Guy wires or stay wires are used to add support and stability to a number of important free-standing structures such as electricity towers, telephone poles and wind turbines.

If these structures were to ever fall it would pose a serious risk to the public and this would be incredibly dangerous. Because of this, it is very important that the guy wires be securely fastened to the ground. Helical piles are able to be installed on the same angle as the guy wires, further improving the structural integrity.

Helical piles are the preferred foundation of Manitoba Hydro, (who install the majority of Guy Wires throughout Manitoba), for a number of reasons.

Helical piles perform best at tensile (upward) support, this is because massive amounts of torque are applied to the pile while it gets spun into place beneath the frost line, this compacts the surrounding earth and makes it nearly impossible for the pile to be removed by natural means.

A similar result can be achieved with the use of a bell pile, however, Bell piles are typically not a practical option for guy wires. Usually, because of how much space they take up and their design, Guy wires must be installed in rural areas. In rural areas the cost of concrete is much more expensive than it is in the city, oftentimes rural based concrete projects can take up to three weeks whereas helical piles can be installed in a matter of days. Furthermore, the installation process of Helical piles is noticeably less disruptive than concrete. With the installation of guy wires oftentimes taking place on privately owned farm land, Helical piles are a huge selling point to farmers. Not only can helical piles be installed using much less disruptive methods, (a single machine with a drive attached), they can also be removed quite easily with the same machine once the lease is up.

All of these things make helical piles the first choice for guy wire installations. Have an upcoming project that requires guy wires? Call VersaPile today to get started!