Rebar/stake questions

[fannyadams]

Do you have any suggestions of how to get your hands on some rebar a few days before BM? I'm coming from overseas...

[Mrpatatomoto]

Stop by a home depot or other store of the sort on your way, or have someone you know bring you some.

[Shambala]

If you are just staking down your tent, I would consider using these spikes. They have always worked well for me. I also store my water jugs in the corners of my tents to help keep things anchored down. Never lost a tent.

[VultureChow]

I'm partial to these myself. 12 inches, inexpensive on ebay, and they pack well.

[Rice]

I'm partial to these myself. 12 inches, inexpensive on ebay, and they pack well.

I was just going to suggest these. They work very well & can be pounded flush to the ground (no cap required)!!

Sometimes they can be found at Princess Auto in the surplus section. (They were 10 for $10 in the spring) - (http://www.princessauto.com/pal/product ... -Tent-Pegs)
They are super light for flying in and work extremely well...

Of course, it is dangerous to walk into Princess Auto since there is so much cool stuff that could be used at BM

I have found rebar at Home Depot and asked them to cut it to whatever lengths I needed too. (In Saskatoon, SK)

[trilobyte]

I split this new rebar question from the other thread.

[Rice]

If you are just staking down your tent, I would consider using these spikes. They have always worked well for me. I also store my water jugs in the corners of my tents to help keep things anchored down. Never lost a tent.

Last burn I picked up some these from Wally Mart - They work fairly well for securing tents and such, havent tried them with shade structures yet. (I prefer the alluminum pegs I found at Princess Auto (see above thread for details).)

[dragonpilot]

If you are just staking down your tent, I would consider using these spikes. They have always worked well for me. I also store my water jugs in the corners of my tents to help keep things anchored down. Never lost a tent.

Last burn I picked up some these from Wally Mart - They work fairly well for securing tents and such, havent tried them with shade structures yet. (I prefer the alluminum pegs I found at Princess Auto (see above thread for details).)

+1 or +2 on these...if it's just for a tent. Staking down a tent securely should include positioning it behind a suitable wind break...like a truck, RV, or other structures.

Heavy shade structures are going to require more robust staking and guy lines.

[Savannah]

Those appear to be Coleman 10-inch stakes, which I love and happen to use for my tent. I generally camp with a truck or vehicle shielding my south side. Never any problem with these stakes. In fact, they hold so well I hesitate to pound them flush with the playa surface next year, and will cap them and light them. (I already light the guy lines.) Even with a wrecking bar, it's not always easy to get these stakes out of the ground if you pound them all the way down.

For the shade structure, which is heavy, I use 2-foot rebar stakes topped with tennis balls.

Reno has lots of shopping opportunities. The aforementioned Home Depot is a good one, but there are many others. Google "hardware stores Reno Nevada". Some will let you order ahead, and pick up.

[Rice]

Those appear to be Coleman 10-inch stakes, which I love and happen to use for my tent. I generally camp with a truck or vehicle shielding my south side. Never any problem with these stakes. In fact, they hold so well I hesitate to pound them flush with the playa surface next year, and will cap them and light them. (I already light the guy lines.) Even with a wrecking bar, it's not always easy to get these stakes out of the ground if you pound them all the way down.

For the shade structure, which is heavy, I use 2-foot rebar stakes topped with tennis balls.

Reno has lots of shopping opportunities. The aforementioned Home Depot is a good one, but there are many others. Google "hardware stores Reno Nevada". Some will let you order ahead, and pick up.

Up until the last burn, I never had trouble getting them out of the ground. That is, until we had rain - post event... OMFL - Cement. - {Twitch}

[some seeing eye]

I have been using 12" hot zinc galvanized gutter nails-spikes from Home Despot for years for my tent. The bright zinc and uncoated nails pictured above are highly prone to rust. (although that doesn't necessarily limit their use) The ones I buy are about $1 each. Without the plastic caps, you can pound them from side to side with the hammer and they come out easily.

Shade structures need rebar or fancier stakes. Home Despot also has rebar safety caps which are not that expensive.

A 5 pound 2kg sledge hammer is great for driving them, I bet you could ask around your neighbors to borrow one.

I am not a big fan of one or few time use tools, it seems sacrilegious to me. But Harbor Freight Tools is right near the airport and some of their tools are very cheap.

No Costco, Burners Without Borders, some Reno burners collect stuff to give to and gather up from our fly-in participants. An up to date master list of what each takes in at the end of the event and gives out at the beginning would be highly useful.

[Shambala]

Up until the last burn, I never had trouble getting them out of the ground. That is, until we had rain - post event... OMFL - Cement. - {Twitch}

I have found over the years, that the stakes that have been used before, tends to stay in the ground better. I guess the alkaline playa mud corrodes the metal and causes it to grip better. Shiny new stakes slide out easier.

