[TowerTalk] TowerTalk Digest, Vol 106, Issue 72

[Vincent Weal]

> On 10/31/11 8:02 AM, Bill Gillenwater wrote:
> > So, what is the best anchor for sandy soil, like in central Florida?
> > 73 Bill K3SV
>
>
> Either something massive enough that the weight alone holds it in place
> (e.g. the big block of concrete)
>
> Or something with enough cross sectional area that it would have to
> displace a lot of soil. (the big auger screws or a deadman scheme).
>
> Either works, it's all about what relative costs are.  The trick is
> having someone who knows YOUR soil conditions figure out which one will
> work.
>
> My experience with sandy soil extends only to trying to make sandcastles
> at the beach and watching tent stakes come out when the wind comes up.
> I'm thinking that the auger/deadman approach would work, but would have
> to be pretty big, compared to, say, driving it into clay. That's where
> the local knowledge comes in.
>
>
I have also been wondering what's the best type of guy anchor to use in
Florida sand, and after considerable research I've come to the conclusion
that lots and lots of weight is the answer! I'm going to be putting up 60'
of Rohn 45G, and plan to build 3 blocks of concrete for the GAR30 guy
anchors, each one 4' x 4' x 18" and sunk down 4' into the ground. According
to Rohn specs each block will be a little over 5000 lbs. Since I only plan
to put a Tennadyne T-12 on top (and maybe a dipole or two) I think that
should be an adequate guy anchor system. Of course I'm making an educated
guess since I'm a novice at tower building, but everyone I've described
this to has said it *should* work fine.