My 5m Megatree Fell Due to High Winds

[danj]

Even though I had my 5m megatree guy-wired in three places, it still fell down today when we had high winds in the area.  I came back from Church and found the 10' PVC section still nicely guy-wired but the 6.5' section coupled up to it was on the ground, as were all the strands.    I put some thru bolts thru the coupling and the 10' section & the 6.5' section to keep this from happening again.   I got the pole back up today and re-guy wired it, but I didn't have time to put all the strands back up and test everything--really terrible weather rolled through with hard horizontal rain and about a 25 degree temp drop!

I had the tree setup as a 180 tree--had 1 guy wire in the middle of the strands and 2 guy wires about 120 degrees away, on the other side of the tree--one set on 10' section and one set on the 6.5' section--but the 6.5' section still popped out of the coupling---didn't expect that to happen.   I will also use a turnbuckle & some wire rope to tie the 10' PVC section to the 6.5' PVC section and "sandwich" the coupling as another method of precluding this happening again.   And I am going to setup the strands in a 360 arrangement so they are not pulling on one side of the tree....

Figured I would share my negative experience with everyone here....

[arw01]

It is certainly a sinking feeling when you see your hard work laying tangled on the wet ground.  Hope all sets up well, maybe next year look at black iron pipe, with the through bolts as you did.

[tlh]

Hey, Dan. I hate to hear about your tree. Some of the gusts were substantial, indeed!  Best of luck getting it back operational.

[bpducman]

I know you pain, 2 years ago we had the meg tree set up in the back yard 2 weeks before our big show and was moving strands around from a 360 to 180 and a  lot of wind and over she came snapping the alum pole and everything down.  Now I am less than 180, I have 3 normal guide wires and then 1 main rear support and then a very much longer back up main support. The stakes for those supports are 2' in length. In the photos i just took you see the pole is bending this is because of the water weight from last night rain. When it dries the pole is straight. 24 strands normal weight is 168lb straight down and then when you pull them out and tighten them up the stress load is, well you would have to be a stress engineer to figure this one out. The base of the pole is in about 350lb of concrete. The big black thing is a lift that sits there for the whole season. I would suggest using wire to run thru your turn buckles because they will adjust themselves over time.

Take care
Brad

[jnealand]

I have had the same problem as Dan in the past.  Now I never make a tree that is in two sections except for my Monkman JUMP pole which is the best investment I ever made.  What a solid mega tree pole.
http://www.magicchristmas.org/

[danj]

I am going to look into maybe doing the Monkhouse jump pole....

[Gilrock]

My pixel tree uses 2" steel threaded pipe.  I don't even use guide wires even though I installed loops if I need them.  I dug a hole 2 feet deep and have a pipe set in permanent concrete.  Then I have several sections that thread onto that base.  I have a ring section and then a 6' section and then a long 10' section.  I have a winch with a crank for raising and lowering the strings.  If it gets too windy I just crank the strings down.

[danj]

good info--didn't realize some of the designs could be cranked up & down...
THANKS

[arw01]

My pixel tree uses 2" steel threaded pipe.  I don't even use guide wires even though I installed loops if I need them.  I dug a hole 2 feet deep and have a pipe set in permanent concrete.  Then I have several sections that thread onto that base.  I have a ring section and then a 6' section and then a long 10' section.  I have a winch with a crank for raising and lowering the strings.  If it gets too windy I just crank the strings down.

Photos please Gil, have to replace the "Mega Tree" next year and the wifey said NO FLAG POLE so need something I can put a pole into and out of each year..

[Gilrock]

My pixel tree uses 2" steel threaded pipe.  I don't even use guide wires even though I installed loops if I need them.  I dug a hole 2 feet deep and have a pipe set in permanent concrete.  Then I have several sections that thread onto that base.  I have a ring section and then a 6' section and then a long 10' section.  I have a winch with a crank for raising and lowering the strings.  If it gets too windy I just crank the strings down.

Photos please Gil, have to replace the "Mega Tree" next year and the wifey said NO FLAG POLE so need something I can put a pole into and out of each year..

I'll try next couple days.  At the end of the season it's nice cause I can take it down and then I have like a 18" pole sticking up from the concrete and I just screw a cap onto it.

[danj]

I don't understand the comment about using wire to run through my turnbuckles (?).   I use wire rope and I use the little 'V' shaped things that keep the wire rope from getting frayed where it goes through the turnbuckle's eye.  Are you saying some people use something other than wire rope?

THANKS for all the replies!!!

[danj]

Follow-on question....   I am going to convert to a 360 tree this year (may go back to 180 next year.....) so I don't have to even think about a net force trying to pull my two sections apart again.

My question--once I change my 5m megatree model from a 180 model to a 360 model, do I need to re-render and re-save every sequence so all contain the 360 model for this megatree?   Or do I only have to re-render when changing channel assignments and similar changes?
Thanks!!

[Gilrock]

Depends on whether the 360 tree has the exact same number of strings or not.  If you change the number of strings then that data has to come from somewhere.  You could use a controller to re-route duplicate data to multiple strings.  But yes FSEQ files don't change themselves you gotta render them.

[plaberge]

Hey Dan,

Sorry to hear about your tree. I almost lost my 5M megatree this weekend too due to a crazy storm that rolled in on the west coast. My center pole is 2" EMT in a permanent concrete base and held by guy wires. But the wind was so strong that it caught my Coroplast star and shock the pole enough to loosen the rebar that anchors the guy wires and crack the metal coupling that holds the two sections of the center pole together. It was all lopsided when I got up in the morning. I was able straighten it all out but will definitely be looking for a longer coupling and better anchors next year - may have to get one machined.

[danj]

Thank you...   I use the "augers" they sell at Home Depot for my in-ground anchoring devices.   They cork-screw into the ground about 6" deep and have worked quite well for me.   I'm glad your experience wasn't as "catastrophic" as mine.  Man my heart sunk when I saw half the tree on the ground....  :-(