Ground Anchors
An anchor is an anchor is an anchor – right? Wrong. Whilst there are many memorial anchoring systems on the market, we think that our systems are a little bit different and offer the mason a little bit more in terms of ease of us and flexibility.
Our standard Peg and Tube system differs from other “NAMM bar” type systems by virtue of it being a two-part system. The first part is an anchoring tube which is driven down through the foundation. A separate peg is inserted into the tube and the memorial dropped over the peg. The advantage of this over other “NAMM bar” type systems?
Well, to start off with, if the memorial has to be subsequently for further work there is nothing left sticking out of the ground to create a trip hazard. Simply remove the peg from the tube and take it away with you. Safe, one-man fixing of the memorial is possible without the need for any additional non-standard equipment. Fix the base onto the foundation flag in the normal manner and drop the peg into the anchoring tube through the “NAMM hole” in the memorial base – no awkward lifts and no trapped fingers. A variety of peg sizes and diameters are available to fit the different common “NAMM hole” sizes – with it becoming increasingly common for memorials to come in from the Far East pre-drilled and no common hole standard, buying memorials from different wholesalers can result in the need to use different fixing systems to ensure conformity to the NAMM code.
And that’s just for starters. more...
In our own memorial business, we prefer to use the LockDown system whenever we can. The LockDown system uses the anchoring tube from our Peg and Tube system to the stabilise the foundation flag. A stainless steel sleeve that fits into a flower container hole in the memorial base is then bolted down to the foundation flag to secure the memorial to the foundation. Alternatively, when fixing on a concrete strip foundation the sleeve is bolted direct to the foundation using an expansion bolt; there is no need for a stabilising tube.
Using the LockDown system enables us to fix memorials in all weather conditions safe in the knowledge that our memorials are securely fixed and able to fully withstand the burial authority’s pull test requirements immediately we leave them. We also have added advantage that when the headstone needs to be removed for additional inscriptions, etc. it can be quickly unbolted, removed and replaced using the same components and without any fear of damage to the stone. Using a LockDown may cost slightly more to start with but as far as we are concerned over time it more than pays for itself. more...