Have any of you ever used a hammerless stake, and if so what did you think of them? I have just ran across them on Hayes website, and am curious about using them as an alternative to a wooden lath. Looking at them though, I am pretty sure we would make a pretzel out of it and still not get it in the ground during the Texas summer.
The link to them is: http://www.hayesinstrument.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=2678
I've used them and still have a lot left. If you are pushing them into sand or soil, I'm sure they would work great. But, anything harder than those ground types, they are pretty useless. I only used them to label some control points, nothing that anyone else had to ever find or use.
These and other similar stakes are an alternative to wood and require alternative methods to put in place.
I have found that having a drill and a selection of bits and small augers can be better than picks, shovels and hammers in finding and setting stakes in some varieties of Texas dirt.
I've followed other surveyors that only used pin flags for their traverse hubs. They had to have made pilot holes for them to be placed everywhere they used them.
My boss bought a few cases of them years ago and they never got used. Most all ground is just too hard. I inherited them when the survey department closed down. They are great for reinforcing in small concrete projects such as an air conditioner pad. Otherwise... maybe tomato stakes??
"Hammerless stakes"
Is that like alcohol free beer?
🙂
I tried pushing some in semi hard soil and ended up putting the wire rod into my palm if those are the type you are referring to.
