Pulling stakes..

[unjonharley]

When pulling up stakes it's time to pull stakes..

First year I used a hammock T posts in the ground.. The main post had to be pounded in more each day.. It took digging and a truck jack to get it out..

I figured Post were not worth the labor.. Then I bought some small (2 foot T post) to hold the trash fence around the camp.. Got a cheap T post puller.. It was to tall for the small post.. But using a chain link that slips over rebar and the pull lever action worked great.. Or chain with a bolt pulled (candy cane & hair pin) rebar nicely.. First real post I tried to pull the puller broke in half.. So am having it reinforced and welded.. The puller came from HF.. It will work fine if you reinforce the pivot point at the top of the handle.. Think I payed bout $14 back then..

I now use hair pin shaped rebar.. It is driven in at a 45 away from the strain/ shelter.. When pulling these, Leave the rope on and pull with the 45.. Or( and I drive them below ground ) an old wrecking bar and a block of wood..

This may sound like a lot of extra tools to haul around.. Well the wrecking bar, blocks of wood, chain and truck bumper jack are things that will get you out of a jam..

Breaking down in the middle of nowhere a.k.a. the desert can be life threatening to you and others with you.. Also your equipment my be called on the save a life..

Yack it up Grasshopper. This old ant know a bit. "Be prepared"

[tatonka]

How far do ya need to drive them? I hear people have 1ft to 2 ft long rebar , what is best?

[unjonharley]

For a say, 10 X 10 shelter.. I use 24 inch long rebar bent into a hair pin style shape.
That makes a stake 12 inches.. Don't sound like much huh.. The shape makes two prongs going into the ground.. Next bring your guy line (rope) out away and down to the ground from the structure at a 45 degree. This measures the distance your stake will be from the structure.. At this point (on the ground) drive your stake 40 degrees away from (or opposite) of the rope). Leave the stake loop above the ground until all stakes and rope are in place.. Tension all the shelter ropes evenly and drive the rebar below ground..

No I am not talking down to anyone.. Some people do not know the words that go with camp/gear..

[bigbluedoggy]

I have some custom anchor stakes that were made for me by a friend. He works for one of our fabrication suppliers at work, and when I started to describe what I was looking for, he asked "Are you going to the playa?" I had no idea at the time that he had been going out to the playa for the rocket events for many years, and the conversation went very well from that point on. He knew exactly what I needed. Basically, the stakes are 1/2" round steel stock with a very large nut (1-1/4"?)welded on to the top end, sideways, so you end up with a large pounding surface to drive them and a built in loop to secure the cables and ropes to. The other end is ground to a point. I have two sizes... 2' and 3' long, which we use for our various large and small canopy structures. I also have a heavy duty T-stake puller which works quite well on the 1/2" stock, provided you brace it on a block or two of wood to keep the puller from digging into the playa when you leverage it. As Unjon says, you drive them at an angle that is 60 to 90 degrees at odds to the lines you are tying to them. I have never had one come loose or out, even in heavy winds.

[unjonharley]

Great design doggy, My designs flaw is you can hammer on the line and weaken it..
Have to careful not to hit the ropes..