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Is this the next innovation making the portable hole obsolete?


Bizywk

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I wonder if this might be a quicker and easier way to stabilize and anchor the main spine of a Mega or CCR tree.   It would certainly anchor the lateral movement even in mud while the guy wires would handle the rest of the stability burden. 

 

It seems a little clutzy to install, but it would certainly save storage space and the heavy lifting of a trusty portable hole.



What do you guys think?      


 
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Looks cool. But kinda pricey at $72.43 plus freight...

Bag of quickcrete and a conduit sleeve might not be as fast,

but less than $20.

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I didn't think about the removability you were referring to. I agree, looks like it would be a lot less cumbersome and probably cheaper than portable holes are. The only thing I saw was the $72 price, & that's in lots of 12. Do you have a supplier that will sell just 1 ?

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My concern would be screwing it into the ground in a straight vertical position.  In the video they say to reposition yourself to adjust the angle.  However I don't see how you can check the angle.  Even an inch off vertical will translate to several inches at the top of a 20 ft pole.  With guy wires you might be able to pull the pole a few inches; but pull too much and you put a bend in the pole.

 

I wonder what happens when it hits a tree root or a rock?  Do you start over a few inches away and try again?

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Though the above is possibly better/easier than the portable hole, I prefer my approach.  Several years ago when first starting off, I was planning on using a portable hole for my mega tree base. However, I was worried about storing the portable hole, and figured it would kill the grass during the winter. Plus seemed like more work than was necessary.  Therefore, instead I went with using a T-shaped 6' fence post to anchor the pole (about $7 at Lowes/HD).  Drive it about 2' into the ground (can use a level to ensure you are driving it in straight if desired). The fence post is very rigid, so you can tap it in with a sledge, and it would go through small roots easily.  I don't think you could bend it if you tried. The post is T shaped, so the mega-tree pole rests nicely in one of the sides of the T.  I used 3 or 4 hose clamps to attach the tree pole to the fence post. That way you could tighten them nicely. Since the T-Post has studs on the one edge, there was no way that the clamps were going to slide (not that they could since you can screw them pretty tight). Therefore about 4' of your mega tree pole is supported. I can't envision a scenario that could even cause the tree to come down. My 20' tree (mega tree/Spiral tree combo with 104 stings of lights) doesn't budge a bit. Multiple times in the past 5 years it has sustained 60mph gusts in storms without any visible movement.  Some years the ground is just soggy and some years it nearly freezes -- doesn't make a difference.  Always seems just a secure by the end of season as it was the first day of installation.  The tree pole is guyed in the middle and from the top (with green vinyl coated wire clothesline -- few bucks at Walmart), just to keep the 20' pole from bending. Use dog ground anchors to secure my guy wires.  Easy to install, and easy to take down and store. No permanent hole/concrete in the ground. And much cheaper.  Keep it simple...

 

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We also used the green wire clothesline and heavy duty corkscrew anchors from TSC as you did.  It was very effective.  We also used turnbuckles to properly adjust the guy wire tension.  We won't be putting it up in the dark anymore though.  We used a level to about max ground reach height (8-9ft), but found quite an arc in the pole the next morning at the 20' height that needed adjustment.     At least it was solid.       :)  

 

Wish I'd thought of using the short fence post as a center anchor for the black pipe.     It looks like it could be rough to get it back out of the heavy cold clay here, but the cost is much better than the corkscrew concept.     I think we're going to have to try the short fence post this year and slide the black pipe over it with a wooden plate as a "washer-like"  base to keep the pipe from piledriving into the ground.  Maybe I can figure out how to rig up a lever of some type to pry the fencepost back out of the ground after Christmas.

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We also used the green wire clothesline and heavy duty corkscrew anchors from TSC as you did.  It was very effective.  We also used turnbuckles to properly adjust the guy wire tension.  We won't be putting it up in the dark anymore though.  We used a level to about max ground reach height (8-9ft), but found quite an arc in the pole the next morning at the 20' height that needed adjustment.     At least it was solid.       :)  

 

Wish I'd thought of using the short fence post as a center anchor for the black pipe.     It looks like it could be rough to get it back out of the heavy cold clay here, but the cost is much better than the corkscrew concept.     I think we're going to have to try the short fence post this year and slide the black pipe over it with a wooden plate as a "washer-like"  base to keep the pipe from piledriving into the ground.  Maybe I can figure out how to rig up a lever of some type to pry the fencepost back out of the ground after Christmas.

 

I use turnbuckles on my guy wires as well. Sure makes it easy to adjust/balance tension.

 

It is surprisingly easy to remove the T-shaped fence post.  We here in Ohio deal with tons of clay.  Some years the ground is frozen and some years it is a soggy mess. Either way, the fence post removes easily. Since it is so rigid, it doesn't bend when you rock it back and forth (unlike other metal posts or re-bar that I have more difficulty getting out since they bend). Therefore after doing that a few times, you can lift the post out without much effort.

 

With regards to the tree pipe piledriving into the ground, since the pipe is clamped tightly to the fence post, it can't slide up or down, and therefore doesn't sink at all into the ground. This year we stayed above freezing all December and had tons of rain instead of snow and even with that soft of ground it was not a problem.  If you don't clamp the pipe to the fence post (and instead slide the pipe over the fence post as you mention) you have no means to secure the pipe from rotating, and also likely to have a little wobble in the pipe since it likely won't be a perfect "fit" (ID of the pipe compared to the diameter of the fence post).  If it was snug enough, I would think it could be difficult to remove the fence post from the pipe (especially after temperature changes). 

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We also used the green wire clothesline and heavy duty corkscrew anchors from TSC as you did.  It was very effective.  We also used turnbuckles to properly adjust the guy wire tension.  We won't be putting it up in the dark anymore though.  

Just saying I used some green coated close line cable for 3 years and was happy with the results till this year when it snapped unexpectedly on my 20 ft. tree !  I just happened to be out in the yard checking things as it was very windy the day after I ended the show.  I had an emergency tree take down. It was the only thing I got down before we got buried in snow here.

 

Steve

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 I can't envision a scenario that could even cause the tree to come down. 

 

Just ask JimSWinder about that.  I think he's the resident expert on falling Mega-Trees! :lol:   

 

Sorry Jim, just couldn't resist. :P

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Just ask JimSWinder about that.  I think he's the resident expert on falling Mega-Trees! :lol:   

 

Sorry Jim, just couldn't resist. :P

 

He never would have had a problem had he used a T-fence post for anchoring his tree pole.

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Just saying I used some green coated close line cable for 3 years and was happy with the results till this year when it snapped unexpectedly on my 20 ft. tree !  I just happened to be out in the yard checking things as it was very windy the day after I ended the show.  I had an emergency tree take down. It was the only thing I got down before we got buried in snow here.

 

Steve

 

I usually change out my wires every 3-4 years in case they are getting brittle from the brutal cold, though have never had one break. I suspect since the center post anchor that I use supports about 4' of the tree pole that even when very windy there is still minimal movement in the pole, thus minimal added strain on the guy wires.

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He never would have had a problem had he used a T-fence post for anchoring his tree pole.

But the one he had trouble with was mounted on his roof.  Don't think that fence post idea would work too well on the roof top!

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But the one he had trouble with was mounted on his roof.  Don't think that fence post idea would work too well on the roof top!

I disagree... Had he drove the fence post 2' into his roof I doubt it would have fallen over.

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