Expedition Ground Anchor

[RichardAllen]

I am after a small, light, reliable ,occasional use, ground anchor for expedition purposes. I am not too bothered about deployment time, but I am bothered about being able to stow it easily/well and I am bothered about weight. I would rather do better than burying the spare tyre.

It would also be good to see it being used on youtube etc.

Apologies if this has already been covered; I have searched but not found what I have in mind. I did see than two americans drinking beer badly and getting some x-eng steelwork painted black.

Regards

Richard

[DefcoL]

The X-Eng ground anchor is very light and easily mounted on the front or roof.

Fold up ones tend to weigh a lot more and not as easy to handle.

[headhunter]

Here's an option - http://www.motortech4x4.co.nz/prt.php

PRT - Portable Rescue Tree.

Don't know who sells them in the UK nowdays.

John

[FridgeFreezer]

I'd vote for the X-eng one if you absolutely must have one, as it's nice and light, but I would question what sort of stuff you're expecting to be doing where you feel you need a ground anchor in an expedition truck

Edited to add: I've just had a great idea for a very lightweight and portable ground anchor... take a hippo bag. Filled with sand / mud / the contents of the back of your truck it will weigh a ton or more and put up with being winched from, yet folds flat and weighs very little.

Could probably double up as an impromptu tent, roofrack cover, parachute, etc. etc. too

[tychoS]

Here's an option - http://www.motortech4x4.co.nz/prt.php

PRT - Portable Rescue Tree.

Don't know who sells them in the UK nowdays.

John

I have one of those "PRT - Portable Rescue Tree". Very easy to stow away. Roughly the size of a large briefcase.

Haven't had it for very long so not yet enough experience using it to say how good it is in various types of soil/mud/sand/etc.

[RichardAllen]

I'd vote for the X-eng one if you absolutely must have one, as it's nice and light, but I would question what sort of stuff you're expecting to be doing where you feel you need a ground anchor in an expedition truck

Edited to add: I've just had a great idea for a very lightweight and portable ground anchor... take a hippo bag. Filled with sand / mud / the contents of the back of your truck it will weigh a ton or more and put up with being winched from, yet folds flat and weighs very little.

Could probably double up as an impromptu tent, roofrack cover, parachute, etc. etc. too

Regarding destinations: Scandinavia, Russia, Mongolia, North Africa, being prepared for on-road, off-roard all seasons (except Russian winter) taking 2 vehicles, so one should be able to help extract the other. However, it occurred to me that we might need an anchor at some point and someone might have come up with something clever, small and light, or maybe fab my own.

Richard

[GBMUD]

You will do well to find an anchor as light as the X-eng one that actually works. The X-eng one though can be an arse to store as it does not fold. On the bright side though, it could live outside as it is zinc plated.

Chris

[Godlykepower]

I did see the two americans drinking beer badly

Richard, I have very briefly thought of this, and just as quickly dismissed the idea. Not that I am best place to offer an opinion on these things, but every one I have ever seen looks bloody terrible lashed across the front of a truck. They all seem to be a bugger to stow due to the shape.

I asked myself where I would be travelling when I would most need one, and the best I could come up with trans-Sahara? Even then I expect to be with at least one other vehicle.

I am just going without one.

Martin

[q-rover]

Don't get into the situation where you need a ground anchor.

YOu should have turned back by then.

[Paul Humphreys]

Ex-army plate and pins. Not the quickest to set, but works all the time.

I have a PRT.

Paul

[Diff]

My opinion... I wouldn't bother with a winch, let alone a ground anchor.

Generally speaking, 2 vehicles, a shovel, a high lift jack, some suitable ropes and possibly some mats/waffles sandbags or whatever, plus some recovery knowledge and common sense is all that is required for most overland trips. The vehicle is your method of completing your journey, so you need to look after it. This usually means not putting it through winch challenge conditions. If you do have to deal with the occasional serious bogging, there is usually a method of recovery which will work, though it may involve a bit of physical effort. Willing helpers can often be found locally for a small price in extreme cases.

I have travelled the length and breadth of Africa including many crossings of the Algerian Sahara, some solo, crossed the Congo west to east, done UK to Cape town etc, and I have never taken or used a winch. Waste of money and weight capacity in my opinion, unless you are doing a deliberately no holds barred 'extreme' trip, are unfortunate enough to suffer from very poor driving skills, or a physical disability which might prevent you from doing the odd spot of digging (which is an important skill when it comes to the necessary long walk with the bog roll!).

Regards,

Diff

[disco2hse]

Here's an option - http://www.motortech4x4.co.nz/prt.php

PRT - Portable Rescue Tree.

Don't know who sells them in the UK nowdays.

John

Trialled one of these in sand for one of the local Department of Conservation rangers. Compared it with a fixed anchor and there was no difference between them, performance-wise. The advantage of having something that can be folded cannot be denied.

As an aside, I have a Sarca anchor that I keep as a spare on the boat. It can also be used as a ground anchor, which is what the design was originally created for. They are made by the same people. The Sarca construction is robust.

