Home / One-man installation
How one person installs a Hardie column
No Hiab, no mobile crane, no lane closure. A concrete pad, four bolts, a van and one person. This page walks through the job from the pad to the lantern.
From pad to lit in one visit
Prepare the pad and bolt the base
A level concrete pad with four anchor bolts set to the flange template. Stand the base section on the bolts, level it and torque the nuts. The duct for power comes up inside the base.
Open the collar and feed in the column
Hinge the collar back. With the column tube lying on a trestle or the van, feed its end into the collar. Only the end sits in the collar; the rest of the length is free.
Walk it upright and lock it
Lift the far end and walk towards the base. The collar pivots and takes the load. At vertical the collar closes flat; fit the security bolts and the column is fixed.
Then the head and the cable
Fit the lantern, flood or camera to the top of the column before or after raising, whichever suits the weight. Pull the cable through from the base door, make the connection in the base and close the door. If you ever need to change the head, undo the security bolts and lower the column the same way it went up.
- Typical column weight 6 to 12 kg
- No traffic management for most private sites
- No plant hire, no crane booking, no waiting
- Electrical connection by a qualified electrician
What the traditional job needs, and what this one needs
| Task | Traditional steel column | Hardie Column |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Excavate and pour a concrete root, often 1 m or deeper, then wait for it to cure | Pad with four anchor bolts; many sites already have the slab |
| Delivery | Flatbed or Hiab lorry | Van or estate car |
| Lifting | Hiab or mobile crane with operator | One person, by hand |
| Crew | 5 to 10 | 1 to 2 |
| Traffic management | Usually required on the highway | Rarely, because there is no plant and the lift is quick |
| Replacing the head in year 10 | Book the crane again | Undo the security bolts and lower the column |
| Installation cost | The benchmark | Savings of up to 75% demonstrated |
To quote accurately
- Site postcode and whether it is private ground or public highway
- Mounting height you want for the lantern or camera
- What goes on top: lantern, floods, cameras, enclosures
- How many columns and when you need them
Options
- Supply only, with fixing kit and manual
- Supply and install by Hardie or a recommended local installer
- LED lanterns and post-top adaptors supplied with the column
- Central management (CMS) for switching and dimming on lighting schemes
Have a site in mind?
Send the postcode and what you want to mount. We will tell you the height, the pad and the price.