Ground Anchors

We’ve now got 40 x 300mm screw pegs from ‘Screw Pegs Australia’, for around $5.75 each. That includes a special clip to attach a guy rope. The screw pegs are about the same size as Stu’s super-pegs (traditional but super massive tent pegs). We’ve still got around 20 of Stu’s. So all up we should have enough to tie everything down around the public areas.

Richo has correctly pointed out that using a power tool to drive the screws into the ground should be safer, easier and quicker than hitting a tent peg with a sledge hammer. We have a battery driven power tool to drive the pegs in. Two actually in case of break downs AND a manual option as well. Depending on the state of the ground we may need to drill a pilot hole using a long masonry bit – which we have already. Extracting the pegs is simply done by reversing them out with the power tool.

In theory they are drilled in so deep that the top is flush with ground level. That will put a onus on us to keep track of how many we put in – and where. At the moment the hex heads on the screws are the same galvanized colour as the rest of them. I’ll get some fluro paint to mark all the heads with. I’ll also get TWO of the 18mm nut drivers that we need to use with the power tool. Two, on the basis that one will go missing. I think I’ll paint the nut drivers with the same fluro paint, come to think of it.

Just as an aside, each bell tent needs 16 anchors. Each of these can serve dual duty for the tent AND the fly.