[TowerTalk] Tower Guy Anchors

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

On 11/9/2013 5:47 PM, Jim Lux wrote:
> On 11/9/13 9:28 AM, Michael Tope wrote:
>> Thanks, Jim:
>>
>> Both AB Chance-Hubbell and MacLean Power Systems sell them for utility
>> applications:
>>
>> http://www.hubbellpowersystems.com/anchoring/expanding/
>>
>> http://www.macleanpower.com/products/item.asp?ITEM_ID=2087
>>
>> Except for the W8JI site, I have never seen any mention of them as an
>> option for ham radio towers.
>>
>> I noticed that one of the entries in the table you linked to showed a
>> depth of 73ft! I can't imagine that would be the requirement to get a
>> good anchor, so perhaps that's how deep they had to go to get into the
>> soil conditions that are listed.
>>
>
>
> yeah, that's weird.. Maybe it's because "dig a hole and fill it with 
> concrete" is something one can do with pick and shovel and little 
> training.
>
> Driving the real deal anchors 20 feet in with hydraulics is a 
> specialized operation.  Most structural engineers know about these 
> things, so if a ham was in a situation where they were talking to a 
> PE, and the screw in anchor was appropriate, they'd mention it.
>
>
>   They're used a LOT for utility poles, which often have enormous side 
> loads.  The same hydraulic rig that runs the auger for the pole can be 
> used to drive the anchor.

When I lived just South of Breckenridge MI. the HV line ran E/W across 
the fields.  The distribution line ran under it Ours was about the 3rd 
tap on a line that must have been 12 miles or more. From that line to 
the pole at the edge of our lot was a "maximum span" and that was one 
honkin big screw anchor back guying the power pole. I think it was 
around 1976 when we had the big ice storm.

To the West of us there was over half a mile of distribution line flat 
on the ground with the poles snapped off. There was close to 3" of ice 
(total 6" diameter) on these lines. They didn't stand a chance. It 
pulled that big anchor to the point that I expected the pole to break, 
but it didn't. OTOH that line came across the field at less than 3 feet 
off the ground and the pole looked like a bow at full draw.

I had never seen power lines close to 6" in diameter from ice and have 
never since, either.

We were close to two weeks with out power, but had a big fireplace and a 
miniature fireplace (barbecue) in the kitchen.

I thought that at least we're going to have hot food, that is, until I 
fired up the barbecue.  I threw the pan out in the snow. Both flues were 
full of ice.

I never lost an antenna, but the ends of the elements on the big KLM 
monobanders were pointing nearly straight down.

73

Roger (K8RI)


>
> When I was in the EFX business, there were two companies in the LA 
> area who essentially did ALL of this kind of work for everyone. 
> Boudreaux or something like that.  You'd tell them the pull out load 
> you needed, and they'd show up with their truck and drive the anchors 
> (e.g. for our 50 foot high tornado rig out on Ave E in the high desert)
>
>
> I don't know about the 70 foot depth.  I know they've had terrible 
> times with the anchors for the retaining walls on the 405 widening 
> project in Sepulveda Pass. They're over 100 feet deep, and still 
> pulling out. I think those are "bore hole, insert anchor, then grout" 
> type anchors. The "rock" there is just not very "rock like" (and it's 
> water saturated.. there are artesian springs everywhere
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