Purple Martin Association of the Dakotas

I need a "proper" - 3/8" round, metal - arm to hang a horizontal gourd.

Since my second year with PMs, 2004, I've used an S&K Fountain rack with 3/8" square, steel arms. The arms arch upward and the gourds hang from an L-bend at the end of the arm.

However, if you put Super Gourds, Excluders, or large naturals on the top tier, they bump into the high arched arms on the lower tier. That's why I have the bottom arms turned around with the "L" into the rack and the gourds wired on to the now flat, but swirled, lower arms. In order for the gourds to not slip off this end of the swirl, Wes had to drill a holes in the very end to wrap the wire around.

My problem - I cannot hang the horizontal gourd on the top tier. With these arms it would sit sideways between two vertical gourds. There's not enough space for that.

I ordered an AAO arm. It is also arched, but instead of an "L" the attachment end points forward and would be just fine to hold the horizontal gourd on the top tier.

It arrived today and now I realize it is 3/8" square, and my Troyer gourd has a round channel to hang the arm through.

I really do not want to take a drill to this lovely gourd.

How will I hang this gourd on my rack?

Do you know where I can find an arm that will fit in the 3/8" square mounting bracket on the rack, extend out far enough to hang the gourd, and fit snugly in the 3/8" round channel on the gourd?

The first photo shows my fountain rack as it's set up now. The top tiers' arms are hung properly. For the second tier I turn them around, putting the L into the rack bracket.
The second photo shows the square arm I have that won't work. I need this, or something similar, in 3/8" round.

Caroline

Appears the bottom rack needs to be extended down, to accommodate the hang arms.

For the new arm, can you file or sand it round to fit the THG?

Jerome

Hi Jerome. The two hubs that hold the arms are at the very top and very bottom of the tube that fits over the pole. There's no way to spread them further apart. I think this rack was made for the BO-11 gourds that are not as tall as my Super Gourds, Excluders, and naturals.

Wes just got home; I'm going to ask him about grinding down the square peg so it will go in the round hole! I am going to call the site that sells the Troyer gourds tomorrow and see if they have something that will work.

I could wire it on and caulk in the hanging hole tube, but it would move around a bit.

I'm trying to add a photo; I've re-sized it twice and it still won't post. I'll try to find a link.

Caroline

How dyou make out getting that gourd hanger modified?

Can't figure why they sent hanger /w square peg, do some gourds have square holes?

The "fountain rack" and the arched arms with left-, right-, or forward-pointing hanging bends are made by S&K. I think I bought the 8-arm rack in 2004-2005.

By the time we moved to Larimore in 2007, they had developed an extra hub attachment that allowed me to hang 8 more gourds on the same pole/rack. They sell a plastic gourd (BO-11+) with a square opening that slides on to these arms. The rack was designed for the BO gourds, which are not as long as the Super and Excluder ones. I learned that the hard way!

I have Super Gourds, Excluder Gourds, and large natural gourds - all with round holes. I enlarge their hanging holes, tap a 3/8" diameter PVC tube through the round holes, caulk them in place (to prevent water from running down the wires and into the nests), run a coated copper wire through the tube and use that wire to attach the gourd to the arms.

It works great on all my gourds, and would work great on the Troyer Excluder, except it's horizontal and hangs sideways when wired to the right-facing arms. I haven't called Best Nest yet, but I know they will have solution.

Right now I have 8-10 pairs of martins and several extras. I have plenty of time before I have to get the last gourd on the rack.

This photo shows some of the hanging wires attached to the right-facing arms. The arms on the lower hub are the same arched style, but I inserted the bent ends into the hub to the arches wouldn't bump the upper level gourds.

Caroline

Appears, some ingenuity happen right there!
The Swallows be way happy, haven a communalminium

Jerome