[maladroit]

My Home Depot in the bay area had left out a heavy duty rebar shear next to the rebar stack during August. I don't know if that's common practice, but I wish I'd noticed before cutting all of mine with a circular saw and cutoff wheel. Upside: I got to make lots of sparks in the driveway!

[uncle sticky]

I use 18 inch Lag Screws from Lowes, with a 2x2 piece of angle iron. They are little l-shaped pieces of steel with a nice 1/2 inch hole drilled in both parts of the L.
The screw goes threw the l-shaped piece of metal, and I use a power driver, box wrench or socket wrench to screw them into the playa. Then trucker straps to the other hole, and crank it all down. Used for carports or other large structures that need to be very secure.

[Frizzboom]

In my wild and crazy monkey hut experiment I am using the big orange home depot stakes, they are great in our clay soil. With the two hooks and the hole in the middle I can run rope through the middle, and bungees on the hooks. A bit more money but I love the options.

[Sunbeam56]

I use 18 inch Lag Screws from Lowes, with a 2x2 piece of angle iron. They are little l-shaped pieces of steel with a nice 1/2 inch hole drilled in both parts of the L.
The screw goes threw the l-shaped piece of metal, and I use a power driver, box wrench or socket wrench to screw them into the playa. Then trucker straps to the other hole, and crank it all down. Used for carports or other large structures that need to be very secure.

I can't get a visual from this description. Can you say this again? Or do you have a photo?

[FIGJAM]

These are what I use.

http://www.wholesalebolts.com/hexheadlagscrews3/8x14.aspx

This size fits perfectly through the grommets on my tarp, and with a big drill, and socket I can just zip them in and out of the playa without any pounding or prying.

Unkle stickys idea of using angle is good, but I just thought of using chain instead!!!

Get some chain that a lag bolt will just fit through a link.

Cut a bunch with with just 2 links.

Like this.



Now my vice represents the playa with the lag bolt screwed all the way down, leaving the extra link to ancore rope, rachet straps, bungees, or your loved ones to!



This way there are no sharp edges of angle iron sticking up as a hazard!!!

FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGJAM!

[Sunbeam56]

Fuck, you're GOOD

[FIGJAM]

The idea would also work with 12" nails.

The nails run about 65 cents a piece!

[ygmir]

I did sort of that, FJ, but put a tack weld on the link, so as not to lose it.

[Roark]

Not to be obtuse, but I'm just... well... obtuse.

FigJam: You screw the lag bolt into the playa? (Not pound, but actually screw it down, like you would into wood?). How much does an 18" lag bolt hold? 50 lbs? 100 lbs? How does it work when it rains? Are you angling this in a manner similar to a tent stake or just straight into the ground?

I like the notion of screwing to the playa instead of hammering, but I'm just not groking how the playa soil could be this dense.

[FIGJAM]

I use 3/8"X14" lags to ancor a 12'X40' shade.

After the first 5"s the playe soil is so dense, it's about like balsa wood!

Though I don't bring a genny, I have a 3000/6000 inverter that I quick connect to my truck, then with my hole hog drill and a socket I can zip those lags in and out with ease.

The lags hold the end of this shade to the ground.

[Roark]

Very cool. Any idea about how much pull-out resistance per stake? Could I use this notion to anchor a dome or just stick to driven stakes or augers?

[FIGJAM]

Drill a hole in the middle of each strut that is in contact with the ground and put a lag through each hole!

That would probably be overkill.

You could get by just doing every other strut.

I have'nt figured "pull out" strength, but it has'nt failed me YET! (Your Eligable Too)

[Roark]

Drill a hole in the middle of each strut that is in contact with the ground and put a lag through each hole!

Exactly what I was thinking! No exposed stakes at all. That would be very cool...

[Xak]

I use big fender washers and put my 12" nails through them it gives me more surface to pry them out of the ground with. The nails have worked for several years now with a a single fail. They pound in much easier than rebar.

[Oldguy]

Would not eye bolt and wing nut at ground joints be stronger than midpoint anchoring to ground, and also provide multiple anchor points for hammocks, bags, and room dividers at other strut connection joints ? Just pass connecting bolt through eye bolt and chain link. or quick connect with carabiners. Just a thought...

[Savannah]

Would a wrecking bar be of use in pulling out stuff large enough to anchor a dome?

I love my wrecking bar, but I just use it for stakes.

[TomServo]

If you have any point on the stake large enough to grip on to, A VW Bug jack works. If it's rebar or any round stake, vice grips and a twisting motion. T-posts a $15 puller tool and a hi lift jack...or vw jack. Avoid flimsy U-posts! After a week of flexing, the thin metal can and will break...in the most inconvenient spots. Requiring you to excavate what's left.

[Roark]

I love my wrecking bar, but I just use it for stakes.

i just love a woman with a wrecking bar.