[Diabolik]

Are the props themselves made out of PVC? If they are PVC bodies you can pound some rebar or steel rod into the ground and have it coming up into the PVC legs. This might even work if you just pound a longer rod into the ground and then attach your prop to the rod if you cannot run it up inside the legs.

 

[tinytugs]

Sorry I should have been specific on my props. They are mostly the hanging type with no real body frame except the head and arms which are wire.

 

[The Pod]

I use 16" long 1/2" rebar pounded 8" in the ground. My props are all built with PCV or conduit tubes attached to the back or inside that slide right over the rebar. I've experienced 70+mph winds and have never had any prop blow over this includes all my fencing, tombstones and full size characters. I also have some of those light hanging props that are mounted on 10' long 1/2" conduit so they are several feet in the air (other than pounding in a couple extra pieces of rebar and tying them down with 14 guage electrical wire for support. And with over 100 pieces of rebar, I never have to aerate my lawn.

 

[ooojen]

I use T posts (fence posts). They're thicker than rebar, so if you want your prop to appear to float, rebar will show up less. The T shape and the flange at the bottom make the posts very stable, and also easy to pull when you're done.

 

[tinytugs]

Thank you everyone for the replies.
The Pod: do you have picture that I can see. I'm a visual type of learner.
oojen: Do you have a picture of the flange you use?

 

[Oak Lane Cemetery]

I'm a big fan of rebar and emt conduit. If a prop can't be slipped into the emt or over the rebar it can always be zip tied to either. Works well on heavy props too. I have a skeleton that weighs 15-20 lbs and use a 6ft piece of emt conduit painted black to support it with 2 ft driven into the ground...

 

[The Pod]

Thank you everyone for the replies.
The Pod: do you have picture that I can see. I'm a visual type of learner.
oojen: Do you have a picture of the flange you use?

Here you can see one of my skelly clowns with a piece of conduit attached to his back over one piece of rebar, a second piece can be seen by his right foot which is tie strapped to the rebar (this is to keep him from spinning around from heavy winds).

Hope this helps.

 

[ooojen]

No disrespect for the conduit/rebar setup! (Props look great!) We always have a few t-posts around, plus we have a post driver, so that's what I use. The little bumps every few inches provide a spot to hold zip ties, keeping the prop from twisting (even in our significant autumn winds) or slipping down. Here's the stabilizing flange I was referring to--
http://akamai1.truition.com/images/catalog16754/folder105290/img9657602med.jpg
It's made onto the posts and gets driven into the ground. since it's thin, it doesn't disturb the lawn much. When you want to pull the posts, you can just rock them back and forth a couple times, and they loosen up.

 

[Scatterbrains]

Yep...T-posts...the green ones at Lowes do a great job of keeping things where they belong. I use a lot of rebar too. I also build heavy props...far less likely to fly away in the wind

 

[tinytugs]

Thank you everyone for your help. I'm gonna go to the hardware store today to check out the options you gave me. Do you guys just go to the hardware store to pick up your stand supplies or do you order them online? Just trying to be cost efficient. I have around 30 Halloween friends I need to stand up around the house.

 

[ooojen]

I just go to a local farm supply store (cheaper), but yeah, hardware or home improvement stores are good. Shipping is probably quite expensive because of the weight.

 

[ScreaminScott]

With the lock-and-stay lightweight skeletons, I find that Tomato stakes and zipties work well.