-5 times more then a normal brush, is that safe is what I want to know.(that’s not my invention btw)
Mike is the green brush going on top?
Haha :mad: No!
Weight is one thing but the type of carbon fiber matters too.
If you use two types of fiber you will much greater strength then only one type.
The first over the top pole was 10 foot sections and they were about 20 pounds at 30 feet.
Very heavy. The new CF are lighter and more durable but your need to balance weight with
od wall strengths to avoid pole failing.
Your never want a Cf to break in your hand.
Phillip Alexander
347-sim-pole
This is the problem with designing poles weight vs strength.
We feel 4 pounds more for a pole that does not break is more important then lightness.
Not many clean windows over 36 feet so strength is the more important thing.
that is why all 100% carbon fiber SimPoles come with life time limited on the CF.
None have broken yet and I will replace for free the first one that does if ever.
Phil
347-sim-pole
Thanks Simpole and Gardiner but it looks like my question is unanswerable, well the industry is fairly new and seems to be advancing rapidly. At some point someone (maybe me:p) will put something too heavy on a pole. An accident will happen then proper weight (on the top)/height/strength regulations will come around.
I have a super idea but I keep thinking about that movie where the guy invents the delayed windshield wiper, LOL.
I guess I don’t understand your question either Mike. Are you suggesting someone would put something the weight of a bowling ball on top of a wfp? Are you asking if there are guidelines or standards in place saying “don’t do this”?
Yes. Something heavier then the current round of brushes even though with the aqua adapter and vikan sill brushes together would be pretty heavy. I want to put something on the top of a pole and weight may vary. Everything else has weight limits like ladders etc. I think these carbon fibre poles are so knew they are under the radar of work place safety.
At one of the cleaning expos over in Europe this year they released a series of brush heads that rotate to clean. I think Karl has videos on his blog showing them. I can’t imagine putting anything on a wfp heavier than those heads that could work any better than them.
Ah CRAP! that was MY invention:mad: I was going to use the tucker, I figured it was more durable but then I read about that wfp guy getting electrocuted… Yikes.
Who is Karl? I’d like to see those vids, I still might have an edge. Brian Tracy says you only need an idea 10% new and I think mine is 50% at least.
I’d say go for it. Of course if you only patent it in Canada that wouldn’t stop a US company from making one for sale here and then there’s Europe and Asia to consider. 
Here’s a link to Karl’s blog - Robinson-Solutions Professional Window Cleaning He may be able to get you a direct link to the videos.
I’m reading through an inventors forum, I don’t think you have to patent it in every country. + I’m not sure I’d want to sell it because it’s also a system, I might just want to make competition hate me. I’m also thinking of giving up lawn care altogether, the over head is crazy gas, commercial equipment, maintenance, chemicals, and if I really want to get serious I need a $12k mower. I’m missing the old days of windows where my over head was rubbers, lol. I made better money with windows as well.
There are already several firms around the world who make motorized brush heads for cleaning. There are some who make and sell Solar Panel motorized brush heads - these are very nice. They have bristles attached to a mini caterpillar track. Other firms make rotary brushes for cleaning high level walls etc. There are also firms who make automated window cleaning brushes for high-rise buildings.
All of the ones I have seen are well engineered and beautifully made, but they are usually quite expensive compared to a standard brush.
When it comes to operation there are two downsides that I can see:
- They will always be heavier than a WFP brush due to mechanism and propulsion system.
- They will always need some manual manipulation to ensure a 100% coverage of the glass to a good standard -even if this means just re-working 20% of the glass, because of the heavy weight it would end up using more effort than manually scrubbing with a standard brush.
With regard to Patent issues. You can start off patenting in just one country (usually your home country or either the US or the UK is a good alternative). This then gives you a priority patent date (filing date) to work from. You can then start selling them around the world and if you find another market that proves to be profitable you can then apply for a patent there and quote the priority date of the initial patent. This means that if anyone comes along and starts selling a copy you can still apply for a patent and then deal with them legally. Alternatively if someone likes your idea and tries to patent it in their country before you can, you will have priority from your first patent filing date. It will usually cost about $7-9000 per utility patent per country with no guarantee that it will be granted. You then have renewal fees for each patent every year in each country you have taken it out in. Patents also only last for 20 years maximum so after this time your invention can be used by anyone.
YouTube - ISSA Interclean - WaterKracht/Rubbermaid/Pulex/Cleantecs/Unger/Activeion About 4:20 in to the video.
YouTube - ISSA Amsterdam Lewi/PuraQleen/Lehmann & AquaQlean/Salki About 1:10 in. That was one heavy pole!
We had a guy in Russia that wanted a harvest machine using cf.
We did some engineering and he needed over 50 pounds at the end of the pole.
The very first SimPole section with 081 09 could handle it.
Now that’s what I’m talking about. Why wouldn’t that sweep the planet?
(Thanks for the vid btw)
I have had a look at Karlos’ video of the rotating solar panel brush and to me it looks very inefficient for all of its technology. It is going to be very heavy which will mean that it is slow and cumbersome to use. Also if you look at the amount of bristles in contact at any one time it is about a 1/4 of a standard brush. Personally i think that an operator would clean that panel more efficiently and quickly with a standard brush and pole. Of course I have not actually used this set-up so it is only my observational opinion as a window cleaner.
It’s WAY TOO BIG and bulky, it needs tweaking. But the Idea is genious… same one I came up with:D except I was thinking of powering mine with air. It needs a long thin spine like a strip washer and with bristles like my truck brush.
