Earth anchor?

briefcase · Post by **briefcase** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 7:19 am

Has anybody ever used an earth anchor system on the playa? Obviously it would have to be removable - LNT - so a duckbill type anchor might not work. Anybody know if screw anchors work out there?

Am dreaming about designing some kind of tension structure...

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 7:48 am

He's a cranky civil engineer with a geoshitties page of all things, but when it comes to good playa structure info you can't been this DPW man's info. If I'm securing anything on the playa against the wind this is the first place I look to figure out what works...and what won't.

http://www.geocities.com/potatotrap/

briefcase · Post by **briefcase** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 10:58 am

Straight from Stahl's website: "[screw anchors] hold about a ton in a very firm playa." That should be enough...

Thanks, Kinetic!

falk · Post by **falk** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:27 pm

Screw anchors can be very hard to remove, and often break off at or near ground level. This is bad for a number of reasons.

A far better anchor is two or three spikies or pieces of rebar hammered in at different angles and meeting at a point just above the ground.

http://www.flyties.com/

briefcase · Post by **briefcase** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:55 pm

falk, looks like nice product. A bit dear also. (A special of $99 for three anchors?)

Did see their 'pull test data' page? If you look closely at the picture where they're pulling on the stake the force on the meter reads about 200 pounds. The picture that's zoomed up on the meter reading above 1200 pounds has a different background - it wasn't taken in the same experiment. (Smells like fudge...)

falk · Post by **falk** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:56 pm

I just posted that for illustration.

Three pieces of rebar pounded into the ground at angles, and meeting at a point an inch or two above the ground will do just fine.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 10:03 pm

Screw anchors rarely break in my experience, and only if you seriously tweaked it or used an old bent one out of a pile. Could use multiple 3/4" concrete stakes and chain them together. I don't know what the flyties site is supposed to show. I try to stick to things I can find locally.

axolotl · Post by **axolotl** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 11:05 pm

OUT
Screw anchors

IN
Orbital Tethers

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:45 pm

I agree.

Live Wire · Post by **Live Wire** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 1:43 pm

What?

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 1:48 pm

What's the korrect knot for tying one's dreams to a star???

briefcase · Post by **briefcase** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:11 am

double wrap and two half-hitches.
apparently...