In case there is some confusion about what an 8 ft. high deer-proof fence really amounts to, here are some examples.
That is probably an above average fence in terms of sturdiness. Just out of the frame is a corner of the fence that supposedly was built in the position where a surveyor marked an original land grant corner in 1854. How to determine that? Look for remains of bearing trees. What, they're on the other side of the fence? Better drive the hour or so that it will take to get to the other side of that one in order to be able hunt for some rotted remains of a mesquite that has been dead for at least fifty years.
What, the actual boundary doesn't follow the 8 ft. high fence? Oh, it followed an older fence that is on the *other* side of the game fence? Well unless you have a skyhook or time to waste, better climb the fence to find the remains of the older fence.
Oh, the bearing tree remains aren't just a foot or two away from the fence corner post that was placed somewhere near the original corner that a surveyor marked in 1853? But, you can probably find where the now nearly completely rotten mesquite he marked in 1853 once stood? Was there some fence climbing involved if there was an 8 ft. high fence between you and the BT position? In this case, there was another on the other side of the fence from my truck.
what's the problem?
Man you got it easy! Surveying in that terrain looks like a piece of cake! You get a little 8' fence and you are complaining?
Toss a couple ladders on the roof of survey chariot and you be over the in a 5 minutes. That includes untieing the ladders and putting them in place. The survey I've been working recently has obstacles that far exceed climbing an 8' fence. Use fiberglass ladders if the fence is electrified.
I hate to sound like Tedd, but we are dealing with cliffs, blowdowns, swamps, crossing frozen waterways, the ledge outcrops everywhere!
what's the problem?
> Toss a couple ladders on the roof of survey chariot and you be over the in a 5 minutes. That includes untieing the ladders and putting them in place. The survey I've been working recently has obstacles that far exceed climbing an 8' fence. Use fiberglass ladders if the fence is electrified.
What sort of a person would use two eight-foot ladders to cross an 8-ft. fence?
> I hate to sound like Tedd, but we are dealing with cliffs, blowdowns, swamps, crossing frozen waterways, the ledge outcrops everywhere!
Oh, would it be the sort of person who complains about swamps and waterways freezing in September when all he's running is a compass line following some blazes in trees and the volunteer fire department will be doing the next survey after him? :>
crossing over the mighty 8' fence!
Kent, you seem clever enough to find a faster was to get over an 8' fence than driving for an hour. The ladder was just a suggestion to get you to think outside the box.
Regarding crossing freezing rivers and swamps... When you finally take your first epic journey over an 8 foot fence, you can post here about how exciting it was. I'm sure it will make a riveting story! Be sure to post pictures!
[sarcasm]There I was, on the third rung of the 8" ladder being buffeted by a 10 knot east wind. [/sarcasm]
crossing over the 8' fence!
>When you finally take your first epic journey over an 8 foot fence, you can post here about how exciting it was.
No mystery to it. When it's 105degF and you're having to climb an 8 ft. fence multiple times carrying the usual equipment, a person can only imagine how easy those New Hampshire jobs must be where a Suunto (and not the more expensive one) and a roll of flagging is really all you need. Oh, that and a Disto for the high-precision jobs that pacing won't be good enough for (what's up with that, anyway?).
crossing over the 8' fence!
Kent,
We have T-R-E-E-S here. I spelled it for you, cause I know your from Texas an all.
Anyway your cute little GPS receiver might not work so well in New England, so you might have to break out a total station and do some real surveyin'.
We also have lots of P-E-O-P-L-E (again, a spelled it out for you). That you have to deal with in order to complete a survey. Your pictures of a fence and some tumble weeds aint' nothin'.
Joe
😉 😉 😉 :angel:
crossing over the 8' fence!
> Kent,
>
> We have T-R-E-E-S here. I spelled it for you, cause I know your from Texas an all.
> Anyway your cute little GPS receiver might not work so well in New England, so you might have to break out a total station and do some real surveyin'.
>
> We also have lots of P-E-O-P-L-E (again, a spelled it out for you). That you have to deal with in order to complete a survey. Your pictures of a fence and some tumble weeds aint' nothin'.
>
> Joe
>
>
I hate to be too hard on Kent because I'm sure he is a good surveyor. But he seems to think his methods apply to every situation. I would never claim to be an expert on PLSS & Texas style surveying yet he seems think he knows better about our methods in the dark woods.
Ignorant people do ignorant things. That is why things like OSHA exist.
I'm not buying the hour trip to get to the other side of the fence. If that's my fence and I catch you, you are going to get a nice visit from the law before you can escape. I'll make sure your vehicle can't leave until I want it to leave. The surveyor's right to trespass does not apply in every situation. This is one of those situations.
Would you pick the lock to a house in order to go through the house to get to the backyard that is surrounded by 10-foot high privacy fence?
Would you climb over a security fence into a high-voltage transmission system base?
