Yeah, I used it too. That tip was absolutely full of win. I'm not even going to bother rewelding my rebar puller back together now.
On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 5:04 PM, Steve Upstill <[email protected]> wrote: > I hate all-caps, but I have to shout: THIS WAS THE MOST AWESOMEST TIP I'VE > SEEN ON THIS GROUP, BY A MILE!!! For the last two years we've had a > major shade structure and the worst, most dreaded task was getting the rebar > out of the ground during breakdown. This year I pulled out my six yurt > stakes in five minutes (including learning time) then handed the technique > off to my dumbstruck campmates, and the rest of the stakes (serious stakes, > too) were gone while I wasn't even paying attention. > > Thank you, thank you, thank you Chris, for this life-changing tip. Human > bodies can be a wonderful thing. > > Cheers, > Steve > > On Aug 2, 2010, at 9:16 AM, Chris Phoenix wrote: > > > I'm not kidding - it really is easy, not just "easier." You can pull > > an 18" stake in one minute flat, without bending the stake, with no > > hammer, no vice grips, no rebar puller, just a nylon strap. Just tie a > > knot, adjust the strap, squat, and stand. > > > > The last couple of years I've gone around on the last day pulling > > dozens of stakes just to show people how to do this. I can pull 100 > > stakes in a day and not even get tired. > > > > Get a loading strap or other reasonably wide nylon webbing. It should > > be about 5 feet long. > > > > Tie one end of the webbing to the stake. A lark's head knot works > > well. You want the knot to be self-tightening so the webbing doesn't > > slip on the rebar. > > > > Stand over the stake. Wrap the webbing from the stake, around your > > thigh, around your butt (not your hips - the padded part of your butt > > - you'll get a better pull) and grab the free end. So the webbing > > would go from the stake, to the inside of your right upper leg, around > > the front of your right leg to the outside, around behind your butt > > from right to left, and the free end is held in your left hand. > > > > Squat down about a foot, and pull on the free end to tighten the > > webbing. Shuffle around until the webbing is EXACTLY in line with the > > stake. A couple inches off, a very slight angle, makes a huge > > difference. If the stake is in the ground at an angle, the webbing > > should be at the same angle. > > > > Stand up. The stake will come with you. > > > > If it's not all the way out, squat again, pull the webbing tight > > again, and stand up again. > > > > One place I went to, they had a 30 foot dome that they'd held down > > with 3 foot 1/4" rebar. The rebar had twisted in the ground as they > > pounded it in. A team of three people were trying to get it out with > > power tools. One other guy and I used the strap, and vice grips to > > twist... we pulled five of those twisted 3 foot rebars in about 5 > > minutes each, before the power-tool team could pull one. > > > > If you use those big smooth construction stakes, the strap may slip; > > stick a nail through one of the holes to hold it on. > > > > If the rebar is bent over or eye'd at the top, attach the webbing to > > the shaft of the rebar, not the bent part. Even that much of an angle > > off-center makes a difference. If you get the strap lined up right, > > you'll barely feel it as you stand up; the rebar will just simply come > > out. > > > > Chris > > > > -- > > Chris Phoenix > > [email protected] > > 650-776-5195 > > > > Founder, http://OnePercentGlobal.org > > Executive Coach > > Director of Research, Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, > http://CRNano.org > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<hexayurt%[email protected]> > . > > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > > > > -- > I can't imagine anything more pathetic than a 45 year-old man > getting on stage and singing "I Can't Get No Satisfaction.' > -- Mick Jagger, 1975 > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<hexayurt%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en.
