[TowerTalk] Tools for Installing Ground Rod?

[Jim Lux]

At 04:52 PM 1/23/2006, Dr. Howard S. White wrote:
>My soil is very, very hard clay which makes it a perfect tower base... in 
>fact we had to jack hammer it out to build the base...
>
>... Strong constructions workers hitting the top of the 8' ground rods 
>with Sledge Hammers they were able to drive 1 in about 4 feet and one 
>about 5 feet...  neither is deep enough....
>
>Any suggestions on what mechanical or power tool to use to drive ground 
>rods further into the ground.  Plus I want to put in a few more....


you might want to look for what's called a rotary hammer (Bosch makes a 
nice one).. your local tool rental place will have them.  The trick is in 
finding the nifty little adapter that goes on the top of the rod and into 
the socket on the hammer.

The other thing is just to use twice as many rods, half as deep. Space them 
more than a rods length. Or, bury the rod horizontally.  The idea is to get 
ground contact area, not necessarily to drive a conductor through the crust 
into the mantle.


>__________________________________________________________
>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"
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