Big-Screw EZ Tie-Down - Portable Aircraft Tie-Down System
Unique, innovative, rugged and reliable aircraft anchoring system

Features:

• Fast to install and remove
• Secure - Goes deep and doesn't disrupt surrounding soil on the way in. Compresses surrounding soil by pushing it slighly outward. Spiral-disc anchor products loosen the surrounding soil on the way in.
• Works well in a wide variety of soil types
• Works well when pulled from above or from the side - or anywhere in-between
• Lightweight- Entire System w/ bag weighs 10 lbs.
• Three 18 inch Aluminum Screws w/ 1” Hex Drive
• Three 9 foot Weatherproof Attachment Straps
• Detachable Straps can be used on Airport Ramps
• Locking Strap Tensioners
• Dual S-Hook Attachment Hooks
• Padded Compact Carrying & Storage Bag
• Designed by a sailplane owner and pilot - works great for securing sailplanes and sailplane trailers

The 18” Long Screw by 1 ¾” Wide Screw Thread strongly grips the ground.

The Big-Screw EZ Tie-Down penetrates 18 inches deep where the soil is heavily compacted providing a superior grip. Each screw has 80 square inches of surface contact area equaling 240 square inches combined. Other products rely solely on smooth narrow spikes angled into the ground which can easily pull out, this results in the entire tie-down failing when just one spike becomes lose. Spikes must be angled into the ground, limiting ground contact to the top 5-7 inches of soil where it is the weakest.

The entire design enables Ease-of-Use for even brief airport stops. The three screws can be quickly installed and removed with a 1” ratchet wrench, socket wrench or impact wrench (not included).

The straps are easily attached to your aircraft, tensioned and locked in place in just seconds. No knots, worn ropes or frayed webbing.

Works great with the following sailplane accessories:

• Tie Down Strap - Padded - Great for wrapping around or over sailplane tail booms and wingtips

Videos:

Designer

Greg Palmer, Designer of The Big-Screw EZ Tie-Down system

Why you should own the Big-Screw EZ Tie-Down
“As a small aircraft owner, I have owned or borrowed most of the available tie-down products such as “The Claw”, “Storm Force” and “FlyTies”. They each have minor design differences and provide some amount holding force if used correctly, but I never really liked or trusted the one thing they all share in common, the nail like spike providing the grip to the ground. A nail works great in wood because of its solid nature and high surface compression, however the ground doesn’t provide that same strong hold on a nails smooth surface. In fact, a spike or nail can pull straight out quite easily from the ground. For a grip that doesn’t easily pull out, a helix, screw design would be a much better choice. By its inherent design, a screw provides a significantly larger ground contact area and compression greatly increasing its holding ability. The obvious advantages of a large screw based tie-down seemed like the solution I was looking for but there just weren’t any quality products available that I would entrust my plane to. This led to me to develop my own tie-down, the Big-Screw EZ Tie-Down.” - Greg Palmer – Designer of the Big-Screw EZ Tie-Down 

Specifications:

• Screw Length: 18 inches
• Screw Diameter (at outside of threads): 1 3/4 inches
• Hex head width (size of wrench required): 1 inch

Dimensions of carrying bag:

• Length: 22 inches (560 mm)
• Width: 5 inches (127 mm)
• Height: 5 inches (127 mm)
• Weight: 10 lbs

Included:

• 3 x Aluminum Big-Screw EZ Tie-Down Screws with 1" hex drive
• 3 x 9 foot long weatherproof Tie-Down Straps with locking strap tensioners and heavy-duty dual S-hook attachment hooks
• Instruction and Warranty Sheet
• Nylon Carrying Bag with handles and shoulder strap

Not Included:

• A tool for driving the screws into the ground is required an not included:
• Long Ratcheting Wrench (see options below)
  OR
  
• Electric Impact Wrench (not the same as an impact driver)  bought a DeWalt electric impact wrench with 1/2" detent-pin anvil which works great with 1/2" Drive Impact Sockets.  I already had several compatible DeWalt batteries.  The 1" size socket is the one needed for use with the Big Screws. Using an electric impact wrench takes screwing in each screw from a 2 to 5 minute job to a 30 second job.  I highly recommend this option, if you have the right tool, or can afford one.
  

Optional:

• 1" Ratcheting Box End Wrench (Highly Recommended) - Available at check-out, +$30
  • Dimensions: 12.2 x 2.0 x 0.5 inches
  • Weight: 1.1 pounds
    
    
    
• XL 1" Ratcheting Box End Wrench - Available at check-out, +$85
  • Dimensions: 20.6 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches
  • Weight: 4.4 pounds
    

Documents:

• Instructions
• Warranty
• FAA AC 20-35C - Tiedown Sense or Here

Warning: Always call 811 before screwing any long metal conductor into the ground. Call 811 at least a few days before you start any digging project.  Whether you are planning to do it yourself or hire a professional, smart digging means calling 811 before each job. http://call811.com/