Mounting props on the grass

[rob4ce]

Hi. Seems like a dumb question but I’m sure lots of you have trialed many different ways to mount coro props on the lawn. We get some bad weather during the winter and I don’t want them flying away or falling over. So just looking for some suggestions on a good way to secure them

Thanks

[Dr_Aplet]

Hi Rob,

Welcome to the forum.  I currently don't have any coro props yet and I am sure someone who does will chime in here but until then... What kind of coro props are you you using?  Peace stakes, mini trees, arches etc.?  Good ol electrical conduit has been a go too for my plywood cutouts.  Coro stuff I have seen usually have holes for zip ties to get around the EMT pipe.  Another is just short pieces of rebar that you can drive in the ground and zip tie on to it.   Rebar has some grip so you know they wont come off. 

What part of California are you in?  I am in the northern part directly west of Sacramento and Directly north of San Fransisco. 

[TheDucks]

I use 3/8 Rebar (18") into into the ends of 2x2 stiffeners on the back of my tombstones. 12" into the ground and ~4" into the wood (there is a gap where there are lights at the bottom) The coro shipped with stiff wires (commonly sold for holding under floor Insulation).

As the good Dr mentioned : Soil type (and what happens when wet), Prop size (mostly surface area) come into play.

Wind comes into play.  (The reason I ditched the wires that served well before I moved south)

And as I recently measured How many lights:  Bullets weighed in at 5.5Lbs per 100

Back to Rebar. I use the same 18" stakes for my M-Tree (I just put Orange Mushroom caps on the ends as the are exposed. Like  https://www.amazon.com/KEILEOHO-Mushroom-Identification-Building-Construction/dp/B08C5FL8DY/ref=sr_1_19_sspa?crid=20C29BPDJON98&keywords=rebar%2Bcaps&qid=1693065483&sprefix=rebar%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-19-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1 ) for the 17 strands.

 

Why Rebar? Because it takes a beating. Because it has RIBS to resist pull out. Because it is common and is available cut or longer pieces. You $ave buying longer and DIY cuts (18" is also not a standard cut). A metal cutoff blade in you circular saw. Just be fire safe.the sparks will start leaves on fire 😕 )

 

[k6ccc]

So far, pretty much everything I have on the ground has been connected to rebar into the grass. 

One thing I can not stress enough if you use rebar - SAFETY.  Once a piece of rebar is pounded into the ground, it SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY covered with a proper vertical rebar cap until such time as either the rebar is removed or covered with the prop in such a way that you can't fall onto the rebar.  An example of the latter:

http://www.newburghlights.org/photos/2014_Arches_crossing.jpg

The rebar is completely covered by the arch.

This is coming from a guy that fell from standing height onto a piece of rebar that had it not been covered would have taken out my right ventricle (according to a friend who is a trauma surgeon).  He said that I would have bled out before the paramedics could have gotten out the fire station door.

One more thing on rebar safety.  At the end of the season when you pull the rebar out of the ground, inspect the end that you hammer onto.  Make sure there are no sharp edges.  If there are, clean them up on your bench grinder.

 

[Orville]

13 hours ago, k6ccc said:

So far, pretty much everything I have on the ground has been connected to rebar into the grass. 

One thing I can not stress enough if you use rebar - SAFETY.  Once a piece of rebar is pounded into the ground, it SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY covered with a proper vertical rebar cap until such time as either the rebar is removed or covered with the prop in such a way that you can't fall onto the rebar.  An example of the latter:

http://www.newburghlights.org/photos/2014_Arches_crossing.jpg

The rebar is completely covered by the arch.

This is coming from a guy that fell from standing height onto a piece of rebar that had it not been covered would have taken out my right ventricle (according to a friend who is a trauma surgeon).  He said that I would have bled out before the paramedics could have gotten out the fire station door.

One more thing on rebar safety.  At the end of the season when you pull the rebar out of the ground, inspect the end that you hammer onto.  Make sure there are no sharp edges.  If there are, clean them up on your bench grinder.

 

About sums up why I don't use rebar to hold my props in the yard.  I'll stick with the flimsy, thin, aluminum, or plastic stakes, thank you very much.

Although, nothing is fool-proof.

[ebrown1972]

Rebar is your friend and zip ties....As Jim said use rebar caps with all your rebar stakes.

[Vince4xmas]

If you think 1,000 zip ties is enough.........it is NOT!

[Dennis Laff]

And buy a zip gun to tighten and cut zip ties

[Orville]

11 minutes ago, Dennis Laff said:

And buy a zip gun to tighten and cut zip ties

I DEFINITELY 2nd this!

Otherwise, you're gonna have some very sore fingers and hands!

[Al Saunders]

An alternative to rebar that I've used for over 10 years are wooden sign holders you can get a Walmart. They are about 30" or so. I too use rebar for some things like guy wire anchors but I have some PVC packages I made and use two of these sign holders to pound in the ground then use two zip ties per stake to hold onto the PVC on the backside. The props are very light as they are only one dimensional  and these wooden stakes are about the width of the 1/2' PXC so you don't see them at all once you paint them black. Yes, they could be kicked over by a vandal or maybe a larger animal if you're more out in the country but they work great for me. I've found the zip ties seem to hold onto the wood pretty well but also being wood you could make little notches for the zip tie to sit in or get caught under to prevent any slip. 

[prevue12]

I quit cutting small zip ties, no one notices. I have yet to find a tightener that doesn't leave a little out that cuts you when its could out. Just my opinion. :) 

[dibblejr]

On 8/26/2023 at 7:46 PM, k6ccc said:

So far, pretty much everything I have on the ground has been connected to rebar into the grass. 

One thing I can not stress enough if you use rebar - SAFETY.  Once a piece of rebar is pounded into the ground, it SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY covered with a proper vertical rebar cap until such time as either the rebar is removed or covered with the prop in such a way that you can't fall onto the rebar.  An example of the latter:

http://www.newburghlights.org/photos/2014_Arches_crossing.jpg

The rebar is completely covered by the arch.

This is coming from a guy that fell from standing height onto a piece of rebar that had it not been covered would have taken out my right ventricle (according to a friend who is a trauma surgeon).  He said that I would have bled out before the paramedics could have gotten out the fire station door.

One more thing on rebar safety.  At the end of the season when you pull the rebar out of the ground, inspect the end that you hammer onto.  Make sure there are no sharp edges.  If there are, clean them up on your bench grinder.

 

Rebar penetrating the shin didn’t feel to bad. It was the fall that could have done the damage. 2018 me and my tree. LOL

J.R.

[dgrant]

I use a lot of rebar plus the sets of 3, steel stakes from HarborFreight that have the green ends. I also use "12 steel spike nails from any hardware store. Wind is a problem here in the winter so everything has to be secured.