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Anchoring guys/S-Beam quadpod in hard-floored (concrete, tarmac, rocky etc.) areas
Hi folks,
Will be setting up the Spiderbeam (60 ft) for the first time shortly, as soon as the weather breaks. Will obviously be taking it a step at a time, it's a serious piece of kit!
A few quick questions regarding the safe anchoring of the mast...
1. Obviously for the guy wires, it would be impossible to install tent pegs etc. in hard-floored areas. How do people anchor the wires in such a circumstance? I'm picturing a heavy sandbag(s) (ala Tony Stott) with a hole punctured somewhere in the top or a hook attached but wanted to see if there were any other suggestions... Most of our work will be carried out in these circumstances.
2. How far do people extend the quadpod legs? Surely the longer the legs are extended, the more stable the mast as it is supported at a higher point? I haven't found any threads/posts on this forum which explicitly cover this point.
3. As with the guy wires, how do people anchor the quadpod legs, if at all? I have seen the sandbag solution as well but is anchoring the quadpod strictly necessary?
I don't have a Spiderbeam... mine is an Aero-Photo 50' mast, You can use canvas bags with lead shot in them or sand bags draped over the quad legs.
I never guy my mast if winds are less than 20mph. I guess if I did guy it I'd make some concrete anchors with a piece of rebar looped through it to hook the guys to. You can make a form fairly easily from pine 2x10. Build a square frame whatever size you want, soak with kerosene and pour concrete into it. be sure to put some wire mesh about half way through the concrete and then insert a loop of rebar before it cures. Cheap portable anchors. Perhaps even a plywood base with wheels almost flush mounted on one side to allow you to stick a long pole through the rebar loop angle up onto the wheels and "drive" the anchor to it's desired location.
Depending on wind, a few 10 gallon camping water jugs might do the trick also. about 8lb/gallon!
A point to consider, if you are guying on a hard surface use a method that spreads the weights and creates friction.
In an ideal world your guyline would mount to the centre of a large yet relatively thin weighted bag, that way the friction on the ground would be spread widely on the contact area whereas a fixed weight (say a water container) would readily slide and release tension on the guy lines.
My tips for guying......
Set your guypoint in place on the mast ( I only use one guy point) at around 4 or 5 sections down from the top of the mast. Next, without extending the upper section and having it get all unweildy, raise the lower sections to their optimum elevation and set your guys in place securely then tie them off. Because the top isn't yet extended there should be no safety issues. Next bring your mast down, extend the top sections as required and when you raise the lower sections the guys will automatically come into tension with no further adjustment being needed.
Like so!
You'll see there is a belt and braces approach here as we have also weighted the quadpod legs!
Hope this makes sense
Steve
__________________ If there's a better way, find it. Thomas Alva Edison.
I never go higher than 40 feet with my mast... if it needs to be higher than that it is usually a lot higher, so I then use KAP or BAP. I have never guyed the mast, simply leaving half of the top two sections unextended, and ensuring my assistant is standing close to the mast to lend a hand if required. Never needed to date...
As Regards the base, I extend this as wide as I can.
I use two different methods on my 50' "Quad-Pod" mast.
The first method is, I use a single standard bench press weight, between 25 to 45 lbs. depending on the weather, fastened by a regular motorcycle "tie down" strap.
The strap is then attached through the center hole off the weight, which is then attached to the center yoke of the mast assembly. However, the weight is not fully suspended. I loosen the strap until the end of the weight touches the ground. I then tighten the strap to preload the four legs of the "Quad-Pod" assembly. I have done this hundreds of times, without incident.
The second method is, as DJ suggested. A simple canvas bag, filled with lead shot. I use a standard "movie industry" bag, which incorporates a nylon strap carry handle.
The lead shot bags are then placed around the "Quad-Pod" legs, and then secured with bungies. These bags come in different weights sizes, depending on your application. This setup works really nice as well.
I have been afraid of tripods (quadpods) for erecting tall masts.
Guying works well if something solid to anchor to. I only guy the mast as a last resort. I have found there are few places my truck will not go that a mast is needed. The price skyrockets if a manual setup is needed. The additional hassle and safety issues usually keeps the mast on the truck.
With a simple trailer hitch mount I have enough adjustment for most sloped sites. Pieces slide and are pinned to lock for a dead vertical lift.
Its just nice to have everything close by. Can even drive around a bit (slowly) for multiple locations.
I have only had to "guy" the mast once despite having built some anchors for it in advance. We found some 2.5gal I'd guess pails at home depot and filled it with quick-crete then put a eye hook in it and let them sit. I can take a pic but they are pretty self explanitory and didn't cost us too much. Most of the time I can find a grassy area and prefer to setup there so the tripod digs into the ground a little (60ft spider beam as well).
I find that the weighted bags with tie down ability can work well with hard surfaces for either the legs or guylines. and with Overviews setup as being ideal especialy for crowd control.
All looks good guys. Keep it up with the creative ideas... they have been really helpful to me!
I find that the weighted bags with tie down ability can work well with hard surfaces for either the legs or guylines. and with Overviews setup as being ideal especialy for crowd control.
All looks good guys. Keep it up with the creative ideas... they have been really helpful to me!
Rick
Crowd control was certainly issue on the day that photo was taken and it will always be a health and safety concern, partucularly if you have guys out.
We live in a country that has a strong farming community and so I use a length of electric fence tape as my boundary inicator. People here respect electric fences and they never stray into them
There are times when I think that connecting the fence to a power unit would be a good thing!
Steve
__________________ If there's a better way, find it. Thomas Alva Edison.
Some excellent ideas there; you can tell which of you fellas are keen engineers!
Thinking practically about this, the 10 gallon jerry can filled with water option may well be the best for the simple fact that if you really had to, you could fill and empty the cans making transportation much easier. Of course, it's maybe not the most eco-friendly solution and they will no doubt take a while to fill up. Water might not always be available. But 8lbs/gallon; that's obviously 80lbs worth of weight per guy wire (half my body weight)! I reckon that's pretty good. In terms of Steve's friction surface area tip, I suppose you could modify the can by attaching some rough wool carpet or rubber mat and have the can on its side (as opposed to standing upright). The jerry can plastic is probably pretty slippery. Just brainstorming here!
Used surpplus military small bags are soft and plyable and less costly than hard cans..... they can pack tightly in any locations for transportation. And they have handles too!
Anchoring guys/S-Beam quadpod in hard-floored (concrete, tarmac, rocky etc.) areas
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