Concrete cable anchors... any tips?

[Jay870]

Our range is in an old road-gravel pit, and the range floor varies from sand so loose that it won't hold a stake, to compacted gravel so hard that you can't drive a stake into it.

I'm making up some concrete blocks with eye-bolts in them that we can use as cable anchors for activating movers. I was planning on just using some Quikrete or something similar poured into a form with the eye-bolt embedded.

It seems sometimes stuff cast from Quikrete seems very crumbly or brittle. Is there a particular type I should use for this type of application, or an additive I should put in?

[MichiganShootist]

Sounds like a sand pit. Ha! Ha! I've got to get up and see you guys this summer.

I'd use regular gravel mix concrete and put it in coffee cans up through 5 gallon bucket sized containers and leave it in there after it's hard. I have seen tires used too... then you can roll them where ever you want. Just put a piece of scrap plywood over the bottom hole until the concreet is set up.

[Scott R]

It seems sometimes stuff cast from Quikrete seems very crumbly or brittle. Is there a particular type I should use for this type of application, or an additive I should put in?

That is caused from the mix being too wet when poured or drying too fast. Try covering it with wet towels (not the pretty ones in the bathroom) so they will cure slowly.

[Jay870]

Thanks for the tips.

I had thought about just going the coffe can route but I found something I could use for a mold that would give it a nice flared base that I hope will be mroe resistant to tipping. I like that tire idea alot for bigger stuff.

If I want to try the wet towel trick how long should I let set up in the mold before popping out and wrapping it?

[MichiganShootist]

A couple follow up thoughts.

Many plastic buckets have the "flare" you were talking about..... and on the alternative of tires... check with a local John Deer or other retailer who might have "take off" tires from garden tractors etc. A full sized auto or truck tire full of concrete is a hell of a lot of weight to roll especially in the sand.

I have also seen boat anchors made out of concrete in gallon milk jugs and large plastic pop bottles.