What do you use on your portable poles?

[IndyEFI500]

I know there have been posts on this before but for some reason I can't work the search on here for beans. Just got a new portable and I have noticed a number of burrs on the poles. I'll porbably just use high grit sand paper but am wondering if there is a good way to really make them slick before I put it together. Am debating on using some form of buffing compound. Any tips or tricks??

[Bearcat]

On my voyager I initially used a round file to clean up some of the poles leading edges. Then just spray them with silicone spray and they will work great.

[WTN4ICE]

When I first got my Voyager I took a rat tail file and smoothed all the inside edges then spray a liberal amount of WD40 in a rag and wipe them down good.One application in the fall and once mid-season keeps them moving smoothly.

[pljllo]

Wiped down the poles on my wikderness with heavy duty

silicon. worked great.

[Ed Carlson]

De-burr, and wipe down with Silicone or Chap-Stick and wipe excess off so you do not stain the tarp. Doing a good job of de-burring the outside and inside is half the battle.

A Rat tail file, and a wire brush style inside/outside battery post cleaner works well for the be-burring process.

If the support hoops are out of square, that is another separate concern. To confirm if they are, measure them corner to corner to see if they are binding up, adjust accordingly as needed.

[52#FLATHEAD]

I used a file & got rid of all sharp edges. Then I rubbed a block of paraffin wax on all moving joints & on the poles. No corrosion, no odor, water proof & very slick. You can use candle wax or trap wax if you don't have any paraffin wax.

[icehousebob]

I filed the burrs and then rubbed the poles with steel wool. Then I used car wax on them.

[Northlander]

I used a medium buffing pad then a fine buffing pad on my old metal on metal poles. Then I wiped them clean. Thats key. Then I rubbed some powdered graphite on the poles and they worked great. I had tried WD40 and that didnt do well. Lithium grease was ok but got tacky when real cold. The graphite seemed best.

Another key is to keep the poles dry inside. Condensation gets in them and then they stick. Dry your house out in a garge every so often with the heater on inside.

[Capt.Blaine]

Rem Lube

[RebelSS]

All of the above...except I ream the end of every pole with a pipe reamer...making sure each end is concentric or round, actually "spreading" the very end of each pole a hair. Then flat sand end of pole, polish with steel wool, and coat with XC ski wax or paraffin.