Installing a control cable quickly...

[ayelvington]

I'm installing a BUD in my yard, and I used my tractor sub-soiler plow to stitch the cable below the grass. I welded 1-1/4" pipe onto the back of the plow to pull the cable behind the tractor. I tapered the trailing edge of the rigid sweep to minimize snagging, and to let the soil grab the cable. I also left enough turns on the sweep so that it could rotate from side to side on the coupling that was welded to the plow; the play in the sweep minimizes the stress on the weld...

I used my backhoe to cut two keyhole slots to let me set drop and lift the subsoiler in the soil without damaging the cable.

Our soil is VERY rocky, and the pull strained my tractor, but the finished installation left a very minimal scar that will probably not even be visible next spring. If you have the resources, I strongly recommend this method of putting in your direct burial cables...

 

[SatelliteAV]

I'm installing a BUD in my yard, and I used my tractor sub-soiler plow to stitch the cable below the grass. I welded 1-1/4" pipe onto the back of the plow to pull the cable behind the tractor. I tapered the trailing edge of the rigid sweep to minimize snagging, and to let the soil grab the cable. I also left enough turns on the sweep so that it could rotate from side to side on the coupling that was welded to the plow; the play in the sweep minimizes the stress on the weld...

<img src="http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=67847"/>I used my backhoe to cut two keyhole slots to let me set drop and lift the subsoiler in the soil without damaging the cable.

Our soil is VERY rocky, and the pull strained my tractor, but the finished installation left a very minimal scar that will probably not even be visible next spring. If you have the resources, I strongly recommend this method of putting in your direct burial cables...
<img src="http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=67848"/>

Great job! Thanks for sharing a great idea!

Ingenuity and having the right "Big Boy Toys" and tools for the job makes all the difference!

 

[Anole]

Very professional solution to an annoying problem.

Could you come by on Saturday.?. -

 

[Dishman Dan]

Great job! :up

I did something like that before but I did not think

of the "keyhole slot" idea.

Originally when I read your post I thought that the rocky

soil would pose a problem with a direct burial cable.

I do not think that the rocks are not much of a concern

because your method has minimal soil disturbance!

 

[ayelvington]

The trouble with the rocks is that some are large enough to stop the tractor in its tracks. You gently lift the rock with the subsoiler to move it out of the way and then lower the blade to keep moving. I should mention that the definition of a rock around here is anything over 9" on a side. I've pulled some out of our field that are several hundred pounds each. (The bigger ones get to stay where they are....)

 

[ayelvington]

UPDATE: I poured 1200 lbs of concrete in today (15 80# bags) and decided to put the keyhole shape to work. I put some rebar in the slot when I did the pour so that it would act as a "big toe" to counter the torque of the dish. The slot faces almost due south, so the weight of the dish will be over it for most of the time. I did the conduit trick to bring the cable up to the mast, and I put a service entrance cap on the conduit to make a drip proof transition.

I'm going to give it until next weekend to cure before I mount the dish and finish it up. (grounding, junction box for amplifiers and lightning protection)

 

[ayelvington]

I figured that I'd just continue this thread to document the installation as it continues (all be it, s l o w l y).

I drove the dish to the top of the arc today, and the I gun-sighted it based on the Google maps tool for dish aiming. After that I started to route the cables using an old Primestar box as a demarc with the lightning protection inside.

I'm going to use quick-disconnects for the motor control so that I can open the circuit and insert a control box outside for troubleshooting. The controller runs nicely off of an inverter connected to my utility vehicle.

Here are two more photos:

 

[Dishman Dan]

Does that grey box say Primestar on it???

 

[ayelvington]

Does that grey box say Primestar on it???

Yes! I got two of them off of Ebay a while ago to hold lightning protection and amplifiers. Very nice enclosures to work with.

 

[Dishman Dan]

Yes! I got two of them off of Ebay a while ago to hold lightning protection and amplifiers. Very nice enclosures to work with.

Looking good!!!

 

[Cadsulfide]

Nice work! One plus with rocky soil is not too much gopher trouble.