Pulldown piles are screw anchors that utilize a square bar surrounded with grout for its full length.

While small loads of 10 to 50 kips are common larger screw piles have been tested to 200 kips. The vertical capacity is simply related to the torque required to screw it into the bearing layer. A pulldown pile is economical in water bearing soil conditions such as sand, silts and gravels (without numerous cobbles or boulders) because it can be quickly screwed into the ground with small hydraulic equipment.

Another advantage of installing these piles along the water is that no air pressure is required as in a cased anchor so it does not disturb the environmentally sensitive seabed. The pulldown pile is used in compression and tension by the addition of a six inch diameter grout column placed while drilling. The grout is simply added to the top of the pile as it is screwed into the ground ensuring a continuous column.