How To: Ground Anchor Install
#1
How To: Ground Anchor Install
Ground Anchor Install
Decided I liked the idea of a flush in ground floor anchor (similar to Y anchor - the Ultimate Motorcycle Security Ground Anchor) but didn't want to deal with that price tag. After a few suggestions from others here on the forum I decided to make my own in my garage floor (note, I did this 2 years ago, so I may list some stuff wrong).
Started by going to a muffler shop around the corner from my house with my OnGuard chain I wanted to fit through it, and tested it through some pipes and landed on the 2.5" diameter since I thought it would still fit through even after slightly crimped by the bending.
Decided on how deep I felt like digging and chopped off the ends to make it flush with the ground
Not the straightest line ever, but I was able to level it out when suspending it in the quikrete.
Ground down the edges (safety first!).
Marked off where I wanted it and started drilling an outline. I was cheap and bought crappy Harbor Freight drill bits, but they worked.
Circular saw helped speed it up a bit, but this was a long slow process every evening after work.
Cut down some, then drilling hammer & cold chisel. Repeat.
Broke through finally! I think it was about 4"-6" thick before the gravel. Had to cut through the metal lattice structural mesh.
Good fit.
16"
by 3.5"
by 12".
Rig for suspending while quikrete set.
Stuffed a bit of newspaper in the ends and filled with some extra GreatStuff foam I had to keep the quikrete out.
Decided to use bonding cement on all the concrete surfaces. May not have been necessary but it's not like it increased the cost much at all.
Put rebar through the base at some point for extra paranoid strength (hopefully), but for some reason I don't have pictures of it. I did drill a hole straight through the pipe so that any collected water/moisture coudl drain straight through. Covered the top hole with duct tape.
Filled it up.
Kept it covered.
Finished product. Chain took a little bit of coaxing to get through, but wasn't an issue.
General cost breakdown.
Final thoughts. Honestly, this wasn't necessary at all. I traveled a lot for work at the time (gone for 1+ month at a time) and I wanted to convince myself my bike was safe the entire time even though it was in a good neighborhood inside my locked garage. If someone wanted the bike, they could still steal it (spend time cutting chain, remove rear tire, etc). I also know that since the chain rests on the ground, it just gives the thief more leverage to cut it against.
I had initally wanted to come up with some clever caps I could put on each hole when my bike wasn't there, but it never happened, and since I locked it there 90% of the time I never needed it. Plus, being flush with the ground, I never had an issue driving a vehicle over it since I set the tip a hair under the level of the concrete.
If you're paranoid, try it. It could deter someone, otherwise I think you can spend your time better.
Link to full album with lots of pointless pictures: Ground Anchor Photos by sluijs01 | Photobucket
Decided I liked the idea of a flush in ground floor anchor (similar to Y anchor - the Ultimate Motorcycle Security Ground Anchor) but didn't want to deal with that price tag. After a few suggestions from others here on the forum I decided to make my own in my garage floor (note, I did this 2 years ago, so I may list some stuff wrong).
Started by going to a muffler shop around the corner from my house with my OnGuard chain I wanted to fit through it, and tested it through some pipes and landed on the 2.5" diameter since I thought it would still fit through even after slightly crimped by the bending.
Decided on how deep I felt like digging and chopped off the ends to make it flush with the ground
Not the straightest line ever, but I was able to level it out when suspending it in the quikrete.
Ground down the edges (safety first!).
Marked off where I wanted it and started drilling an outline. I was cheap and bought crappy Harbor Freight drill bits, but they worked.
Circular saw helped speed it up a bit, but this was a long slow process every evening after work.
Cut down some, then drilling hammer & cold chisel. Repeat.
Broke through finally! I think it was about 4"-6" thick before the gravel. Had to cut through the metal lattice structural mesh.
Good fit.
16"
by 3.5"
by 12".
Rig for suspending while quikrete set.
Stuffed a bit of newspaper in the ends and filled with some extra GreatStuff foam I had to keep the quikrete out.
Decided to use bonding cement on all the concrete surfaces. May not have been necessary but it's not like it increased the cost much at all.
Put rebar through the base at some point for extra paranoid strength (hopefully), but for some reason I don't have pictures of it. I did drill a hole straight through the pipe so that any collected water/moisture coudl drain straight through. Covered the top hole with duct tape.
Filled it up.
Kept it covered.
Finished product. Chain took a little bit of coaxing to get through, but wasn't an issue.
General cost breakdown.
Final thoughts. Honestly, this wasn't necessary at all. I traveled a lot for work at the time (gone for 1+ month at a time) and I wanted to convince myself my bike was safe the entire time even though it was in a good neighborhood inside my locked garage. If someone wanted the bike, they could still steal it (spend time cutting chain, remove rear tire, etc). I also know that since the chain rests on the ground, it just gives the thief more leverage to cut it against.
I had initally wanted to come up with some clever caps I could put on each hole when my bike wasn't there, but it never happened, and since I locked it there 90% of the time I never needed it. Plus, being flush with the ground, I never had an issue driving a vehicle over it since I set the tip a hair under the level of the concrete.
If you're paranoid, try it. It could deter someone, otherwise I think you can spend your time better.
Link to full album with lots of pointless pictures: Ground Anchor Photos by sluijs01 | Photobucket
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