Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad? - TowerTalk Forum at eHam.net

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eHam.net Forum : TowerTalk : Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?

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Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by KB9WIS on October 20, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Several ham radio outlets sell 48" long earch screw in type guy anchors for Rohn 25G towers.., however on the other hand, others don't recommend using them.. I'm not sure if there are troublesome, and actually fail regularly, or if it's just some are paranoid? I have a hard time understand why everyone sells them for Rohn towers, if they don't work for this purpose.. Can anyone provide some honest opinions/experiences? The concrete anchors cost more and I already have my earth guy anchors in the ground.. Any input appreciated whether earth screw in anchors are or are not acceptable for Rohn towers. The tower install is going to be 70' of Rohn 25G tower, guyed at two points.

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by K0WA on October 21, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I have used these type of anchors before with good success. But, again it all depends on your soil type. I would not use them is loose soil. I am in Kansas, so we have good soil here for the most part and I used them to guy 50 and 40 foot towers. I got mine at a farm supply store Make sure you weld the eye shut first. Sometimes, the "eye" of the anchor is not welded...just bent around. Weld it. When you put them in, to not force them in and twist the shaft. That is bad. You have to back it out and go at it again. Repeat. Go all the way into the soil too. Do not leave a foot out of the soil. Put them in at the same angle as the guy wire. Use a clevis to attach the guys. Again, the farm supply store. Power companies use them all the time, but again you must realize how they use them. Note: I tried to pull one out with my Pickup. Tied a log chain to the anchor. The PU lost traction quickly and there was no evidence of pull out. I do not jerk chains which can lead to death. I was still not convinced. So, I took a "come-a-long" and tied it to a stout Oak Tree and started pulling. No movement of the anchor...I did not want to break the "come-a-long" and the Oak Tree was a little worse for wear but OK. I figured it would be OK. It was in that installation. Remember, your mileage my vary for your locations

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by AA4PB on October 21, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I've had Rohn screw anchors in place for over 20 years in clay soil and not had any problems. I'd be careful about purchasing them from a hardware or other store. The Rohn anchors are welded closed loops and then galvanized.

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by K3GM on October 21, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I believe the reason screw-in anchors are popular is because it's the easy route. It's a lot more work to use concrete anchors with buried "deadmen". A 70 footer requires a 1/2 cubic yard in each hole. I have to ask myself what would I prefer, an 8-10" diameter disk welded to a seel rod, or a 2000lb. block of concrete buried to a depth of 4'? After considering soil type and whether it contains shale or rocks, I guess it comes down to peace of mind. I personally chose the latter of the two choices.

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by KB9WIS on October 21, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
AA4PB, 20 years is a long time. Have you at least had to retighten the anchors back down due to any creeping? How tall is your Rohn 25 tower set up? I'm trying to go 70 feet, which uses two sets of guys. I am thinking about using a total of "6" Rohn screw in anchors (a dedicated anchor for each guy), so I'm thinking this may be okay.. I'm in Indiana, so I would assume the soil here is about average.. It seems to be a little soft and clay like. Maybe it's considered below average, not really sure..

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by KB9WIS on October 21, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
AA4PB, 20 years is a long time. Have you at least had to retighten the anchors back down due to any creeping? How tall is your Rohn 25 tower set up? I'm trying to go 70 feet, which uses two sets of guys. I am thinking about using a total of "6" Rohn screw in anchors (a dedicated anchor for each guy), so I'm thinking this may be okay.. I'm in Indiana, so I would assume the soil here is about average.. It seems to be a little soft and clay like. Maybe it's considered below average, not really sure..

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by WB2WIK on October 21, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
The screw-in anchors work very well if you follow the instructions. I've used them lots of times and have never seen one fail, yet. They don't work in sand or in "muck," but in most types of soil they work very well -- again, you must follow the instructions, which can be counterintuitive. You don't pull at a right angle to these anchors, you pull in series with them. My 70' R25G was guyed at three levels, though, not two: 25', 50' and the top. Two levels is probably okay in most cases, but I like the tower to feel like its terra firma, even at the top.

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by AA4PB on October 22, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
The tower is a 25G fold-over, 55 feet. There are two sets of four Phylistran guys. I've tightened the guys once after a month or so to compensate for initial Phylistan stetch. The screw in anchors have never moved and I've not had to retension since the initial time. Actually, the top set of guys get retensioned whenever I tilt it over because you have to disconnect them to tilt it. The bottom set has never required retensioning. I checked with Phylistran and they said there was no need to routinely replace the guys as long as the outer covering was still in place.

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by AA4PB on October 22, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Oh, and I only use 4 anchors for the two sets of guys.

RE: Earth "Screw-in" Guy Anchors Good or Bad?	Reply
by KB9CRY on October 22, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
What happens to earth, dirt, clay, etc, when it gets very wet? Does it lose it's cohesion and get soupy? How much load do you think that would hold in those conditions?

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