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  1. #21
    Senior Member TeeDee's Avatar
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    Xexorz - on getting your cylindrical dead man to "catch" when being pulled to set.

    It looks like you have the anchor cable attached to the center of the dead man.

    Offset the cable from the center. That will give an asymmetric pull on the dead man and tip it when pulled.

    Always have the short section of the dead man pushed into the ground first.
    Those who sacrifice freedom for safety, have neither.

    Do not dig your grave with your teeth. (Unknown)

  2. #22
    Senior Member Pitch's Avatar
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    This is a good idea - it does help (tried this early on) but the problem is that it then tends to "waggle" out. Picture it pulling through the soil like a board through water. Center = stable pull.

    I think the key may be to make the hole larger than the dead man. This gives the dead man the ability to rotate around the center and catch. When the hole is the same diameter as the anchor then the hole stops any rotation.

    Rapidly "yanking" up seems to help but only if the soil is moist (I think it is drag related). When the soil is dry it almost never catches (bummer).

    I will try "collaring" the driver rod to force a larger diameter hole. Once the anchor comes out of its little hole (~4 inches ) it should pivot around the center of pull and jam into the soil.

    Thanks again for all of your input! We seem to think a lot alike.

    More to come

  3. #23
    Senior Member TeeDee's Avatar
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    Just tried using the cotter pin as a toggle.

    Used 2 1/8"x1" cotter pins and a 3/16"x1 1/4" fender washer.

    Pushed the guy line cord through the center of the fender washer so that I have 4 cord lengths coming back out - that gives me the 2 eye splices and the doubled over cord above ground.

    Pushed one of the cotter pins through the cord as a toggle.

    Pushed the second cotter pin through the center of the washer to act with driver to push everything into the ground.

    Drove everything 7.5" to 8" into the ground.

    Pulled the driver and then pulled the guy line cord to set the dead man.

    The dead man was totally impossible to pull up. Rigged up a dyneema rope to a branch about 20' up and set up 2 pulleys to give me a 3 to 1 mechanical advantage and connected to the dead man cords.

    Impossible to pull up.

    Set the driver through the 2 eye splices and pulled the guy line cord out of the ground.

    The cord is showing some abrasion and could probably be used once and maybe twice more and then have to retire it.

    The abrasion could be caused when driving everything into the ground or when pulling the cord out of the ground. The edges of the fender washer center hole have not been dressed in any way to prevent abrasion and may have abraded the cord when it was pulled back through out of the ground. Not too sure. The abrasion is only on one place on the cord, where the cord was through the fender washer and around the cotter pin. That could be from being driven through the ground. There is nothing protecting the cord from abrasion while doing that.

    The center hole on the fender washer is a tight fit for the cord and cotter pin and getting the cotter pin to fit properly on the notched end of the driver without pinching the cord is a little tricky, but not unduly so.

    All in all, if I cannot devise a better method, this one will definitely work.

    Also, it's simple, 1 fender washer and 2 cotter pins. The cotter pins don't even have to be bent, just use straight. The dead man can be assembled when needed in less than 1 minute and set into the driver. Then drive into the ground. I am sure it will hold a hammock.

    With the 1/4" OD s.s. tubing, a hammer of some sorts is definitely needed. I don't think I would try to use a rock unless it was an emergency and nothing else was available - I have thoughts of pounding with my finger between the rock and the driver .

    I may try 3/8" or 1/2" OD rod or tubing to see if that works better and make sure it's not too heavy. The larger diameter rod/tubing will allow for a thicker wall and thus stronger. The 1/4" OD driver is definitely taking a beating and showing the signs. Still good for a lot more use, but I would not like it to fail in the field under use.

    The end of the driver hammered on definitely takes a beating. I can see why they have a big nut welded on the end of the pogostickanchor drivers.

    Worked very well.

    Time to work on refinements.
    Those who sacrifice freedom for safety, have neither.

    Do not dig your grave with your teeth. (Unknown)

  4. #24
    MacEntyre's Avatar
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    Great idea using the second cotter pin through the washer!

    Could you put a trip line in the eye of the toggle cotter pin?

    - MacEntyre
    - MacEntyre
    "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
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  5. #25
    Senior Member TeeDee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacEntyre View Post
    ....

    Could you put a trip line in the eye of the toggle cotter pin?

    - MacEntyre
    Yes - that would be very easy to do. Pulling the cotter pin might depend on how it goes into the ground. As it hits the surface, it is pushed parallel with the ground. The trip wire would then have to pull it back to vertical and then up and out. Not too sure if that will be easy or hard. But once the toggle is pulled, pulling the guy line cord will be even easier with a considerably smaller chance or no chance of getting jammed.
    Those who sacrifice freedom for safety, have neither.

