Gabions are versatile wire baskets: whether stylish property borders, practical gabion raised beds or cosy garden lounges made of gabion furniture. The stone baskets themselves are very robust and stable. However, above a certain height, it is safer, especially with narrow baskets, to provide them with a gabion anti-tilt device.
So order our gabion anti-tipper now and stabilise your gabion projects!
Why should I equip my gabions with an anti-tip device?
If, for example, your free-standing gabion columns have a certain height, you should support them with an internal fence post including a point foundation if necessary.
As a rule, we recommend this from 1 m upwards - especially if the stone basket has a shallow depth. Once it has been filled, the weight of the gabion can cause it to topple over if it is not anchored to the ground. Strong gusts of wind, an animal jumping against it or a person leaning against it can intensify this effect under certain circumstances.
Furthermore, securing is also advisable for shorter wire baskets if the ground is uneven and rather soft or if they are located on a slope. This is because soil movement and erosion in particular can gradually reduce the stability of your gabion without foundations.
Fence posts
To prevent slender, tall gabions from tipping over, you can stabilise them with internal fence posts. In our online shop you will find special posts made of 2 mm thick, hot-dip galvanised square tubes, which effectively prevent the stone baskets from falling over by anchoring them in the ground. The coating is also particularly resistant to environmental influences.
The size required depends on several factors:
Height of the stone basket
Depth of the gabion
Mesh size of the wire mesh
local soil conditions
For this reason, we offer two different cross-section sizes and various lengths at gabiona.de. In general, you can use the gabion anti-tip device for all gabions. For wire mesh with the fine mesh of 5 × 5 cm, the fence posts with a size of 4 × 4 cm are best suited. Due to their wider base, the square tubes with 4 × 6 cm provide somewhat more stability and also hold gabion fences with coarser mesh sizes securely.
Depending on the variant, the following lengths are also available:
Cross-section size in cm 4 x 4 4 x 6
Length in cm 40 40
60 50
80 60
100 75
120 100
150 120
200 150
225 200
225
Post shoes
Basically, a gabion anti-tilt system with fence posts set in concrete is usually perfectly adequate. The pre-drilled screw holes have a diameter of about 1.2 cm. Washers, dowels and the screws themselves are not included.
How do I set up gabions with anti-tilt protection correctly?
In addition to the stone basket and its filling, you will need the following materials to assemble a gabion anti-tipper:
Gabion fence posts
Concrete
Reinforcing steel
Additionally, if necessary:
Dowels
Screws
Washers
The first step is to choose the right posts for your gabion project. The required post length is made up of the recommended embedment depth in the ground and the embedment length within the stone basket.
Always anchor posts in the frost-proof area and, depending on the local soil conditions, at least between 60 and 80 cm deep in the ground.
The visible part of the pole should still occupy at least two thirds of the gabion height. For example, this corresponds to about 135 cm for a 2-metre stone basket.
Embedment depth of soil + embedment length of gabion = post length
In this case, the total recommended length of the gabion posts is 200 cm.
Regardless of whether it is a sprawling gabion fence or a compact column project: 1 fence post at least should be installed per running metre of the stone basket =. To be on the safe side, use 2 posts for single elements. Make sure that the open end is in the ground and the one with the plastic cap is facing upwards.
When the concrete is completely dry, put the pre-assembled stone basket over the posts, attach the lowest spacers and start filling. You do not need to attach the gabion to the posts. If the natural stones reach up to the top edge, they not only stylishly conceal the metal poles, but at the same time ensure that they wedge in and prevent the structure from tipping over.
The second variant with our post shoes is ideal if a foundation is already in place. You dowel these into place using the necessary accessories and then place the fence posts over the shaft. Since the embedment depth in the ground is omitted in this case, only consider the gabion length when buying the posts.