Big Boy ground anchor review | Tough, telescopic anchor from Insight Security

Date reviewed: July 2021 | Tested by: John Milbank | RRP: £131.94 | www.insight-security.com

The concrete-in Big Boy ground anchor on review here is a telescopic design, which means it sits almost flush with the ground when it’s not in use.

Weighing 9.8kg, this is a serious bit of kit, but its compact design means it takes up very little space on your drive or in the garden…

Features and capacity

Having a ground anchor that can effectively disappear into the ground can be extremely useful on driveways where people walk or other vehicles are moved, so the telescopic design of the Big Boy, while not a new idea, has finally been incorporated into something that can take high-security motorcycle chains.

The entire anchor has an ‘electrophorectic’ coating that promises full coverage of the paint finish, while the top (which is exposed to the elements, shoes, tyres etc) is powder coated. The top plate – which measures 150mm x 150mm – is 8mm steel (with the powder coating it’s 8.2mm thick). The section it’s attached to is 3.6mm thick, while the bottom section that sits in the concrete is 4.9mm with a 6.2mm top plate. Basically, it’s very solid.

The telescopic section is retained with an M16 threaded rod that sits 112mm below groud level, so there’s no way of attacking it.

The chain passes through a 70mm diameter tube with a 3.6mm wall thickness that’s 100mm long, so a lot to cut through in order to release the chain, and it’s large enough to take one with up to 19mm links.

A nice little extra touch are the reflective panels on the sides of the unit when it’s lifted, meaning you’re more likely to see it sticking up when there’s a chain inside.

A 22mm chain is just a bit too big for this anchor

Fitting

This is a concrete-in anchor, so you’ll need a fair-sized hole to fit it in. Still, being a compact design it’s not as much work as some – the minimum required is 300mm deep and 240x200mm square, which means it can easily fit in the space of even a small paving slab if required.

The anchor needs to sit on some hardcore to allow for drainage of water that gets into it, then use a ‘3-2-1’ mix of three parts aggregate, two parts sand and one part cement to lock it in.

We’re looking for a BikeSocial member to fit one of these anchors, so be sure to check out the BikeSocial offers page if you’d like to be that lucky person. Once it’s in, we’ll update this review with the new owner’s thoughts.

We got BikeSocial member Joe Murdoch to fit the anchor in his garage for this review

BikeSocial member Joe Murdoch won a BigBoy ground anchor in our competition, and fitted it to secure his BMW C400GT.

“What a best it is,” he told us. “You can feel the quality of the materials used in the build… it’s the Fort Knox of ground anchors and gives the family peace of mind knowing that Bessy is safe at night.

“Fitting was a simple process – to be honest it was a joy to install.”

Joe and a mate dug a hole in the garage to set the anchor into

Ease of use

While about half the unit is fixed into the concrete, this is still a hefty thing to lift. The handle drops down into the top of the lock, which while it can be a little fiddly with thick gloves on to grab, is a good compromise in order to keep it from being a trip hazard. The previous design had a machined recess, but this was removed as it made that area thinner. The ideal would be a pressed indent, but this can’t be easy on 8mm steel, and it’d likely hold water.

Reflective panels are a neat touch

Once your chain is passed through, the unit simply sits open, with nylon pegs keeping it from rubbing on the sides as it’s lifted and dropped.

Overall this is a very useful design… just keep your fingers clear when you drop the top as it can give you a nasty pinch if you get them in the way. Don’t be clumsy like me!

For the best chains and locks to use with this ground anchor, read our reviews of the best motorcycle and scooter security.

Resistance to attack

Achieving Sold Secure Motorcycle Diamond standard means this anchor has been through a tough series of attacks, including an angle-grinder (something not many people realise isn’t part of the Motorcycle Gold standard). There is one higher level – Ground Anchor Diamond – which has a prolonged grinder attack and more work with prying tools.

Don’t be put off though, as providing this is fitted properly into solid concrete, it will always be much more resistant to attack than any chain that will fit in it.

Even using my mains-powered reference angle-grinder, I destroyed a disc and only got through about a third of one side of the Big Boy, so a 19mm chain would be cut before this ever is.

Sledge-hammer attacks are less likely as they’re so noisy, but even repeated attacking of this anchor just saw it deform a little. At best, a thief could keep striking it to loosen up the concrete it sits in, but this would be a prolonged and noisy attack.

To see how this compares with other ground anchors, see our reviews of the best garage and home security.

This Pragmasis 19mm chain is a perfect fit

Big Boy ground anchor review: Verdict

It’s extremely unlikely that anyone will defeat this, so the limitation to security comes down to the size of the chain you use in it. While you can’t get the biggest in here, a quality 19mm chain (like this one) provides outstanding levels of security, and is only going to be defeated with a long and very attention-grabbing angle-grinder attack.

Dropping down into the floor means this can be driven over and walked on without issue, then just lift it up when you want to pass a chain though. If you want to use the biggest chain possible in a concrete-in design, have a look at the Pragmasis Sub Major or the Y anchor Y-max 120, but if the Big Boy suits your needs, it’s a well-designed, quality product that’s recommended and definitely worth considering.

To find the best motorcycle security, including chains and lock, disc locks, alarms, trackers and more, check out our destruction test reviews.