ARE Ballasted Systems

Patented. Ballasted Foundations.
Fast. Permanent. Temporary.

No Concrete? No Problem. Our AFS Ballasted Foundations can use local dirt or gravel as well as concrete blocks or pour. Designed for permanent installations, our systems install and decom so fast, they work great for temporary installations and support poles from 30’ to 200’+. Combined with our Tilt-Up Hydraulic Poles, install a 150’ pole with no concrete, no crane, only a small crew and telehandler.

Ballasted Foundation Benefits

Fast

Ballasted Foundations don’t need large crews or expensive machines to install. Our 100’ Foundation and Pole System can be installed as fast as 1 day by a crew of 4 and a telehandler.

No Impact to Site

ARE’s Patented Ballasted Foundations require no digging. Our foundations are assembled on top of the ground and without disturbance to the earth. Our systems have been used in historic and culturally sensitive areas, on top of contaminated soils or mountain tops where digging is not practical.

Small to Large Options

ARE has 16 Ballasted Foundations support Pole Base Moments from 38 kip ft to more than 4000 kip ft, with variations designed for smaller foundations and others that are designed to support more load with the least amount of ballast.

Permanent

ARE created our foundations for the Wind Turbine Industry and rotating, oscillating mass with constantly changing frequencies. Key for wind turbines and frequency is an absolutely rigid foundation – like concrete. With these high requirements, ARE’s Ballasted Foundations easily meet TIA’s conservative requirements for permanent structures.

Temporary

The same design that is built to last and be permanent just happens to also assemble and disassemble quickly with a telehandler, or in the case of our AFS 200 – by hand. Crews doing their first installation have installed our AFS 1300 and 100’ tilt-up pole in 1 day. While not typical, with a larger crew and a long summer day – it can be done.

Above or Below Ground

The same engineering principles that are at work being installed above ground are there if we bury. Dig the hole, level the bottom and back-fill with the spoils from the hole. No concrete and you’ve got a foundation for a 100’ pole that takes 4-8 hours to assemble. For burial, ARE will apply bitumen coating over our 7-step galvanized coating to meet Buried Steel Code.