Mattos Mega Tree Kit

[JonD]

Anybody else using a Mattos Sasquatch Mega Tree kit?  The tree topper has 4 holes drilled close to the square tubing for guy wires, but Mattos does not provide any guy wire options. (they don't want the liability if it falls)  I picked up eyebolts and have installed them, but it looks like the guy wires are going to come out below, between the pixel strips.  I have concerns that guy wires are going displace the pixel strings and make gaps. (possibility wear on the strings as well)  I see others have modified the cap, or top of the pole, and welded wings for the guy wires. 

Anybody have advice on the guy wires they would be willing to share?

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[tbone321]

Guy wires are not normally attached to that type of topper.  That is a sliding topper and the guy wires need to be attached to a fixed point.  With this setup, I believe that the guy wires attach to the pulley cap which is fixed to the top of the post.  This allows you to raise and lower the topper when necessary without losing tension on the guy wires.  

[JonD]

That is a sliding topper and the guy wires need to be attached to a fixed point.

There is nothing on the pole or pulley cap to attach any guy wires to at the moment.  Their solution is to attach them to the topper.  I asked if they offered anything to attach them to the top of the pole, and they did not.  They said some have modified them on their own, but if you do that, the star is going to get caught on the wires when you crank it up.  The pole is very steady without the guy wires, and is really only needed for safety in higher winds.  I had considered modifying the topper, and just releasing the front wires when raising and lowering the topper, and replacing them when it was in place.  It looks like topper guy wires will work fine, provided they don't gap out the pixel strings, or cause damage to the strings in the wind.

With that said if I modify the pulley cap, it may cause me issues with the star.  Was just curious if anyone else had ran into the same issue.


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[woodee]

I use ratchet straps so it can be loosened and tightened easily if I need to drop it for some reason.  No matter what you choose you definitely need guy wires or it will topple over, even in a mild wind.

[JonD]

This tree is replacing my old one that I lost in a wind storm.  Seems like if I make modifications to the pulley cap and attached the wires high on the pole, I am going to have issues with the star, and if I place them on the topper as designed, I am going to have issues with the strips. 

I suspect the correct answer is not something I want to hear right now.  I suspect that the top of the pole should be taller than the star so the guy wires will clear at the top, but they told me I only needed 6 inches of clearance and I took their word for it.   I kind of assumed that the guy wire would feed through the strips at a lower point and not interfere with the strips, but that does not appear to be the case.   

[JonD]

Found a few pictures on the internet.  It appears unlikely that two guy wires are going pass through all the pixel strips without causing a few problems.  I don't see anyone using the provided guy wire holes.  They have either modified the pulley cap or the pole below the pulley cap.  If you modify the pulley cap, the star would likely be too large to pass through.  I am not seeing any reason to doubt the need to drop the front guy wires when raising and lowering the topper if you go that route.

I am thinking about putting an eyebolt pointing upward in empty carabiner slots on each side (see red arrows in topper picture below).  With the eyebolt topside, the lip of the topper would prevent the guy wire from hitting the pixel strips.  Ideally the guy wire support holes would be on the outside of the pixels (See HolidayCoro models), but I suppose the carabiners would not have room to snap on, and that is a really nice feature. 

Wish me luck.  If it falls over, it won't be the first time!   Thanks for everyone's feedback!

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