I find it's common during urban boundary surveys to be climbing over 2m boundary fences (usually timber board ones) to look for monuments that fall on neighbours side. Driving the whole way round the block each time takes far too long. My current approach is the athletic one of pulling myself up over but must be a better way. Once your over the timber rails provide sufficient footholds for climbing coming back.
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My current two ideas are either a short 1m rope ladder that hooks onto top of fence or a short 1m section of a scaffolding ladder offcut that also hooks on fence.?ÿ My field vehicle is way too small for a full ladder.
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Standing on the instrument box works but not a good long term solution. Wonder if some sort of tactical ladder or boat ladder could also be adapted but clever always beats costly.
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Any other clever suggestions?
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I feel for you.?ÿ I haven't done anything urban in a while, but know what a PIA it can be.?ÿ Especially looking for a corner monument where there're multiple fences meeting, and some of them metal.?ÿ And not to mention all of the miscellaneous metal trash and crap lying around.?ÿ And also all of the dog sh!t since everyone thinks that far corner of the yard is good place to dump, along with years of leaves, grass clippings, and black bags of wtf.
Good luck.
For many years I weighed between 250 and 295.?ÿ I did not test fences because I did not want to have to pay for one.
I think it's a business opportunity knocking. I'd buy one, if you really came up with a nifty solution.
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I've got an off brand?ÿ Little Giant style ladder that works great. It telescopes and the center joint can be locked at different angles.?ÿ I configure it as a 7' step ladder which allows me to tip it over a 6' fence and go up and over.?ÿ It collapses to about 4' which makes it easy to throw on top of the truck.?ÿ With aerial photos, Google Maps and careful questioning of clients; I have a good idea of when I need to bring it with me.
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For chain-link you can make the fence itself a ladder by using lengths of rebar as rungs at the corner. A helper can come in handy if you have something like a hub bar or shovel handle to make a movable step in a length of fencing.
I do not like to climb wood fences, especially residential ones, it makes me feel dirty like I am going to break the fence or get shot or something. So much unknown until you are up and over and then you are kind of stuck. I was in some adjoiners yard onetime, to bang a manhole which they had no right to fence in in the first place, and their poor dog was locked in the house bout gave itself a heart attack barking at me, that was maybe the last time for me.
As much as it can be a time sink and sometimes darn near impossible I really try to avoid?ÿ trespassing?ÿ
Remember you have no right of entry, so you really should be going around and knocking on the front door...
I'm just about into my fourth decade of surveying and climbing fences is getting a bit tiresome. As is the ripping the arse out of my Cactus Outdoors pants on the barbed wire (Cactus gear is good, but doesnt quite live up to advertising hype).
I try to think of it as just being part of my fitness workout
Board fence...bring drill driver, remove 3 or 4 boards, step through?ÿ
Would work if single sided and they used screws, not nails.
Around here a popular design has 6" boards with 3" gap, on each side of the fence, staggered so you can't see directly through. Thus one side isn't uglier than the other but doesnt require as much material as full facing on both sides.
I just tore up one of those after our storm and got over a half gallon of nails. Could have sawed it in chunks, if anybody wanted to risk their saw.
A couple of years ago, there was a similar thread - quite lively and long running - lead by Kent I think. I don't think an acceptable solution was found, other than the step ladder.
people out here salvage and sell the redwood boards. They are better than the new ones.
Yes glossed over the access part, I would knock on door first, this is more for once you get onto your site and have to go back and forth several times.
With barbed wire fences it is often best to crawl through, between the wires, rather than attempting to go over. I will take off my vest and lay in across the wire to blunt the barbs.?ÿ?ÿ
With wood fences your best bet is to climb at post, and a corner post is best of all.?ÿ?ÿ
The ladder idea is great, if you have to go back and forth a lot. By the time you go back to the truck for it, and get it off the roof, I'd suppose you might as well drive around the block.?ÿ
4 feet of fence sufficient to keep the kids and the dogs in the yard. With a 2m high fence one should exercise a little shrewdness. People who build such high, solid fences do so because they value their privacy and security very highly. Go around and ask permission.?ÿ?ÿ
That rebar steps idea is a new one to me. I'm sure I'll be using that, and soon. Thanks!?ÿ
Was at Lowes after I posted earlier. In the aisle where they have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, they also had an emergency window ladder good for two stories. I bet a bit of re-engineering would result in a very light portable ladder that could be dangled over both sides of the fence.
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Back when I was doing a lot of urban lot surveys, I would occasionally need a ladder. I could usually find one on site or ask to borrow one from a neighbor. I had a yound lady assistant at the time. I'd ususually send her to ask the neighbors for a ladder. Oftentimes the man of the house would gladly bring the ladder over and hang around while we did our work.
I carry a claw hammer, screw driver and a hand full of galvanized/stainless nails salvaged from a construction site. After 40 years of this, I've gotten pretty good at removing the necessary boards in order to reach through and do my business. That is after I've made damn sure that there is no dog in the yard, and have assessed the neighborhood for other potential issues related to my trespass.?ÿ The usual obstruction to getting to the corner is not a beautifully landscaped yard but a large compost pile, the aforementioned Himalaya blackberries, mountain beavers, and just plain old junk.?ÿ
The namesake of my business would consider the fence intersection as an accessory to the corner and if he couldn't reasonably occupy the corner its self, a notation clearly stated on the map would be all that is needed.?ÿ?ÿ
Climbing over, using a ladder or not around here would not be advisable. Too many guns, cameras, cell phones and lawyers.?ÿ
Just in case folk were thinking boundary disputes don't occur in the land of the OP:
There's even something in there for the Punctuation Police.
Well, some of us do:
"Right to enter land, buildings
6 (1) A surveyor or a person in the surveyor??s employ while making a survey may,
(a) at any time enter and pass over the land of any person; or
(b) at any time suitable to the occupant of a building enter the building,
and do any act thereon or therein for any purpose of the survey, but the surveyor is liable for any damage occasioned thereby."
https://www.canlii.org/en/on/laws/stat/rso-1990-c-s30/latest/rso-1990-c-s30.html
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That being said, we always try and ask first before entry.?ÿ Just because I have the law on my side saying I can legally enter a site, a loaded shotgun shoved under my nose talks a lot louder.
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As to the original question, if I'm doing boundary work and the gap is large enough in the fence, I shove a Standard Iron Bar (SIB) in and use it as a step stool.?ÿ Works fantastic for chain-link; works ok for board fence (depends on how high the bottom run is and how wide the gap is).
Further to the original post I've though about this a bit more and have come up with a partial solution.?ÿ I am already carrying a standard 1m long spade that has a "D' handle at the top (think what you guys stateside call a shovel?) so if I'm on the smooth side of the fence (all palings and no rails) I just lean the spade up against the face of the fence as near vertical as I can get it to stay then put one foot on top of the handle and pull up on top of fence, much easier than trying to grab the top and pull all my weight up police/special forces style.
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Once I'm on the other side I have the rails to stand on so I just reach back over and pull with spade with me.?ÿ Posting just in case this solution (for anyone moderately fit) has never stood out to them either.
