I bought the Harbor Freight $59 SDS Hammer Drill... and a $14 Grinder to cut
off the end of one of the SDS bits to make it square.. used 5/8" heater hose
and clamp as a guide followed the process http://www.n4lcd.com/groundrod/
Still no luck driving in the rods... must have hit rock of something....When
we were putting in my tower, we had to jackhammer the clay(?) out of the
hole as it was too hard for the backhoe to dig it out...
I am still resisting the hydrallic method as I am concerned about the mess
it will cause....
__________________________________________________________
Howard S. White Ph.D. P. Eng., VE3GFW/K6 ex-AE6SM KY6LA
Website: www.ky6la.com
"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
"Ham Antennas Save Lives - Katrina, 2003 San Diego Fires, 911"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Burke" <burkelj@earthlink.net>
To: <WW5L@gte.net>; "'Jim Lux'" <jimlux@earthlink.net>
Cc: <towertalk@contesting.com>; "'Dr. Howard S. White'" <drpaper@msn.com>
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 5:36 PM
Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] Tools for Installing Ground Rod?
<snip>
Harbor Freight carries a 1" rotary hammer that one member of TowerTalk
recommended some time back. They often have it on sale for $60-$70. It is
also avaiilable in their stores. Can't testify to quality, but it sppears
identical in build to the Bosch, etc.
http://www.harborfreightusa.com
Never have seen the bit though that fits a ground rod.
<snip>
According to the Harbor Freight web site these are currently on sale for
$59.99. Sale ends Jan 30. Would like to hear from anyone who has used this
particular model to drive a ground rod. Also curious if there is a
difference between an "SDS" bit and an "SDS Max" bit. A quick search of the
web indicates an SDS Max ground rod bit will cost as much as the rotor
hammer itself. There is an interesting alternative way to use a cheaper bit
at: http://www.n4lcd.com/groundrod/ . Although some might argue this might
not be as safe as the bit intended for the purpose.
de Larry WI5A
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