Big Blowaway 10x20 ft - anyone have one of these? tips to make it last?

[woody21]

Woody Ive sent you a P.M if yoiu could bare it in mind.

Ta

Mas

reply sent, and happy to provide as many pictures as i can. i will post them here and pm you to let you know so you dont miss them.

anyone near enough is welcome to pop in and see it for themselfs, once its up that is.

i couldnt find anything about these before i bought it, glad i asked here though.

[unclefudgly]

Mine is a similar size and the frame is not as good as yours is and it has survived all of last years bad weather in a relatively exposed spot. I staked each upright with 5ft posts buried half way into ground and zip tied to frame, now solid as a rock. As mentioned zips last least longest.

[woody21]

I got the frame assembled today, it took me about an hour on my own and was easy enough to do. it would have been handy to have someone to help just to hold things steady as the frame only becomes stable once you have the cross braces and the 1st hoop in place.
once assembled it does seem sturdy enough but as others have done with the older model i will be putting some posts into the ground and fixing the uprights to them to stop any movement, as it does rock from side to side when pushed but only a little.

i know its not quite square and the ground isnt level yet, but it will be sorted before i fix it in place and put the cover on.

click on each picture for a bigger veiw, pics are too wide to fit nicely on the forum.

[unclefudgly]

Looks great! I'm very jealous seems like the ideal size for a plot.

[woody21]

Looks great! I'm very jealous seems like the ideal size for a plot.

im very lucky having a big garden. i just need to get moving and get some things in the ground.


i got the frame in place, pinned it down with the stakes that came with it and got the cover on and pinned that down too with bricks. its all quite stable now fixed down and on level ground.
The cover fits the frame very well, im very hapy with it for what it cost.

[LostInFrance]

I have one just the same!

I have one of these! Put it up around 2 weeks ago and it's been blowing a gale ever since! I dug a trench round the outside and buried the cover. The sheet is a bit flappy but it's OK as long as you keep the door zipped shut in high winds. I also used some 400mm long U shaped bolts I had in the shed and hammered them over the ground tubes in the corners and in the middle span. Works well. Stuff planted in there already

[woody21]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]28697[/ATTACH]I have one of these! Put it up around 2 weeks ago and it's been blowing a gale ever since! I dug a trench round the outside and buried the cover. The sheet is a bit flappy but it's OK as long as you keep the door zipped shut in high winds. I also used some 400mm long U shaped bolts I had in the shed and hammered them over the ground tubes in the corners and in the middle span. Works well. Stuff planted in there already

yours looks fantastic and your cover sits a little tighter than mine as its buried. great to know its stood up to 2 weeks of gales. it looks very neat and well planted!

its not been all that windy here in the midlands but the odd sharp gust of wind, somehow its managed to get into the tunnel even though it was fully closed and flip every single brick off the skirt on one side and the front leaving them in a neat row and a nice big gap for the wind to get in

i will be digging a trench tomorrow afternoon to plant it into, and it will have the benefit of getting my cover to sit better and remove the really flappy bits by pulling them almost tight.

its had a bit of a beating with the wind being able to get into it along 2 sides for half the day and its fine, no damage to the cover and the stakes and brackets that came with it have kept it firmly on the ground.
i will still add more stakes in the near future just like masman has to make sure it stays put in high winds.

[LostInFrance]

yours looks fantastic and your cover sits a little tighter than mine as its buried. great to know its stood up to 2 weeks of gales. it looks very neat and well planted!

its not been all that windy here in the midlands but the odd sharp gust of wind, somehow its managed to get into the tunnel even though it was fully closed and flip every single brick off the skirt on one side and the front leaving them in a neat row and a nice big gap for the wind to get in

i will be digging a trench tomorrow afternoon to plant it into, and it will have the benefit of getting my cover to sit better and remove the really flappy bits by pulling them almost tight.

its had a bit of a beating with the wind being able to get into it along 2 sides for half the day and its fine, no damage to the cover and the stakes and brackets that came with it have kept it firmly on the ground.
i will still add more stakes in the near future just like masman has to make sure it stays put in high winds.

Glad your tunnel is OK. I have to say they are pretty good value. It has been seriously windy here today & I kept looking out thinking will it or won't it take of. Checked at the end of the day & it was fine.
I think yours is a better one than mine - no stakes with mine hence the big U bolts and I think your door is wider.
One thing I did which you might find useful was to dig our a center path and bank the soil each side to form a raised bed sort of thing. Laid a rubber mat down the middle and it really does take a bit of the back ache out of it lol. I'll take a couple of snaps next time I'm there.
I'd highly recommend digging in the sheet as those little velcro straps holding on the cover to the frame don't look up to much and it stops any gusts from getting underneath. I've laid another rubber mat across the front so I can lift the mat and open the door or tuck the sheet under to stop the worst of the wind.
Here's another pic -