Has someone NOT USED rebar and had success?

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:05 am

Rebar will certainly work, but it grips very poorly out there compared to the X shaped stakes I tried.
It is also harder to remove.
I had 18 inch ones, but 10-12 inches was enough in high winds.

By the way, twist the rebar with the vise grips to loosen, if no one said.
Great for sliding poles over.
Second rate otherwise and very dangerous.

I have seen titanium versions of some stakes.
Even the steel are lighter than rebar though.
Couple of trips and the weight alone would pay for the better ones.

I thought I posted this earlier, but the computer glitched.
Just found it.

Terlin, think oklahoma winds, but unstable and changing abruptly.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:07 am

and we pee in the hot springs, so dont chase the water trucks!

patnmarilyn · Post by **patnmarilyn** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:22 pm

If you really don't want to use rebar, then consider what we have used for the past 7 years, which is threaded rod !! Much easier to use, works just as well, and is simpler to pull out. ( i put 2 nuts tightened together to make a nice lip on the top.) I usually cut them in 12 to 14 inch lengths. Get whatever thickness rod you would like, i think i use 5/16 but i have forgotten !) You can buy 4 to 6 foot lengths of threaded rod at any hardware, and then either cut it yourself with a hack saw, or better yet have the hardware cut it for you for a small fee. Believe this much.......
threaded rod works just as well, ( or possibly better) than rebar. The threads actually give more surface for the soil to grip than rebar. We realize it is a sacrilege to suggest something else, but there you have it !

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:16 pm

Even though I use the commercial orange caps on my rebar, I have a friend that still scraped against the lower exposed part TWICE and ended up a bloody mess. This year I'm going to cover all the exposed rebar with old pool noodles. Pipe insulation should work well too.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:21 pm

How about those auger stakes? Not the ones that look like a corkscrew, but, that have a small auger on just the end?
I found them at Tractor Supply for 5 bucks each, 24" long.........and, they have a nice loop on the end with no sharp parts........

Has anyone used them?
seems they'd work good and just unscrew.......?

Ygmir

Knotch · Post by **Knotch** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:04 pm

gyre wrote: Rebar is.....Great for sliding poles over.

Just as a caution statement since I haven't see this mentioned. It is better to drive the rebar into the ground by the side of the pole and then saran wrap both and securely duct tape them together. If you just slide the pole over the rebar, that will stop the horizontal motion of the plole but won't keep the pole from trying to go upward if the wind catches the underside of the canopy or shelter. I have to give Phil credit for this tip since I think it was in one of his posts that I first read it.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:03 pm

I was bending pvc in a half circle over the bars.
Friction was enough for that.

ilmarinen · Post by **ilmarinen** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:32 am

This is my first year, so I've not tried these, yet. The consensus when I asked the question around various places was they were a lot of work to install and remove. DPW uses a lot of those in *big* sizes for anchoring big things. They have power equipment to install and remove them. I figured a cheater bar (iron pipe) and a friend, should be able to put a pretty good torque on it.

Good price on those! Wish we had those stores around here (Seattle). I found something similar at the local old-school hardware store. I'm taking one with me to try-out this year (among other experiments).

-B.

ygmir wrote:How about those auger stakes? Not the ones that look like a corkscrew, but, that have a small auger on just the end?
I found them at Tractor Supply for 5 bucks each, 24" long.........and, they have a nice loop on the end with no sharp parts........

Has anyone used them?
seems they'd work good and just unscrew.......?

Ygmir

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:56 am

ilmarinen wrote:This is my first year, so I've not tried these, yet. The consensus when I asked the question around various places was they were a lot of work to install and remove. DPW uses a lot of those in *big* sizes for anchoring big things. They have power equipment to install and remove them. I figured a cheater bar (iron pipe) and a friend, should be able to put a pretty good torque on it.

Good price on those! Wish we had those stores around here (Seattle). I found something similar at the local old-school hardware store. I'm taking one with me to try-out this year (among other experiments).

