Ballasting is vital to the safety of our crews, our clients and the thousands of people we cover each year. Ballasting is the means to provide stability and secure objects to keep them from moving. The best examples in daily practice is an anchor for a ship at sea or a weight at the end of a balloon.

With tent ballasting, there are many factors at play when determining the is stakes, anchors, and/or concrete blocks will be the safest option. We pride ourselves on “Safety First,” and we do not compromise the safety of staff, customers, or any individual who finds themselves under our tents, canopies, and structure. Sometimes the safest option may be the most costly but we want our customers to know that take the aspect of our operation very seriously.

DETERMINING THE RIGHT BALLASTING OPTION

Our sales and operations teams are your trusted advisors in the subject of tent ballasting. Collectively our staff has had extensive training and over a decade of experience with tent ballasting. Part of the process includes examining your event goals and concepts. The next step is to pair the right equipment to align with your event goals. And finally, we review what limitations, if any exist at the event site. Once those factors have been assessed, we factor in both weather conditions and the length of time the equipment is on rent.

The options for tent ballasting can feel somewhat daunting. Fortunately, the IFAI(Industrial Fabric Association International) has invested a great deal of time and money into generating calculation tools and developing general practices guidelines for companies like Made in the Shade to use when determining the best tent ballasting options for our customer.

STAKES

Within the tent industry the most secure method is to stake tents to the ground. Our stakes range in length from 43-46″.  Excavating stakes tup to 46″ deep will have an impact any underground utilities such as gas, electric, phone, fiber optic or water lines. To mitigate any possibility of a puncture to the underground infrastructure it is our company policy to submit an 811 Call Before You Dig ticket. After marking the area and the survey is complete, our operations team will position the tenting to safety drive stakes into the ground. Costs involved with staking include the per-marking of the site, pre-planning activities, and materials acquired to obtain approval for the site.

ANCHORS

Drop-in anchoring is ideal for long term structures and is used only in concrete with some exceptions for asphalt. Anchoring into concrete pads is safe and offer proper tent ballasting hold strength while being unobtrusive. For clients with little change to the placement then anchoring is option we would strongly suggest.

CEMENT BLOCKS

Once staking and/or anchors have been ruled out, the last tent ballasting option is Cement. The following are factors that leave cement blocks as the only option:

• The result of an 811 survey that returns underground utilities staking will not be an option. 
• The confirmation has occurred too close to the delivery date with too small of a window to conduct proper safety surveys. 
• The property owners, or grounds managers, prohibit the use of stakes.

Cement blocks as tent ballasting option tends to be the most versatile option. Keep in mind that the transportation and labor required to move and place blocks is quite costly.

CEMENT BLOCKS SIZES:

• MEDIUM (350 lbs.)
• LARGE (500 lbs.)
• X-LARGE (7000 lbs.)
• SUPA (2,000 lbs.)
• MEGA (3,500 lbs.)
• ULTRA (4,500 lbs.)

Rentals requiring concrete tent ballasting is more expensive, typically much greater than the cost of staking or anchoring. Most of the costs incurred are the result of labor and transportation to and from the site. Made in the Shade does manufacturer our own concrete blocks, which is also a very costly process in both time and investment. Fortunately, companies like Block and Roll, they have developed tools that streamline the production of blocks. Once at the site, Made in the Shade activates our Tent OX. The TentOX is a more versatile forklift that allows the crew to move and place the blocks quickly and safely. Additionally, the Tent OX can be used to drive stakes and pull them from the ground in record time. The Tent OX really has proven to be a game changer when installing and removing our tents and canopies.

At Made in the Shade, we pride ourselves on our “Safety First,” culture. We understand that safety is a key component to our success. and longevity. From set up to break down, everything before and in-between, when you rent from Made in the Shade “We’ve Got You Covered!” isn’t just a catchy slogan, it is a feeling rooted deep in our company DNA and defines our teams approach to serving our customers.