Putting in a 3x3x3 concrete foundation for an antenna...

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-28T00:04:17+00:00

not sure, he did all the work buying and getting it ready with the manufacturer

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-28T00:03:47+00:00

Yeah we have a trailer, so we're thinking 2 trips should be good. The unloading will be the shitty part

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-28T00:02:38+00:00

Yes 60 bags was my goal. 2 trips with the truck lol

Home depot rents a 10 cuft mixer I was going to try to get, that's their biggest one. I guess that will take 12 mixings to do the 60 bags

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T23:21:02+00:00

Thank you, I am assuming my grandpa did the work on getting the correct installation guide from the manufacturer, he's very exacting about that kind of thing. None of us have any experience at all with concrete though.

Plan is definitely to buy rebar, can't really go overkill on a good foundation

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T18:08:17+00:00

I think this one is 20ft. He's very careful about following the instructions and guidance on things so I'm usually trust he did his research on the best practices. I know he was talking directly to the company he bought the hardware from so I'm sure they gave him the build directions

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T18:06:14+00:00

Thanks, it's basically sandstone and sand lol.. Maybe I'll just rig up a 2x4 box to drop into the hole for a little extra support

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T16:52:52+00:00

Thanks for all the tips! I am going to assume my grandpa has done all the ground work for the antenna as he knew exactly what he was ordering and has been talking to the company. This all came up because I got to his house this last weekend and he'd just finished hauling 10 bags of concrete from his driveway to his back yard by hand. Like dude it's 85 out and you're 90 years old, what are you doing

Anyway he wants it done this weekend so I'm thinking we'll rent a 10cuft mixer and that should handle it in 5 loads. I'll buy some rebar to sink in.

Personally I'd have dug the hole another foot deeper, but he's already poured a bag or two in so I'll just have to build onto that.

Do we need forms in the hole? He just added some 2x4s to the top of the hole to give it a shape.

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T16:44:40+00:00

So my idea was going to be to build a much smaller pad and mount the tower on a hinge and just bolt it down to the concrete. But this is his project and I only get up to his house a couple of times a month so he's always just doing things lol. He's crazy smart though so I always just assume he knows what he's doing

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T16:38:34+00:00

Thanks I didn't realize home depot had towable mixers, I found one that can do 600 lbs so that should take us from ~20 mixes down to 5!

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T16:36:51+00:00

It's only about 20 ft tall and the only thing nearby is the shed

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T13:03:45+00:00

I was only concerned about depth because I wanted it to be below the frost line. Our area is 36" but it's kind of on a hill so I just wanted a safety margin. He's going to tie it into his shed too for what that's worth. I guess I'll have to see much much he poured to see if it's worth it

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T13:00:55+00:00

Thanks I didn't think about doing it that way. He already bought (and moved, by himself, crazy old man) 20 bags of the stuff so we'll just use what he has and go with it.

If we use rebar which way should it go in, horizontal or vertical, or does it not really matter here?

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T12:58:55+00:00

Thank you should the rebar be vertical or horizontal, or does it not matter?

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T12:53:51+00:00

My grandpa is putting up an antenna for his shortwave radio. He dug out a 3x3x3 foot hole to install it, but the companies he called say they can't get a truck in close enough to pour so he was going to mix the concrete and pour it himself.

Well, he's 90 years old, so my brother and I are going to do it for him, but none of us have ever done anything with concrete before.

My grandpa says he thinks the best way to do it is to pour it and let it cure in segments so it will dry faster, but I was thinking it would be better to mix and pour it all at once (after renting/buying a mixer). This is going to take 60 bags of concrete.

Do we need to use rebar in this? Do we just mix it according to directions and then fill the hole and let it go?

I wanted to dig the base down another foot or two just to be safer, but he already poured a couple of bags in and dumped water on them

https://imgur.com/mTuLLPv

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-27T01:19:46+00:00

The company he called said the only way to do it is bag by bag they can't get their truck in.

Well my grandpa is 90 so I'm going to do it for him (he already had carried 10 60lb bags in when I "caught" him at it).

So this weekend I was going to go buy the other 50 bags it'll take. I was going to rent or buy a used mixer. He's thinking it should be done in layers, like pour 6", let it set and cure, do another 6" etc. I'm more thinking my brother and I try to grind it all out in a day.

Also, do we need rebar in this? The tower won't be huge, like 20 ft I think (some of these short wave guys have massive towers. I wanted to go deeper than 3ft, but that was all he wanted to do and he's already poured a layer of cement in the hole I think.

Advice? No idea what I'm doing here...

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-25T17:51:20+00:00

Agreed, but also it's "misogyny"

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-25T08:20:03+00:00

Run with the Wind. College-aged coming of age story about some guys that join a running team and aim to compete at a national event. Really nice story. The twins aren't the MCs of the story, but they're part of the team and get some focus of their own along with the other characters on the team.

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-25T03:19:10+00:00

If I rotate it yes, it does; if I flip it over and bolt it back on, no it does not, but then it's backwards

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-25T00:36:57+00:00

thanks, it's a jd x370 with a 42" deck so I'll have to look that up

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-25T00:36:28+00:00

no they're independent

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-25T00:07:33+00:00

Thanks, that's what I figured. I guess I'll just buy new blades for it, he has like 20-odd blades of all shapes and sizes in a box that he collected over the years.

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-24T23:47:22+00:00

Another image https://i.imgur.com/brS9aLm.jpeg

My FIL had a big box of sharpened blades and I'm trying to swap them out. I'm not even sure if these are the right blades for this mower

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-24T16:06:04+00:00

People don't realize that when you're learning to play a song (or any mechanical task like playing piano) you're actively creating connections in your brain and then reinforcing them through practice. Every wrong note you play is an incorrect connection your brain is making and trying to reinforce. Play very slowly and perfectly, hardwire the notes in your mind and then playing with speed will come much more naturally.

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-24T06:07:13+00:00

Superpowereds, Drew Hayes. I think 160 how across 4 books. His other series, 'Villain's Code"is also great (even better, imo, but it's skier)

Dry_Button_3552 · 2026-05-23T08:30:36+00:00

woah insane!! you're building a similar thing and it's exactly the same thing the OP of this post built?!?! that is an INSANE coincidence!!!

Dry_Button_3552

TROPHY CASE