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3 piece grounding rods

155mm

Chief and Indian
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,178
389
83
Location
Guymon, OK
Shipping on 4 was $14, now I dont have to steal the grounding rod from the tanker when the Jenny's go somewhere else. Thanks for posting the good deal.
 

NormB

Well-known member
1,220
72
48
Location
Cloverly,MD
I bought a couple last time they had them on sale - months ago.

If you‘re looking for a permanent ground rod for your generator at home (or ham radio tower), a ground rod from the big box stores runs about ten bucks, a piece of 10 foot conduit about the same, and a garden hose fitting around five.

I made one of these about five years ago and have used it five times (also have an electric fence to keep the dogs out of my grape vines) in Maryland‘s alluvial deposit soil - hard packed clay mixed with some sand and YUGE rocks. Bores holes like butter.

Here‘s a link showing a guy using one. I hope it works, the IT guys on my job block youtube. If the water pressure is high enough (and you modify the tip by brazing a small piece of pipe across the outlet - that‘s shown in other videos) it takes about a minute to drill a hole:

https://youtu.be/m1vfEwb97VE
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,829
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MA
Glad to help all. I put a new OTA tv antenna up earlier this year, and I've been meaning to run a separate ground for it (and probably tie my metal woodstove chimney in at the same time).
 

Chainbreaker

Well-known member
1,796
1,992
113
Location
Oregon
Very timely tip LITD! I was testing one of my gensets yesterday as a SDS setup and had to drive a ground rod and found I was short on couplers and had one rod badly bent. So I just joined Sportsman's with a free 30 day trial and received a double discount using the special code offered. I bought 2 sets and it came to $43.57 with shipping! Great deal, mucho thanks!!!

Now if I could only find such a good deal on a slide hammer...
 
Last edited:

Bmxenbrett

Member
602
30
18
Location
NY
Are you guying buying these for the portability of them?
I 8ft ground rod at home depot is like $11 bucks.
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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These are way easier to install than a single 8' rod. They are steel too, so they will take a slam without deflecting.
 

Light in the Dark

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
3,829
5,944
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Location
MA
Very timely tip LITD! I was testing one of my gensets yesterday as a SDS setup and had to drive a ground rod and found I was short on couplers and had one rod badly bent. So I just joined Sportsman's with a free 30 day trial and received a double discount using the special code offered. I bought 2 sets and it came to $43.57 with shipping! Great deal, mucho thanks!!!

Now if I could only find such a good deal on a slide hammer...
I've got a hammer available. Reach out if you are interested.
 

Chainbreaker

Well-known member
1,796
1,992
113
Location
Oregon
I've got a hammer available. Reach out if you are interested.
Thanks for the offer LITD. However, yesterday a nice SS member knew of 2 NOS hammers with fittings on an auction site and alerted me, so I bought one of them. Now I'll be fully completed, ground wise, to reconfigure as a SDS system with new ground rods as needed to disconnect from house and do load testing with my newly acquired Comfort Zone 240V shop heater.
 

joel

Member
80
9
8
Location
sioux falls,sd
I've put in a lot of ground rods using a sledgehammer, ground rod pounder(that's what we called them, a thick,heavy pipe with handles welded to it)and an air-powered hammer made for the task.
 

Chainbreaker

Well-known member
1,796
1,992
113
Location
Oregon
Yep, all those methods work for driving a ground rod. The trick is removing them later if needed. With the 3 military sets sections and the slide hammer down on a rod section and the heavy duty spacer bolted on top you can pound em back out fairly easily.
 

Daybreak

2 Star Admiral
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,522
771
113
Location
Va
Howdy,
Funny you should talk about ground rods.

I just installed 14 ground rods here. Electric wire fence. 5/8 galvanized 8ft, t-post pounder to start, and then a Milwaukee jack hammer with ground rod driver bit.
 

Triton

Active member
240
81
28
Location
Houston, Texas
An electrician friend of mine said he could drive one in by hand within 5 inches sticking out of the ground, I told him if he could I would kiss his a#$ in the middle of the street. He took a big gulp cup full of water and did just what he said, luckly I didm't have to pay up!
 
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