[TowerTalk] Mobile Tri-ex 70 tower

[jimlux]

On 7/13/18 11:35 AM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
> 
> 
> On 7/13/2018 7:14 AM, jimlux wrote:
>> On 7/13/18 6:11 AM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
> They drive rebar in the ground with
>>> a washer welded at the end for the tie offs.
>>>
>> > I doubt they have any signifcant pull-out strength, so if the wind 
>> comes up, the stake will bend, pull out, and over the tower goes.
> 
> Probably true, although they are analogous to the big "tent stakes" used
> to put up large temporary tents, and those have a successful track 
> record. 

Those stakes are typically some fairly stiff steel and larger in 
diameter (1"), known as "bull pricks" in the entertainment industry 
(traditionally, they were rear axles, the gear providing a convenient 
"head" upon which to hammer).

https://www.versalestore.com/p1959/30amp;quot;-Tie-Down-Ground-Anchor-(Bull-Prick).htm



  A trick I use with guy stakes is to pound two of them
> in about 3 feet apart.  The stakes are long enough to allow them to
> stick up 2 or 3 feet.  A rope/cable is attached to the rear stake right
> at ground level.  The other end goes to the top of the front stake.
> The guy goes to the bottom of the front stake.  This gives tremendous
> leverage and insurance against bending, pulling out, etc.

yeah, something like fence T-posts would work.
They too, are typically a stiffer steel than "rebar"

> 
> At my QTH, we have 100% clay, and as long as it is dry (which it always
> is the 4th weekend in June) it is like concrete.  I hired a D10 CAT to
> try to rip this stuff up with a single 7 foot "knife" and the D10
> (with 600 HP) actually stalled.  The driver complained that he had
> "only" 100 tons of weight to pull with.  OTOH, during the winter rains 
> the clay has the consistency of peanut butter.
> 
>>
>> *real* temporary installations designed to withstand significant wind 
>> (or seismic) loads will use auger screw anchors, or these days, I've 
>> seen a lot of use of "big blocks of concrete" or K-rail/jersey barrier. 
> 
> Before jumping to that solution, an intermediate solution is to use
> a big pickup truck with a heavy duty trailer hitch parked at the
> guy point.  (The truck owner has to turn over the keys to the
> field day captain for the weekend, to prevent one of "Murphy's
> helpers" from driving the truck away.  Hi.)


That works.. 5000# truck is the same as 5000# lump o' concrete.


i guess the net-net on all this is that guying a temporary tower 
requires some amount of thought.