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What kind of banding should I use?

Whether you call them banner brackets, banner arms, boulevard banner hardware,
streetlight banner arms or some other term – don’t be disappointed with a banner
program failure from an installation that won’t stand up to the test of time and
weather.

Styles of banding

When deciding which style of banding to use on metal light poles you first need to
look at how long you want the banner hardware to stay up and if you plan to do any
maintenance of the banding during that time period.

Quick-release/Screw gear/Hose clamp style of banding

The good – This style of banding is popular due to the low cost of the banding, no
special tools or skills are needed for installation and this is an easy and quick way to
get hardware mounted to the pole. It is also very quick and easy to remove this style
of banding or to move the banner brackets to accommodate smaller or larger banners.
The banding is wrapped one time around the pole at each attachment point.

The bad – This style of banding is not the strongest way to install a long-term banner
program. If you install your hardware with these bands, you should plan on inspecting,
and often times re-tightening this banding throughout the year. This banding is best
used for a temporary banner program or in situations where you will have the ability
to maintain it. During strong winds, the banding can break or stretch from the force
of the wind on the banner arms. You will need 2 bands per banner bracket (4 total
bands per banner) and in higher wind-load locations it is not a bad idea to add the
3rd band on the opposite side of the banner arm from the banner to help strengthen
the attachment.

For reference, KC Banner has a couple of clients that use this style of banding for
banner programs that run on a seasonal basis (Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring banner
changes). At each banner change, we retighten the bands and it is common for each
band to need a small turn of the screw to get the bands tight again between each
season.

3/4” Stainless Steel banding with Stainless Steel buckles

If you want to install your hardware and forget about it, you don’t want to perform
maintenance on the banding, you want your banners and banner brackets to survive

high winds/strong storms and you want an installation that will last, more than likely,
longer than the life of the light pole and the banner hardware itself – then you will
want to install your banner brackets with 3⁄4” stainless steel banding!

The good – This is the only way that KC Banner recommends to clients to install any
long-term outdoor banner program. The 3⁄4” banding is wrapped around the
pole twice before being tightened around a stainless steel buckle to create an
incredibly strong compression band around the light pole. This banding style requires
no maintenance and when installed correctly will withstand just about anything that
Mother Nature can throw at it.

The bad – There is a special banding tool that is required to tighten the banding
. The banding also requires a purchase of the banding in 100’ rolls and buckles . There is some skill required to install this correctly
however it is easily learned and a video of the installation technique can be found
here .

Once this banding has been installed, the banding and banner hardware is fixed to the
pole with no ability to move them. When you want to remove the banding, we have
found that a cut-off wheel is the easiest and quickest method to remove. For an
average sized light pole, each roll of banding will typically install 7 banners per 100’
roll. Smaller diameter poles will use less banding and large diameter traffic arms that
stretch across the roadway will use more banding.

3⁄4” stainless steel banding installation is highly recommended for any long-term
banner program regardless of the size of your banner. Due to the time involved to
install and the difficulty in removing the banding, this method is generally not
recommended for a short-term installation unless you expect severe weather.

NOTE – For wooden utility poles, KC Banner recommends to install the hardware using
lag bolt screwed into the utility pole.

Bracket Installation Kit