Alan

[mmgemini]

Well Margaret and myself must do it all wrong

There isn't even a winch fitted to my truck so no need for a ground anchor

There is only one truck when we go away, so we must take care and use common sense. Oh ! yes, we might also be days from a tar road or even a settlement.

[Paul Humphreys]

Alan & Mike, this is not having a go, but he did not ask if he should have a winch or not. The question was about a ground anchor. You can use a ground anchor with 3-4 snach blocks and a length of rope.

Paul

[widget]

You hear of overlanders who come back and report that if they were to go again they wouldn't take half the kit they took.

You say time isn't an issue; on that basis I'd take a good spade and dig a hole, sink the spare wheel and tyre and recover off that.

I did it years ago in my S3 in a peat bog, laning alone. I buried the spare, tirfored from it and got covered head to toe in muck. Great exercise and a war story to remember...but very effective.

[mmgemini]

Yes widget that's true. I do try to keep stuff down but what do you leave out for a six month trip.

This next trip I'll not be taking heavy sand mats. I've not ever used the seyt I have in three trips..I'll make do with some shade netting sewn into strips....

As for rhe winch. I hope I've never got to take the Hi-Lift off the front bumper and use it.

[RichardAllen]

My expedition experience so far is a little UK family camping and a fair bit of moderate laning ie nil.. However, as we build up our experience gradually over several years to a 12 month expedition, I am very keen to avoid hazards, getting stuck etc unless doing it on purpose for training. However, I do want to go some remote parts of Asia, may not always be able to pick the optimum season, will be taking children and want to be prepared.

I definitely go with the principle that everything we take must have more than one purpose, and on each vehicle we will have a pick, shovel, hi-lift (with some kind of baseplate probably fab'd steel) a winch and bridle/tow ropes etc. Since the initial post, I have wondered whether an effective ground anchor could be rigged up from these bits, especially if I made the hi-lift base with use as part of a ground anchor in mind.

As for weight, I don't mind some weight low down, and have a number of ideas for saving a great deal of roof-tent weight. My problem with the longbow or PRT is the space it takes up, and where you might stash it.

All ideas / consideration very welcome.

Regards

Richard

Does a Hippobag fold down really small ? And if it can hold a bath, could I fill it with water and use it as one ?

[mmgemini]

Richard

A Defender comes as standard with two jack bases....All they need is some half inch plywod bolting to them.

I do like the idea of a jack base as a ground anchor.

Storage is the biggest problem unless you have a 130.

Then weight. Frighten yourself and put your vehicle on a weighbridge before or after the trip. I'd like to bet it's over 3,050 kg if it's a Defender 110 SW.

I know what mine weighs.......

I've just noticed you have a 90. In that case you only have one jack base.

[Eightpot]

As has been mentioned by others, good idea to try and avoid getting yourself in a situation where you need a ground anchor in the first place - there will always be an alternative path to take, even if that means going backwards till you find another option.

You will find that you become naturally more cautious once you are driving a loaded up truck anyway, and will avoid things you'd have a crack at in an empty defender. They are heavy enough to push at the best of times

if you're travelling with another car, a good rope and a spade and sometimes a bit of lateral thinking will get you out of most situations. One Hi-Lift between two cars is ample as they are heavy buggers and are rarely used.

if you haven't done one yet, I'd spend some cash on a off-road driving course rather than kit, it really helps keep you out of trouble in the first place and helps avoid mechanical probs. I used Whitecliff(?) a few years ago who aren't too far from your neck of the woods? found them to be very good.

[RichardAllen]

Did Whitecliff for a whole day, one-on-one, a couple of years ago. Absolutely brilliant. I got a voucher for Xmas to do their recovery course, but no date yet set.

Has anyone else fab'd up an effective ground anchor from usual expedition bits and pices plus some sticky-back plastic ? (Maybe I should start another thread).

Regards

Richard

[Godlykepower]

I've just noticed you have a 90. In that case you only have one jack base.

Mike, that sounds a bit cryptic to those that dont follow expedition prep threads! Mike is talking about the battery box cover....stick some wood to the underside & you have a jack base & storage for it.

Although I dont understand the "only one" bit.....I have two in my 90.

[widget]

Although I dont understand the "only one" bit.....I have two in my 90.

Think it refers to side tank 90s which only have the one.

[FridgeFreezer]

Tis a good maxim though - everything has to have at least two uses or it shouldn't be there.

Instead of a winch, a cable puller or tirfor is not only smaller & lighter but can be used independently of the vehicle, and with a totally dead vehicle.

[Godlykepower]

Think it refers to side tank 90s which only have the one.

But how on earth do you use a fuel tank as a jacking base?! Maybe Mike thinks that 90's only have a removable cover over the battery box, and not over the drivers side too.

[outdoor_ian]

It is possible to use a Hi lift to winch very slowly if time isn't an issue. A few lengths of synthetic winch line with eyes spliced into either end and a couple of shackles. Allowing for multi uses. Hangs washing well and you wont need to use pegs either! Not exactly ground anchor I know but multi use and lateral thinking.