[TowerTalk] ROHN tower anchor question

[n4kg@juno.com]

On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 Pete Smith <n4zr@contesting.com> writes:
> 
	SNIP

> One of my guy anchors lies in a field that every few years goes 
> under water temporarily in the spring.  At that point, I'm VERY 
> glad that anchor  is downwind in the prevailing conditions, 
> because I assume its  capabilities
> are seriously compromised when the soil above the anchor turns 
> to soup.  On the other hand, I'm even gladder that it's not a screw 
> anchor, which  have next to no inherent anchoring capability 
> (other than the soil they  are screwed into).  At least the concrete 
> anchors have some mass...
> 
> 73, Pete Smith N4ZR

Several years ago, K5RC showed me a picture of an anchor 
encased in concrete that pulled through the "soup" in his 
back yard after a heavy rain.   The concrete didn't do much
to help hold the tower in that soup. IMHO, all the concrete
does is prove a large surface area to pull against an even
larger "cone" of soil which does the real holding.

In "soupy" soil, it is probably better to go deeper than 
larger, unless you are willing to put in HUGE concrete
anchors.

de  Tom  N4KG


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