Making Flag Mounts for RSV with Receiver Hitch

You may have seen my flag mounts in other threads. In response to several requests for more information on the construction, I am posting detailed info here.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/V7Goose/Flagmount4.jpg

Here is a little background info - I have used this flag mount for many hundreds of miles at highway speeds (60-80 MPH) with both 3X5 flags unfurled with no problems. Nothing is used to secure the flag poles - they just drop down into the mount tubes. This makes it especially easy to take the flags out when heading for a flag line during a PGR mission. I've seen a lot of other guys' flags come loose during missions, but this design so far seems solid. All measurements are taken to the outside edges. I like the V design, and I have not seen any others like it. Don't make it any wider than this, as the flags can get in the way (the first one I made was wider). If I was making another, I'd probably make the bottom bar 16".

Here is a picture of the bottom of the mount before painting:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/V7Goose/Flagmountunfinished3.jpg

The bottom bar is 14", and it is made from 1 1/4" angle iron. The angle iron is welded to a square tube that sticks 3 1/2" out of the receiver. Ignore the bolt you see sticking down through the stinger just behind the receiver; this was originally put in for a center brace that I later removed. I just left the bolt in place because it aligns the hole for the clevis pin behind the mud flap.

The tubes are 1" O.D. EMT electrical conduit, 25" long. I brazed these to the bottom bar instead of welding because of the relatively thin metal - no danger of burn-through.

The middle brace is 1" flat bar brazed to the back of the tubes. It measures 18 1/2" to the outside of the tubes. I later bolted 1" aluminum angle inside that brace as an anchor point for the center brace I later removed. I never took off that aluminum angle, but there is no reason for it.

Here is a closeup of the brackets that hook onto the helmet locks:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/V7Goose/Flagmountsupport.jpg

The top of the tubes measures 23" wide. The brackets I made for the helmet locks measure 5 1/2" from the eye bolts to the back of the tubes. I made these by simply taking aluminum bar stock and bending it around the tubes and riveting it together. This fits very tight, but still allows some movement that facilitates fitting the brackets over the helmet locks.

Here is how I braced the flag poles:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/V7Goose/Shelfbracket2.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/V7Goose/Shelfbracket.jpg

The flag poles are 3/4" O.D. EMT electrical conduit and 6' long. These are smaller diameter than anyone else is using, but they seem plenty strong. I originally made several 70 MPH runs with flags out without problems (even before I added the helmet lock brackets), but decided to reinforce them just to be sure. I took modular shelf wall bracket and just laid it on the driveway and started whacking it with a ball-lean hammer to force the edges together, then drove it up inside the flag poles with the hammer. This brace extends past the top of the mount tubes so the full pull of the flags doesn't cause the poles to collapse at the top of the tubes. Not sure it is necessary, but it gives me peace of mind!

That's about it. Make sure you use decent sized eye bolts for the helmet lock anchors, as I had one break from the strain of a heavy flag after about 400 miles (but the rest of the flag mount made the entire mission without further damage). I have found that very light weight nylon flags put much less strain on the mounts and actually last much longer at high speeds than heavier flags. So save your money and buy cheaper flags!

Goose