RichardAllen Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Has anyone had a go with the ground anchor Faltdog have for £50 or so ? It looks similar to the ex-army ones but scaled down. Afer all I only want to recover a Landy, not a Challenger, so maybe it would do. I only have in mind rairly mild laning, not winching trials or anything. Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I have a feeling the Army ones are the size they are for a reason! I'm not that convinced a mini one is going to give you enough traction in all circumstances. The Army ones work well so long as you've got lots of super-fit people to help. I tried using one and was exhausted by the time I'd hammered half the pins in! Getting them out again was not easy either. The advantage they have is the ability to work in more ground conditions than spade type anchors - but it does come at a cost. After that, I made my own! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treebloke Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 After that, I made my own! Si And they do work rather well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialbikejames Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 The MOD one is too large for and expo truck though, and so are the non folding competition ones. That only leaves the folding versions like the kitty gripper. so Richard, go and get one. When you've used it report back! Because I'm having the same thoughts as you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 The MOD one is too large for and expo truck though, Not with clever storage. I have a system made up as per attached pics which stores it under the floor in the back, you can get the pins out even with a full vehicle and the tube doesn't need to live where it is in the photo but it isn't hard to get at. Of course you also need to carry a 7lb sledgehammer to knock the pins in (and out) with If this is the Flatdog anchor referred to http://www.flatdoguk...ound-anchor~750 I think it would be OK with fairly hard ground and may well be fine with your typical greenlane conditions over there. However, look at the photo below of my anchor pulling out and note how it fails The end opposite the hook pulls up out of the ground and then the pins pull out. I haven't used any of the flat plate ones, but have a lot of experience using the MOD anchor in all types of soil from bottomless peat to hard soil and clay. The tube design prevents the pins from twisting in the anchor body, so they always stay vertical, and my bet with any plate type anchor would be that the pins would pull through the soil a bit and then twist and pull out. I also have one of HfH's Kittygrippers. Neither anchor is perfect (though my KG also has some cosmetic blemishes ) but in soft ground the Milemarker can and has pulled them both out chained together, so nothing is perfect and I carry both of them most of the time. Either works well in harder soils, neither works particularly well in soft soils, which is not a great surprise. The KG takes up a lot more space in the vehicle than the tube, though I used to carry it on the roof rack of the 90, but I don't have a rack on the 110. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialbikejames Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 In a greenlane situation you may only need a little tug to get free, so although the anchor may not be perfect it may offer just enough purchase to pull yourself free? Like anything else, this is a compromise situation, carry a small and less good anchor or a massive better one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirocco Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Kitty gripper has proved its worth twice now. cost me £100 2nd hand, takes less than 5min to put together and packs reasonably small. I would also rate a PRT if you can get one cheap enough. If its too big or too heavy you just wont use it or carry it. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Kitty gripper has proved its worth twice now. cost me £100 2nd hand, takes less than 5min to put together and packs reasonably small. I would also rate a PRT if you can get one cheap enough. If its too big or too heavy you just wont use it or carry it. G G, I just Goggled kitty gripper and came up with this: Only one question, where do you attach the winch rope? Jason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 One thing I did try was carrying a square plate, only about 25cm square with an eye welded about 8cm from one edge. You dig a narrow slot in the ground and feed the plate in vertically with the eye at the bottom. Cut another slot in the ground for the cable & hook then pull. If you get the eye in the right place, it will try to bury itself, much like a traditional ground anchor. It's modelled on what is known as a 'dead mans handle' or dead mans anchor used in climbing, but also on the idea of burying your spare tyre as an anchor. It didn't work anywhere near as well as a proper ground anchor, but showed promise for light pulls. Under my bench I have the blade from an X-Anchor that I keep meaning to make something similar out of - just to try! It, at least stands a chance of burying itself. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I've just had an idea! 2 hours later, I've tried it - and it didn't work! The idea was just the anchor blade with an adjustable bridle made out of steel cable. The bridle had two attachment points for the winch hook. My intention was that you would use one to bury the anchor and the other to winch against. With a normal anchor, the blade is more vertical as its digging, then, as it buries itself, the angle becomes more shallow. I could get it to work by hammering it into the ground to start off, then making a series of fine adjustments to the bridle as it got deeper - but it wasn't a very user-friendly process! The garden now has a few new 'landscaping features' Shhh -don't tell Sarah! I'll blame em on the local Foxes! Need to have a think before I try again I think! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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