pollenface
Solar Addict
Don't know. I was just giving my thoughts.
solar pergola on pavement, only weighted down
- Thread starter CableGuy
- Start date
Depends on if you are talking about rolling it along or if the sail dragged it with brakes applied. A couple of guys can push a fairly heavy car or small truck (You see those strongman exhibitions where a big burly guy pulls a semi). I can push and pull a 1-ton pallet load around on my shops floor with a pallet jack. However lifting it is a bit more difficult for me now that I am old and feeble.
Q-Dog
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You are right, it rolled a couple of feet before we noticed. It was a stake bed parked in the grass, so at least a 1 ton truck. No idea if the brakes were set, but it must at least have been in park. We often tied rags off to whatever trucks were handy when they weren't working so we wouldn't have to take them down until we were sure they were no longer needed for the day.
i do not own the pavement and have to leave everything as i found it. once holes are in the pavement, water get's under, and frost heaves will ruin it. A big part of this design is the ability to dismantle in several years. if this was staying long term, it would be deep concrete tubes in the ground and done but it is not on the table right now.
making wood forms for oversized concrete blocks on top of the pavement was my first thought, but when it's time to dismantle this later, the project is more involved getting rid of the giant blocks. restacking cinderblocks onto pallets later is clean and simple. giving the cinderblocks away for free on craigslist would be cheaper and easier than borrowing a bobcat and paying for a dumpster full of concrete waste.
thank you for the input on weight. it sound like i am halfway there to compare to your setup designed for 110mph. and yes, i have since realized i can bolt the panels to superstrut, thank you!
what is a 20x20 "rag"?
Q-Dog
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It is a 20 foot by 20 foot piece of fabric mounted to a frame and used to control light ... could be silk or muslin or net, or any of a number of different fabrics.
I know here in So Cal we have many businesses that specialize in water storage tanks. and water weight is about 8 pounds per gallon. So just like a patio umbrella, water storage tanks can be used as ballast in places where ground penetration is not practical. Even on craigslist there are many persons selling the used liquid transport containers that can be filled and easily drained.
I do understand your issue though.
zanydroid
Solar Wizard
That would affect the diffusion. They would need solar panels with variable translucency.
Maybe on the black flags for 100% blocking flexible solar panels would work.
Not a bad idea. IBC totes typically hold 275 gallons. That’s 2200lbs each plus the 120lb tote.
One at each corner is nearly 5 tons, and can be moved with forks when needed
Please update this thread when it blows over.
I would think you can mount hurricane ties to the post bottoms, and use 12" lags drilled into the pavement, then fill in the holes when you take it down.
About 10 years ago I was able to get these for about $35 each when I was doing erosion control. No idea what they may cost in your area nowadays.
They were delivered with a crane truck that lifts them off by the center cable loop. My backhoe could take them from there but it was a good grunt for the old girl (Ford 655).
Lots of weight, nicely distributed and easy to remove when no longer useful. Lawn and garden places use these to build pens for mulch etc. and may want to buy and remove them when you’re done.
Concrete Bin Block | 48 Barriers
2'x2'x6' Concrete Bin Blocks are a generic term to describe interlocking, stackable concrete blocks.
48barriers.com
They were delivered with a crane truck that lifts them off by the center cable loop. My backhoe could take them from there but it was a good grunt for the old girl (Ford 655).
Lots of weight, nicely distributed and easy to remove when no longer useful. Lawn and garden places use these to build pens for mulch etc. and may want to buy and remove them when you’re done.
Bluedog225
Texas
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2019
- Messages
- 2,965
So many guesses. Just run the numbers and secure appropriately.
First: In my experience with concrete slabs, they are about 4-6 inches think and may have steel rebar in them. Simpson makes a specific concrete bolt product that you first drill out the hole in the concrete say using an SDS hammer drill, then vacuum out the dust, then bolt the post holder to the slab. The Simpson bolts have special threads to bite into the concrete. You will need a ratchet to turn them or good wrench. I think they also make some bolts where you fill the hole with epoxy too.
If you go this method, drill the concrete hole, determine the thickness of the slab, by a both that doesn't go through the bottom of the slab.
Second: If you want to anchor something down on concrete, you can purchase rebar with a hooked end or bend the hook end yourself. Drill a hole through the slab. Pound the rebar into the ground through your ballast item (drill a hole in the wood, concrete, etc and into the hole, penetrate the ground about 12-24 inches depending on your soil. Pound down the rebar.
I have done this with 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 wooden posts, etc. Believe me, they are not going anywhere when pinned into the ground with a big rebar stake driven through them.
It's not going to blow over, and I have mentioned: at least 4 times pentrating the pavement is not part of the solution.
Great suggestion, thank you. I have a few people I can ask, I see these types of things around and wish I had thought of that sooner.About 10 years ago I was able to get these for about $35 each when I was doing erosion control. No idea what they may cost in your area nowadays.
Concrete Bin Block | 48 Barriers
2'x2'x6' Concrete Bin Blocks are a generic term to describe interlocking, stackable concrete blocks.48barriers.com
They were delivered with a crane truck that lifts them off by the center cable loop. My backhoe could take them from there but it was a good grunt for the old girl (Ford 655).
Lots of weight, nicely distributed and easy to remove when no longer useful. Lawn and garden places use these to build pens for mulch etc. and may want to buy and remove them when you’re done.
I was originally thinking concrete jersey barriers, then the plastic kind, but unsure what happens when the water freezes.
For what it's worth, it's naive for anyone to suggest that all ground penetrating solutions are better than any weighted solution. I am quite sure there's plenty of setups with a false sense of security because part of it goes into the ground, as if there's no variation to what the soil actually is, risk of saturation, erosion, etc.
