Making a ground anchor where none exists

[squisher]

Pretty much everyone around here is similarily equipped but I'm the only one using a mini. I don't know of a single actual tree company around here that can't climb. So basically we all compete for all the work as long as you get the call. If you don't have a bucket around here you'll never get the jobs that are bucket accessible, so I have a bucket to go head to head on that front. All the companies around here are quite small. My 'niche' is being knowledgeable and professional. That seems to be lacking in a few of my competitors. I've built my business on always doing a fantastic clean-up job, really giving attention to detail. I actually have customers often tell me to not bother raking anymore it's good enough for them. The clean-up combined with actually returning or answering calls and showing up when I say I will or phoning if something comes up(like during snow season)has gone along ways. I get a ton of repeat clients and referrals. I think referrals are an extremely nice compliment. How's it go? A referral means telling someone you like about someone you trust.

It's interesting how different markets are. Here all the companies climb and there is no contract climbers that I'm aware of. There is a company around here that sounds sort of like yours, very knowledgeable and they specialize mostly in just pruning. It's two guys and a pick-up though with no chipper or anything. They've been around for quite awhile too. Interestingly enough they refer larger removals my way, but unfortunately I don't refer anything their way. I take all the work I can.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm SO glad my buddy Mike has his MEWP!!!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eqVQgP0eDvE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Crank it UP!

 

[Al Smith]

Tell ya what Butch .You mentioned a soup job on that 200 a few times .Tain't nothing wrong with it as it is .It certainly looked like it did just dandy .

 

[MasterBlaster]

I love the suckers!

 

[Jack]

bump

While going through some old pix, I found a pic (below) of an anchor for a HUGE tent. It was holding really well in some serious wind - so, I took the pic. I did some 'googling' and found a video (below) that showed the setup could take 3900 lbs - and that's at a lot steeper angle that I'd use. That's certainly more than twice what I could apply with my Maasdam. Seems the BIG tent pro's have done some serious homework because they can hold some serious loads.

This would be really easy to do and easy to un-do with virtually no damage to a pristine lawn.

Just thought it might be interesting:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O3ltrR3d_HE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Jack]

After re-reading your first post, I wonder how long a picket set-up would really take you to set-up, pull out, and repair the soil/ turf. I bet it wouldn't be long if you have a way to lever the t-posts or pipe out of the soil. http://www.harborfreight.com/t-post-lifter-38444.html

Sean, I finally got around to editing a vid of the simplest way pull a T-post out of the ground:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QBuhD0WeB1s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Al Smith]

An 8 foot 2 by 4 works good for that also .

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I use one of these with some chain.....

 

[Jack]

wanna race?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Who's planting the stakes and in what area

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hahahaaa...

Youse guys!

 

[SouthSoundTree]

nice one Jack. cheap and compact. i already carry a rock bar.

 

[flushcut]

Bumping this thread. I need to set up a ground anchor robust enough to rip out large honey suckle and red twig dog wood clumps on a steep hill along a lake. The anchor, I'm guessing, will need to hold several thousand pounds of force. I am leaning toward a deadman but I don't want to dig up the guys yard if I don't have to. Any suggestions? I am figuring a system to handle 20,000lbs or better of pull.

 

[pantheraba]

My son showed me a video in the last couple of days of two guys that dug a hole maybe two feet deep and put in a heavy duty cloth bucket with long straps attached to it...they buried the bucket part of it with dirt and folded those four straps over together... They had eyes in them the same as chokers for webbing for a crane lift. A vehicle was at the base of the hill and used its winch through a snatch block in those loops to pull itself up the hill so the anchor would stood a lot of force. I'll see if I can find that video.

 

[pantheraba]

Found it... See what you think.

 

[pantheraba]

Maybe you just need a mini excavator at the base and you could use it to reach what you could and use it as an anchor as needed.

 

[flushcut]

The mini excavator isn't a bad idea if the hill wasn't so steep we will probably be tied in while working it, and I would need 40' of lateral reach. I have my doubts the DNR will even allow the work to be done but I want to have a game plane in place if it gets approved.

 

[Tree09]

A 10 ton ground anchor is going to be pretty invasive. I've seen it where they used a good size backhoe, extended the backhoe out all the way and dug it in, same with the front bucket, and then used a pintle hitch on the top of the front bucket as an anchor point. That worked very very well. I don't think a mini skid or mini ex would be able to withstand anywhere near 20k, you would be ripping the machine apart.

You also could look into maybe combining a few huge arrowhead anchors, or even get a screw pile to take that kind of force. Your mini with the rotary drive you have for your atom splitter should be enough to install the smaller sizes of screw piles, and if you got some you would be able to reuse them. Screw piles withstand push or pull forces too, so they often use them as foundations for stuff. You might be able to make some, but the helicals are hard to fabricate so i would likely just buy them.

And for the love of God please get a locate/dig permit, at least 2 days before trying this. You would be amazed at where they hide pipelines. Obviously just call 811.

 

[pantheraba]

I like the backhoe/loader idea. And the screw anchors sound cool.

 

[flushcut]

A 10 ton ground anchor is going to be pretty invasive. I've seen it where they used a good size backhoe, extended the backhoe out all the way and dug it in, same with the front bucket, and then used a pintle hitch on the top of the front bucket as an anchor point. That worked very very well. I don't think a mini skid or mini ex would be able to withstand anywhere near 20k, you would be ripping the machine apart.

You also could look into maybe combining a few huge arrowhead anchors, or even get a screw pile to take that kind of force. Your mini with the rotary drive you have for your atom splitter should be enough to install the smaller sizes of screw piles, and if you got some you would be able to reuse them. Screw piles withstand push or pull forces too, so they often use them as foundations for stuff. You might be able to make some, but the helicals are hard to fabricate so i would likely just buy them.

And for the love of God please get a locate/dig permit, at least 2 days before trying this. You would be amazed at where they hide pipelines. Obviously just call 811.

I have found some utility pole guy line screws that are rated to 14000lbs. Even a multiple duckbill anchors would get me the 20k. The 20k max not working load. But I will probably go with a dead man anchor in the end. Truf be damned. Oh diggers hot line all the way!

 

[murphy4trees]

You can buy a ground anchor kit from pioneer forge 800-359-6408

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Picket anchor might do it. Less digging and soil displacement. Depends on your soils.
Or just pickets lashed. Sandy soil woud be folly.

 

[Tree09]

I always am thinking working load, sorry man lol. I don't think the utility ones would be easy to set, the digger derricks have a metric fukton of torque to set them and they rely on undisturbed earth for that rating. The soil will make a huge difference too obviously, but I'm betting you are far enough from lake michigan where you don't have a bunch of sand.

 

[flushcut]

No sand but deep loamy loose-ish soil, black gold. I will have a better idea if the job is a go ahead when I talk to the county zoning commission on Monday.

 

[Burnham]

It's pretty amazing how much pull a large-ish tire mounted on a rim can hold up to, completely buried standing upright, slightly leaning away from the direction of pull. Attach a chain to the center of the rim and in a narrow angled trench out to the surface a couple of yards away from the tire.