Thread: Help with Circling Ghost Prop made with Ceiling Fan

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Hi all! Had to replace a ceiling fan this summer as it only worked well on low & wobbled like heck at any other speed. I insisted it be saved for the Outdoor Circling Ghost Prop. The fan w/o the light kit weighs 12.5 lbs.

I'd like to mount it off a post similar to a hangman's noose from the old pencil & paper game. However, my concern is that it won't be enough support to keep it from toppling over. I feel with cross-bracing it will be fine, husband thinks not & wants to build a sort of field-goal style support.

Thoughts on the best way to support this? I can drive a 4x4 post into dirt & have it sort of leaning on a chain-link fence if that helps describe where I want to put it....

Thanks!

Jen

If you're gonna do it that way I'd make sure it's buried at least a foot in the ground...also if it's by a chain link fence I'd definitely use some electric fence wire and wire the post to the fence...good luck!!

Last year I did a FCG on a 22' telescoping flag pole. I attached it to one of my fence posts using a conduit junction box, 2 brackets and a piece of pvc pipe that was larger than the flag pole. The flag pole slips down into the pvc pipe. Besides forgetting to hoist the FCG up to it's full 22' height on Halloween (it was up about 12 feet), it worked very well. See pictures below:

Originally Posted by thealmightyzenk

If you're gonna do it that way I'd make sure it's buried at least a foot in the ground...also if it's by a chain link fence I'd definitely use some electric fence wire and wire the post to the fence...good luck!!

Definitely have room to drive it 1 foot into the ground....and it will be behind the fence, so I'm thinking the support could lean on the fence sort of for additional support. Thanks!

Spin - hmmmmm now that's an idea to spin off of....I don't want the thing to be very high up in the air as I want it to be a sort of ghosts circling in a fairy circle of sorts near the ground......but that's an idea to use PVC pipe....

There are a few things to consider. First off a ceiling fan weighs a LOT more than a FCG setup. The first thing that comes to mind is how tall do you want this to be? Then how long will the top horiziontal arm be ? If it were me I would try to find a formula to find the actual weight that will be placed on the horiziontal arm at the height you want. Then you will be able to figure the best way to build this . At the base , I would think you would need support in 4 directions to make sure it is stable . Building it with 4x4's and sinking it 1 ft in the ground really won't work. Hope this helps...........

I would keep it cheap and simple. Look on craigslist for someome selling a used portable basketball hoop. Lots of parents buy these for their kids, and in short order the kids quit using them and they take up space in the driveway until mom and dad decide to get rid of them (the hoop, not the kids). I've seen these selling for between free and $50 in most cases. The hoop base is filled with about 40 gallons of water for ballast, so unless your ghost weighs over 300 lbs, it's not going anywhere.

The other nice feature is these are usually adjustable, and you can get up to about 11+ feet high. Just take the backboard off, and adapt the pole sections however you like. The best part is that after Halloween, you drain out the water, take the pipe apart, and it all goes into your garage or a shed as the base can be stood on end against a wall.

One other thing... as a guy who used to fly around in propeller-driven P-3C Orion aircraft for a lot of years, I can tell you that you will need to balance the weight of the ghost. If you think that motor wobbles now, it'll tear itself apart if you just use one strut coming off to hold the ghost. I would get the basketball hoop, mount the ceiling fan motor upside-down on the very top of it, which will give you a perfect 360 degree arc about the pole, then make your arm that'll support the ghost. Once your ghost is done, weigh it and the arm that'll be supporting it, and attach something that weighs exactly the same (maybe a second ghost?) on the opposite side (if you're using the attachment points for the fan blades this should be easy... assuming it's a four-bladed fan). Paint everything but the ghost black, put some blacklights underneath, and you should have an awesome prop.

If you are looking for cheap, easy, and safe I would go with Hubby's idea. Depending on how strong the fence uprights are, you might be able to use several large hose clamps to attach the 4x4s directly to the fence upright poles without burying the 4x4s at all.

Originally Posted by Bruzilla

I would keep it cheap and simple. Look on craigslist for someome selling a used portable basketball hoop. Lots of parents buy these for their kids, and in short order the kids quit using them and they take up space in the driveway until mom and dad decide to get rid of them (the hoop, not the kids). I've seen these selling for between free and $50 in most cases. The hoop base is filled with about 40 gallons of water for ballast, so unless your ghost weighs over 300 lbs, it's not going anywhere.

The other nice feature is these are usually adjustable, and you can get up to about 11+ feet high. Just take the backboard off, and adapt the pole sections however you like. The best part is that after Halloween, you drain out the water, take the pipe apart, and it all goes into your garage or a shed as the base can be stood on end against a wall.

One other thing... as a guy who used to fly around in propeller-driven P-3C Orion aircraft for a lot of years, I can tell you that you will need to balance the weight of the ghost. If you think that motor wobbles now, it'll tear itself apart if you just use one strut coming off to hold the ghost. I would get the basketball hoop, mount the ceiling fan motor upside-down on the very top of it, which will give you a perfect 360 degree arc about the pole, then make your arm that'll support the ghost. Once your ghost is done, weigh it and the arm that'll be supporting it, and attach something that weighs exactly the same (maybe a second ghost?) on the opposite side (if you're using the attachment points for the fan blades this should be easy... assuming it's a four-bladed fan). Paint everything but the ghost black, put some blacklights underneath, and you should have an awesome prop.

Great ideas!! Thanks for the help!

FWIW, the fan doesn't wobble on low, which gave me the idea to use it for this as opposed to tossing it. It's a 5 blade fan, and yes, I was planning on painting it all black & then having maybe 3 ghosts on it.....just styrofoam heads & tulle or another light fabric....

Originally Posted by walkingcorpse

If you are looking for cheap, easy, and safe I would go with Hubby's idea. Depending on how strong the fence uprights are, you might be able to use several large hose clamps to attach the 4x4s directly to the fence upright poles without burying the 4x4s at all.

That was another idea I had....the chain link fence posts (I don't think) are going anywhere, so the pipe clamps might work. Then use a cross-strut to support the two pieces of wood....


We saw at Lowe's today this large stand used to display a ceiling fan like an upside down J on a base.....Love to have one of them!