Drilled Anchors (Concrete or Stone)
Drop-in eyebolt anchors are used on concrete or stone surfaces. These anchors measure 1" round and 3' long. We use a concrete drill and go down about 3 ¼". The shaft is tapped into the hole and set into the surface. A ¾" eyebolt is screwed into the anchor, which is what we use to hook the ropes or ratchet straps to. Once the tent is removed, we replace the eyebolt with a hex nut to protect and cover the hole. This anchor can be used over and over for future events.
Staking (Asphalt, Grass, Clay, Sandy Loam)
The proper method of securing tents is by staking the tent into the surface. Different style stakes are used for different type of surfaces. Marquee Tents uses 24"- 42" long 1" diameter double-headed steel stakes. This will penetrate asphalt, clay and sandy loam. We use a sledge hammer to drive the stakes into the surface by hand. The stakes are removed with a special device called a stake puller. When stakes are set in asphalt, the 1" diameter holes are filled in with a tar plug that completely repairs the holes and leaves the asphalt as good as new.
Securing with Barrels
When penetrating the surface to secure a tent is not an option, anchoring a tent to water barrels is an alternative. 55 gallon barrels are filled with water to create a 400lb. weight. This can be done on smaller tents if the tent is only installed for a short amount of time. It is not the most desired method for Central Texas weather.