On 05/09/2018 17:11, Spike wrote:
On 04/09/2018 21:27, Roger Hayter wrote:
Gareth's Downstairs Computer
wrote:

Is there a trick, or kink, or wrinkle, for putting in
an earth stake with the knowledge that it will go all the way
down (3 feet) into the ground without hitting an obstacle
so leaving you with a problem stake that is only half way in
but held so firmly by the soil that you cannot get it out?

A 1 metre SDS masonry drill helps. To get the old one out a pipe wrench
can be useful, and possibly a slide hammer.

In the days when I was into putting in earth stakes, I developed a
routine that tended to avoid unfortunate happenings - learned the hard
way, of course. The idea was to take a 4' solid aluminium-alloy rod,
then turn a point at one end and drill and tap a thread at the other for
a screw terminal. The next requirement was for a pint or so of soapy
water and the most powerful mains-electric drill I could find, and then
secure the terminal end of the rod in the chuck. Locate the spot where
the earth stake was to go, and scoop a small 'funnel' out of the earth,
into which the soapy water was poured. The point of the rod was then
placed in the centre of the funnel, the drill started, and using only
minimal pressure and a fairly low drill speed, press the rod into the
ground. Sometimes the rod would go in to the right depth, and sometimes
it would hit a solid obstruction. In the latter case it was important to
keep the drill rotating while easing the rod back out of the soil and
then repeating the process close by until the desired result was obtained.



Thanks, muchly.

But needs to be a pretty big lathe to turn a 4 ft rod.