-B.

ygmir wrote:How about those auger stakes? Not the ones that look like a corkscrew, but, that have a small auger on just the end?
I found them at Tractor Supply for 5 bucks each, 24" long.........and, they have a nice loop on the end with no sharp parts........

Has anyone used them?
seems they'd work good and just unscrew.......?

Ygmir

DPW uses T-posts. Cheap, but heavy..and hard to remove without the right tools. A T-post puller will cost you under $20 and a Hi-lift Jack is about$40 at harbor freight. Great thing about T-posts, is that anything attached to them goes nowhere!

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:00 am

..and to drive a T-bar you need a pounder..also $20...

ilmarinen · Post by **ilmarinen** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:46 pm

I've no direct experience with DPW, but the various web references implied they use a number of things: steel concrete form stakes (often), water pipes, augers, t-stakes, car axles . . . Presume they base on the needs of what they are doing. I'll spend part of the burn just looking at stuff like that. Like I was checking-out all the granite curbs when I traveled back east (crazy!).

Ygmir

DPW uses T-posts. Cheap, but heavy..and hard to remove without the right tools. A T-post puller will cost you under $20 and a Hi-lift Jack is about$40 at harbor freight. Great thing about T-posts, is that anything attached to them goes nowhere!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:24 pm

HF has a T post puller.. It works well.. Just moved a fence today..

As for playa stakes.. I have use a # of things.. Last year, The hell with it.. I used 6and 9 inch plastic stakes.. They did'nt pull a bit in the wind storms.. I do recomend you know what your doing before trying this..

Each leg is staked three or four times at a 45°.. Run a line from the stake over to the leg of the structure.. This keeps the leg from jumping around.. Drive the stakes at a 45° of the structures leg and far enough out so the line is at 45° from the top of the leg to the stake.. Set each stake 90° from one another around the leg..
Tie in only three directions where there will be foot traffic.. Forget those phony line tighteners.. Lear to tie an ensigns knot before you leave for the playa.. As far as that go's learn all your knots before you need them.. It will "save your ass!!!" in the long run.. Nothing like your shelter playing Gone With The Wind in the middle of the night..

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:28 pm

[quote="ilmarinen"]I've no direct experience with DPW, but the various web references implied they use a number of things: steel concrete form stakes (often), water pipes, augers, t-stakes, car axles . . . Presume they base on the needs of what they are doing. I'll spend part of the burn just looking at stuff like that. Like I was checking-out all the granite curbs when I traveled back east (crazy!).

Hey, I'm a stone cutter, I've made granite curbs.....and stuff...........

Not that that matters, but......heck, there ain't many of us left......

YGmir

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:03 pm

ilmarinen wrote:I've no direct experience with DPW, but the various web references implied they use a number of things: steel concrete form stakes (often), water pipes, augers, t-stakes, car axles . . . Presume they base on the needs of what they are doing. I'll spend part of the burn just looking at stuff like that. Like I was checking-out all the granite curbs when I traveled back east (crazy!).

Ygmir

DPW uses T-posts. Cheap, but heavy..and hard to remove without the right tools. A T-post puller will cost you under $20 and a Hi-lift Jack is about$40 at harbor freight. Great thing about T-posts, is that anything attached to them goes nowhere!

yes and they use alot of T-posts.. Noodled several hundred of them at the ranch. When you see the orange condoms on them at just about every street corner, those are noodles. Don't ask how we got them on

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:11 pm

DPW pull there T post with a front end loader/tractor..

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:16 am

Incorrect -- ground augers for towers & the Cafe are spun in & out w/ a custom made Bobcat attachment, circus stakes used for the med tent & commissary are pounded in by hand & removed by chaining off to a Bobcat bucket, and t-stakes are pounded in w/ custom made slide hammers & removed w/ store-bought post pullers.

aber65 · Post by **aber65** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:21 am

I have a bit of a unique sitch, I think.

I ordered a canvas tent from India (http://indiantents.com/general-service-tents.html - second down on the page). Suffice it to say, the engineering was a little screwed up and the ropes for anchoring the tent ended up being way short.

