A ground anchor is a structural element that penetrates a soil or rock layer to withstand the tension load into the ground. Structures such as power transmission towers, deep excavations, and retaining walls are the common examples of which the tension forces are working. The main issues of anchor study are pullout capacity, methods of installation, and anchor durability. The first issue is presented in this paper, whereas the second and third ones will be presented in another report. The preliminary study of mechanical ground anchors using steel expandable box anchors. Three typical anchor prototypes with different sizes of 4 cm × 4 cm × 30.5 cm, 5.5 cm × 5.5 cm × 30.5 cm, and 7 cm × 7 cm × 30.5 cm were utilized in which a wing was attached to each vertical side. Anchor was embedded into 90 cm and 100 cm sand layers and a pullout load was imposed. A series of 36 pullout tests in the condition of closed and open wings were conducted to obtain the relation between load and displacement. The result indicates that the size of the anchor as well, as the depth of embedment, influences the ultimate pullout capacity. The ongoing study is in progress for other various degrees of expansion to quantify the effect of wing expansion on pullout capacity.