[TowerTalk] Earth Anchors

[Vic]

> snip> RE: Yesterday I learned that a local ham had bought some earth anchors from  
Texas Towers for $45 each. He could have saved a  lot of money by purchasing them here: <snip>

Regarding DIY store anchors for towers .. keep in mind many of the DIY stores carry items at a reduced price for a reason -- the application is not the same as tower installations .. using the DIY fence post anchor in critical applications could cause catastrophic failure .. yes you can save a few $$$ but can you afford the liability or the lawyers at your front door ?? .. many of these products are from off shore steel production sites and the steel may not be the same steel used in the "proper" tower anchor .. this is why the anchors from the DIY stores are less expensive, the steel may be recycled bombs, cars, tin cans or whatever ..  suggest everyone use the same cautions when looking at DIY store Turnbuckles and other tower parts .. I've seen it in the aircraft industry where non-standard or non-certified steel was used to manufacturer bolts which became the cause of a major accident .. ..-- yes, it is possible to use lower cost products and the end user may never see a problem....  but with a tower it only takes one problem ...  as the cover on the British magazine said, "ye pays ye money, ye takes ye chances" ... cheers de SLM //