Terrock gabion baskets are supplied flat-packed and available with two fixing options – ʻMesh Clip’ and ʻHelicoil’.
If you have selected mesh clips, the gabion baskets will usually be supplied with the base and sides pre-clipped. Additional clips and lacing wire are supplied to construct and close the baskets once filled.
Helicoils are spiral wires supplied with the mesh panels to be constructed on-site. 2.2mm diameter lacing wire or wire bracing hooks will be supplied for the larger baskets in the kits.
We supply gabions in two standard connection methods:
Both types of baskets are supplied with lacing wire (or wire bracing hooks) and the required quantity of additional clips or Helicoils.
Gabions should only be installed onto a solid base, and all organic material that could decay needs to be removed to limit the wall’s future subsidence.
A sub-base using type 1 stone should be constructed to 100 – 200mm depth. This should be compacted using a vibrating plate compactor. A 100mm deep sub-base should suffice for a 1 m high wall and a 200mm deep sub-base for a 3m high wall. A geotextile can be installed between the gabion base and the sub-base.
Pre-clipped gabion baskets are supplied flat-packed. Open and rotate the front, back, ends, and diaphragm panels (if supplied) and join using the previously advised joining method. With Helicoils, joints can be made with one Helicoil per joint (e.g. joining two baskets together). Place the assembled mesh baskets in position, level and inclined as required by the designs. Form the joint to the adjacent units vertically (mesh clips, Helicoils, or lacing wire). Where the gabion baskets are stacked horizontally, join to the unit below.
Fill the gabion baskets with the correct graded rock type to a third of the gabion basket height for 1m baskets and half gabion basket height for 0.5m deep baskets. If large voids in the stone are visible within the mesh baskets, re-orientate the rock to minimise these voids. For a neat front face, the face (the side on view) should be hand-packed. First, fill the back of the mesh baskets, then hand-pick the rock for the facing and stack to achieve a dry-stone wall effect on the visible face.
When filling the baskets, it is necessary to insert braces in the middle to stop them from bulging with the weight of the stone. Using the 2.2mm Gaflon lacing wire provided, create internal windlass bracing ties central to each cell on the faces (spanning two meshes). Some gabions are supplied with wire hooks that need twisting around the mesh using pliers in the same way. For a stronger brace, and if bulging occurs, install a corner tie in each corner of the unit on the face and rear of the mesh basket. Diagonally brace four mesh apertures from the joint to the side panels and tie them off as per the diagrams.
Continue filling the baskets, fill the next third layer with rock in 1 m units, and install another set of internal bracing.
Repeat filling to full height of the mesh baskets, ensuring there are no voids and a flat stone surface before closing the lid. Joint all horizontal joints with facing wire and your chosen fixing (mesh clips or Helicoils).
Do not fill one mesh basket completely in a run unless bracing in both directions is in place. The best method is to fill stepping down; otherwise, distortion may occur.
Should a bulging of the face occur, ensure the tie wires or corner ties are correctly installed. Loose or over-tightened bracing wires can cause the bulging. Temporary shuttering, such as timber or scaffolding poles, can be wired to the front face of a large wall to prevent bulging and can then be removed when the filling is complete.