My solution at this point is to use five-foot-long pine posts (already purchased and looking good), that are 2.5 inches in diameter, and leave 3 feet of them sticking out of the playa. This will allow me to tie the ropes on to the posts at whatever elevation within 3 feet. Being as the tent is round, this drastically reduces the foot print and gave me a much better feeling about being a space hawg.

My setup for getting the posts into the playa is a 7amp drill and a 2.75 inch. diameter earth auger. Up till now I have been shooting in the breeze and don't know if this will work. Anyone out there have any experience with these augers, or with drilling 1-2 feet deep holes into the playa?

The earth auger I have ordered looks just like the one in the link below but is 2.75 inches as opposed to 2 inches.

http://tinyurl.com/6ynvfu

Camp will be awesome and your all invited to come by and take a peek.

Cheers

- Nopny

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:10 am

You're putting poles in the ground because... why? What's wrong with guy lines?

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:37 am

Sounds like using Bradly killing machine on an ant..

And a hell of a lot of work and equipment..

less camp, more time for fun

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:38 am

I have an ice drill which works great for drilling holes.
Very slow as it is hand cranked.
I think powered units require a bit of power.

I suspect I am the only person where I live with a swedish ice drill.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:47 am

Must be hard finding Swedish ice for that thing.

Re: poles, you'd probably need to guy those to the ground, so I don't see the point unless they're for supporting a shade fly over the tent.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:01 am

Works great for clay that picks and blades bounce off of.
I was a bit horrified to use it on dirt, but the blades are replaceable.

And I'm ready for the next cold spell.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:05 pm

I'm guessing no one has used the auger (not corkscrew) type?
so,
a question then:

What is the sub-surface like, does anyone know? is it like concrete, dirt, clay, mud.
I realize it depends on how deep you go........Just wondering if anyone knows.
IE:
it may be dust for the first 2 inches, hard packed, impossible to dig for a foot, then, softening from clay to mud........

Can anyone help me with this? With this info, I may be able to figure if the auger will even go through it, hand powered, that is.......

thanks,
Ygmir

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 12:30 pm

ygmir wrote:What is the sub-surface like, does anyone know? is it like concrete, dirt, clay, mud.

Fluffy silty clay on the barely moist side, medium stiff to stiff deeper than six to twelve inches, plastic and slick on the surface when wet after a rain. Somewhat like desiccated bay mud. Would probably ruin lightweight augers made to plant bulbs in the ground.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:51 pm

thanks Bob,
These are actual anchors, the auger is just one layer, 3/16 inch steel, 4 inch diameter, on a 3/8 or so shaft.....made as hold downs, I'm just wondering if they can get "bite" into the ground.
Your fine description indicates they will.......

THanks again
Ygmir

aber65 · Post by **aber65** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:52 pm

Hey Bob,

If you check out the url from the tent maker you will see that the tent is round. Since they didn't supply us with long enough rope to anchor the thing down, my solution is to bring the stake closer to the tent. But to do this and maintain the shape of the outer fly I had to tie the rope off at a higher elevation than ground level. 2.5 inch poles seem strong enough with a wedge smacked down beside it.

http://indiantents.com/general-service-tents.html

Second tent down on the page

I just tried out the set up to drill holes by boring a hole in my drive way and it went throught rocks and all.

Nothing wrong with big amo on a small job, no?

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:19 pm

All I can say is try it out at the beach ahead of time, and bring plenty of extra rope & stakes.

aber65 · Post by **aber65** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:36 pm

10/4 Good buddy,

back up plan is in place and feelin good about plano numero uno.

See you all at the beach.

DeepSpace · Post by **DeepSpace** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:48 pm

Listen to EB

Terlin · Post by **Terlin** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 5:24 am

Thank you guys for all of your posts...it really gives me a variety a choices

If you see a confused woman in a white van trying to impale the playa without success....that will be ME...

Has someone NOT USED rebar and had success?

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