The components of a frame make up the "skeleton" of your Patiot Umbrella. Here is some helpful information about the pieces and parts:
The Crank: An crank is a device that is rotated to open and close the umbrella. Certain market umbrellas have the tilt-mechanism incorporated with the crank feature to make tilting the unit easy as well. Crank types are "NOT" recommended for use in commercial applications.
Pulley & Pin: Although many aluminum units have cranks as a mechanism to raise and lower the unit, most wood styles have a push up mechanism or pulley & pin type of feature to raise it to the proper height. We highly recommend a simple manual push up type of operation with pin & hole option to keep the shade open for commercial applications. All too often restaurants and commercial resorts have challenges with patrons opening & closing units with pulleys and cranks resulting in damage or serious safety hazard issues from collapsing frames to the un-aware customers beneath the structure.
The Hubs: Almost all patio umbrellas have two hubs; a Runner Hub, which moves up and down the center pole raising and lowering the support ribs to open or close the umbrella. The Top Hub is stationary and holds the main ribs which swing outward to open the umbrella and downward to close the umbrella.
The Finial: The finial adds decorative functionality to your shade structure. It provides the finishing touch to the aesthetics of the top. It also serves the functional purpose of anchoring the top of the shade cover fabric to the frame.
The Pole: Most poles are assembled in two pieces for ease of shipping and storage. The most common pole materials are wood or aluminum, but also may be fiberglass, steel, plastic or resin composite types. Some commercial grade solid pole types come as single pieces which add considerable strength to help them better withstand wind pressure and the rigors of outdoor commercial applications around hotel & apartment pool areas, or restaurant applications.
The Ribs: The rib arms are the pieces of your frame that spread and support the shade cover into the open position. More ribs equal more strength and stability. The Fiberglass ribs featured on our Wind Resistant types are outstanding at absorbing wind gusts without breaking and last four to five times longer than traditional wood or aluminum ribs.
Tilt Mechanisms: Many residential styles have tilt mechanisms as a special feature to provide additional shade options for outdoor sun protection. Tilt features come in various arrangements, including buttons at the top portion of the umbrella underneath the rib runner hub, or crank feature tilts in conjunction with the crank handle. As a general rule, we "never" recommend tilt or crank features in a commercial application.
