[Towertalk] Ground Rod Pounding

[EUGENE SMAR]

TT:

     I used a four-inch piece of 3/4 inch threaded iron pipe and a pipe cap
as my pounder for my twelve ground rods here.  After pounding in four or
five rods, I had to change the cap (it got pretty mangled, but better this
than the rod top.)  This also gave me a larger surface than the rod end to
pound on.  I put a piece of electrical tape around the rod at the bottom of
the pipe to prevent scuffing of the copper cladding when the pipe wiggles
around under the hammer blows.  (Next time I might use a smaller-diameter
pipe, or even wrap the rod top with insulation, etc. to stop the wiggling.)
None of the rods was deformed, and I could apply the Cadweld shots very
easily.

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F

-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Counselman <ccc@space.mit.edu>
To: TOWERTALK@contesting.com <TOWERTALK@contesting.com>
Date: Monday, December 09, 2002 10:48 AM
Subject: [Towertalk] Ground Rod Pounding


>Kimo Chun, KH7U, sent me the following addition to this thread:
>
>"I also found that Erico (Products?) (the maker of "CadWeld"
>products which I've used to weld my rods to ground wires and
>tower rebar) sells tool steel "caps" about 6" long that fit
>over standard ground rods - you buy the appropriate size.
>Then you can use any of those fence pounders or hammers
>and not mushroom the head of the rod. Though, I wonder
>if you really "rail" on them... will they be easy enough to
>get off the top of the rod when it does "mushroom" however
>little? I guess that's when a little "persuasion" does the trick.
>
>"The importance of not mushrooming depends on whether
>you plan on using CadWelding or equivalent means to
>attach the wire. The single use welds or the graphite
>forms require the rod to be relatively intact."
>
>73 de Chuck, W1HIS
>
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