    Do not dig your grave with your teeth. (Unknown)

  6. #26
    Senior Member Pitch's Avatar
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    A light weight second tube with a stout end-cap could be slid over the SS driver tube. A large mass (rock) could be fastened to the end cap (some sort of built in tie-off system) and then be used as a slide-hammer / pile driver. The thin tube would guide the rock and prevent hand-smashing and remove the need for a heavy hammer in your pack (unless you already have a hatchet but not everyone keeps one of these for sure). This would, however, likely require a longer driver tube to accommodate the lost travel caused by the length of thinner pipe.

    I still can't picture your washer setup (honestly rushing about here ATM) do you have a picture by chance? Pictures of abrasion would be great too - trying to get a grip on the level of damage / re usability of the line.

    Sounds like progress to me!

    -Xex

  7. #27
    MacEntyre's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TeeDee View Post
    Pulling the cotter pin might depend on how it goes into the ground.
    Of course, and pulling the cotter pin has to trip the washer a bit while underground. The closer the eye of the cotter pin is to the outside edge of the washer, the better.

    However, I can't imagine that the trip line is securely anchored... it has to come out, if there is no load on the main dyneema cord.

    - MacEntyre
    "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
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  8. #28
    Senior Member TeeDee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by XexorZ View Post
    A light weight second tube with a stout end-cap could be slid over the SS driver tube. A large mass (rock) could be fastened to the end cap (some sort of built in tie-off system) and then be used as a slide-hammer / pile driver. The thin tube would guide the rock and prevent hand-smashing and remove the need for a heavy hammer in your pack (unless you already have a hatchet but not everyone keeps one of these for sure). This would, however, likely require a longer driver tube to accommodate the lost travel caused by the length of thinner pipe.
    Yes - like setting iron posts.

    I'm researching 3/8" OD steel rods/tubes. Either 3/8" OD or 1/2" OD, I haven't decided on that yet. Looking at rods and tubes of 4130 steel, the rods are 1/5 the cost of the tubing. I'll probably use 1/2" 4130 rod to experiment and see if the weight is usable.

    The 1/4" OD S.S. tube is definitely showing wear. The sides of the slotted end were bent on the last use. The washer was forced to the side slightly and bent one side of the slot of the driver. It could be bent back into shape quite easily, but I don't like how easily they were bent. The bending could have been much worse and rendered the driver inoperative.

    I'm hoping that 3/8" or 1/2" would be much stronger without being too much heavier.

    Quote Originally Posted by XexorZ View Post
    I still can't picture your washer setup (honestly rushing about here ATM) do you have a picture by chance? Pictures of abrasion would be great too - trying to get a grip on the level of damage / re usability of the line.

    Sounds like progress to me!

    -Xex
    Scanner pictures.

    Heres the abraded cord. The abrasion isn't real bad, but it is there. This was the only abrasion on the cord.


    Here's the cord inserted in the washer with the cotter pin toggle. The cord is doubled and doubled again and the last doubling inserted through the washer. There are 3 loops on the ends - 2 eye splices and the doubled cord is the 3rd loop:



    Here with the second cotter pin inserted through the center of the washer:


    And here with the dead man assembly inserted in the driver slot and the second cotter pin resting in the notch at the end of the driver:


    So far I've been using 3/16"x1 1/4" fender washers. I cut the slot long enough for 2" fender washers. The 2" fender washer more than doubles the holding area of the 1.25" washer. That would be useful in soft soil or packed sand. By cutting the slot long enough to handle the largest diameter washer I may need, I can handle various soils with the same driver, just use different washers. The cotter pins and cording would stay the same.
    Those who sacrifice freedom for safety, have neither.

    Do not dig your grave with your teeth. (Unknown)

  9. #29
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
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    My guess is that the damage to the cord is occuring as a result of being pinched between the driver and the fender washer when the driver is being hammered on.

    The pics could be decieving, though.

    I'm wondering what will happen in loose soils when the deadman is loaded at an angle. It may be necessary to put a stick or rock under the line to keep it from entrenching itself.
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

  10. #30
    Senior Member TeeDee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacEntyre View Post
    Of course, and pulling the cotter pin has to trip the washer a bit while underground. The closer the eye of the cotter pin is to the outside edge of the washer, the better.

    However, I can't imagine that the trip line is securely anchored... it has to come out, if there is no load on the main dyneema cord.

    Okay tried the trip wire.

    It didn't work too good. Realized as I was trying to pull the trip wire that the toggle doesn't pull straight out.

    With the washer set, the washer and cotter pin toggle are now parallel to the ground surface. Thus in trying to pull the trip wire and hence the toggle, I am trying to pull perpendicular to the toggle and washer orientation. This is trying to pull the dead man out of the ground.

    Here is a quick schematic:


    The toggle pin could be made longer, but not too sure that would really help since there is no guarantee that it would end up with the eye of the cotter pin oriented past the edge of the washer. As you drive the dead man assembly, things get moved about.

    So tension on the guy line cord isn't really the biggest factor keeping the toggle from being pulled.
    Those who sacrifice freedom for safety, have neither.

    Do not dig your grave with your teeth. (Unknown)

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