Be wise. Communicate with the property owner. Handle things responsibly.
I can hardly wait for the story where the idiot surveyor has been eaten alive by wild hogs after scaling such a fence irresponsibly. In the US and Canada, forty people per year die from wild hog attacks. Swimming with sharks is 20 times safer. BTW, for those who don't know this, many people in south and west Texas earn a nice living hosting wild hog hunts to silly people like several of my friends who go at least once each year to do that. It's a big business.
Surveying has enough hazards without adding foolishness to the list. Weird things can and do happen. Sometimes those weird things result in medical emergencies. Working alone is dangerous. Working alone in remote locations is more dangerous. Taking unnecessary risks while working alone in remote locations is much more dangerous yet. Be smart. Please don't bring down the heavy hand of the "we're from the Government and we're here to save you" types on the boundary surveying community.
Bucket Truck
Seems like you work a lot of places where you can drive your truck along the property lines. Why not buy or rent a bucket truck?
> I'm not buying the hour trip to get to the other side of the fence. If that's my fence and I catch you, you are going to get a nice visit from the law before you can escape. I'll make sure your vehicle can't leave until I want it to leave. The surveyor's right to trespass does not apply in every situation. This is one of those situations.
Well, that's nice, but many of these ranches don't have anyone on them and the owners live thirty miles away. What are you doing on your land, growing marijuana? As for an hour to drive to points one fence away, that would be optimistic in some cases. When it takes half an hour to drive from the fence to a public road, another twenty minutes to drive to the gate of the adjacent property, you'd have to rely upon it being only ten minutes from the gate to the other side of the fence.
Bucket Truck
> Seems like you work a lot of places where you can drive your truck along the property lines. Why not buy or rent a bucket truck?
I'll watch somebody else try that one.
seriously though, what's wrong with my 2 ladders idea?
seriously though, what's wrong with my two ladders idea?
If the fence is too wimpy, tieing the top rungs of the ladders together in an inverted V makes a strong triangle. Quick escape from charging beasts too!
They also make a double ladder that has adjustable hinge at the top, though I'm not sure it would span an 8' fence.
seriously though, what's wrong with my 2 ladders idea?
> seriously though, what's wrong with my two ladders idea?
Well, it sounds like way more trouble than just climbing the fence. What is the supposed advantage of having a ladder to climb instead of a fence? Either way, you're more than eight feet off the ground with stuff in one hand. The instability of the ladder just means that sooner or later the ladder is going down with someone on it.
seriously though, what's wrong with my 2 ladders idea?
I like the 2 ladder idea better than this idea.
seriously though, what's wrong with my 2 ladders idea?
https://surveyorconnect.com/images/uploaded/201309170416475237d7af3380e.jp g" alt="" />
Looks like a gate right there! :-/
seriously though, what's wrong with my 2 ladders idea?
Bolt cutters, and duct tape!
(Just kidding!)
N
Fence climbing can be hazardous to your progeny
Some pantywaists that weigh under 100 lbs fully loaded might be semi-secure scaling common wovenwire fence mesh. Still, it's risky business, especially if carrying awkward gear.
Put me on a fence like that and it won't be eight feet high for much longer. Fasteners fail in a flash. When they do, things can get mighty dicy mighty fast.
Again, the owner of that fence might show up and might cause you far more problems than you have thought of in advance. That fence isn't merely there to show people where the owners think the property line is located. It is there to keep what is inside away from everyone and everything that is supposed to be on the outside. No joking matter. Keep the F out without the full knowledge and blessing of whomever is responsible for what is inside that fence.
Not just fences, watch out for survey stakes. They can hurt you.
Worked with a party chief one time that had a bad habit of sitting on a survey stake while doing his sketches. His wore out pants split one day. We called him "Popsickle" after that. o.O :-X :excruciating:
seriously though, what's wrong with my 2 ladders idea?
> https://surveyorconnect.com/images/uploaded/201309170416475237d7af3380e.jp g" alt="" />
>
>
> Looks like a gate right there! :-/
Gate Code is:7448 or 3825. Try those and get back with us.:-D
seriously though, what's wrong with my 2 ladders idea?
> > seriously though, what's wrong with my two ladders idea?
>
> Well, it sounds like way more trouble than just climbing the fence. What is the supposed advantage of having a ladder to climb instead of a fence? Either way, you're more than eight feet off the ground with stuff in one hand. The instability of the ladder just means that sooner or later the ladder is going down with someone on it.
Seriously? You think a fence alone would be more stable that a the double ladder approach? If you truly believe that, then I would question your judgement in general.
A ladder is designed for climbing. A fence is not.
The dual ladder approach with the fence in-between would be far more stable than the fence alone. Simply send one man over the fence, then both climb up the ladders part-way and hand the gear over.
Heck, a 6 foot man standing in the back of a 4x4 could probably reach high enough to pas the gear over to his partner on the other side of the fence.
