So my question is this. What is the best retrievable earth anchor and are they worth the time? Also can regular super stakes and/or duckbill anchors be modified to be retrievable?
Thanks

The only retrievable I'm aware of short of pulling with a puller is the finned superstake from mtp. Great ground anchor in soft or muck soils but way to big to be easily driven in my clay soils.

I do seem to recall someone on here welding a lock washer onto a regular superstake.

I pull 90%of em. I'm switching from wolf fangs to super stakes. Wolf fangs bend an deform while driving thus making them lock onto driver if reused. Friend came an trapped for a week with SS and we only lost 1 of his stakes and no damage to the others they were rdy for next use. Pulling them with a truck an short chain

I pull chained super stakes and wolfangs with a bumper jack.

While I've bent a few wolf fangs from pulling I've never had them lock onto the driver. I have had the superstakes lock up from the driver tip peening inside the stake. If I still ran superstakes I'd buy one of the heat treated drivers or have one made that indexed on the sloped rim.

The standard driver needs the tip dressed with a file from time to time to cut down on them locking up.

Just use a drill on a wet day to pull. If your dirt is that hard you don’t need but about 10-12” of cable or chain in the deck. Most of my properties have clay, I drill them all out. Oh yeah, I use Super Stakes.

We have a wide variety of soils here and I always drill mine out with the same drill I use to make my dirtholes. Most of the time I don't need much of a puller and can use my hammer. I agree with warrior on the drivers.

Ive seen regular SuperStakes with a hole drillied in the top and a retreival cable attached there. Dont really get in the way with turned down end driver that is turned so it above the SS..

Thanks guys for all the in-site!!!!

Bfflobo showed me to drill a hole in the end of the long end, run a shorter cable through the hole hammer a stop button or better a nut. On the end and a loop on the other end. Works good to retrieve them

Question for earth anchor users. I use a double rebar stake system using the butterfly ends. I use 1 18 inch 1/2 inch rebar and one 18 inch 3/8 inch rebar cross staked, with a nut welded on the ends and a vice grip to twist and pull. To me this is efficient, fairly light weight and holds well. We have clay soils here so they hold tight.
From you experience how much better, easier, faster and lighter are the anchor systems?

Bryce

Bryce - I find the earth anchors far superior to rebar. They are already attached to the trap - light and nothing extra to carry. They install quickly in clay soils and hold well. They are usually easy and fast to pull with a puller, and the occasional one that doesn't come out just cut the cable and move on. No way would I go back to rebar!

chained super stakes are the best and they do have them that have a retrieval hole. I use the standards with 16 inches of chain. Do yourself a huge favor Buy the beast retrieval bar that MTP offers. When the ground is to frozen to retrieve I just cut the J hook closest to the chain stake and come back when it thaws. Way better than double stake rebar.

I've got alot of shelf limestone rock usually about 4-8inches under soil. Rerod is the only thing I've found that can punch through an not be destroyed. might be s shaped by the time I get one drove in. Earth anchors are for ag fields an anywhere with enough soil in my area

A buddy of mine made a folding tripod out of square aluminum tubing and mounted a boat trailer winch on it. Center it over the chain stake and winch it out. Works awesome. Modified it to be run with a cordless drill. It is not as fast as using a traditional puller but sure saves on the back.

Currently using Pogo stakes . I drilled a 1/8" hole just in from the outside edge of the washer . Attached a cable with a loop on the end slightly shorted than the anchor cable . When pulling the trap hook the retrieval cable loop with a hay hook and presto , out she comes .

Coon creek outdoors does the same thing as what clynn sugested. He used to make pogos now he uses the finned super stakes i believe.

Im planning the finned supers for this year (first year on k9s)

I have not personally tried this, but this guys system if you had your own welder or access to one seems like it would work. I would watch the cable carefully and switch as needed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1BoAMuIF6U&t=160s

I love my finned super stakes for when im moving traps alot like dogproofs. I dont bury the cable as far as possible especially in our clay. Deep enough to be sold but a good jerk on the retrieval end pops em right out.