Posting for a fellow surveyor. In the Tampa Bay area, the soil is usually sand, which you can drive lath and hubs into with ease. But there are some filled areas that can be quite hard, which we use a bull... ummm, "chisel" to pre-hole before driving any stakes. Now if you have a project that you may be driving one hundred lath a day, there must be a better way... 🙁
Suggestions ?
wire flags and a weed puller.
double about 1" of wire, set thorugh the vee of weed puller and stab into the ground
we use a big spike to pound holes through the frost. The big spike looks just like a nail, but it about 1" in diameter and maybe 16 inches long.
Also a metal bar (about 5 feet long & 1" diameter at the end )works too, if the ground isn't as hard.
1" square tubing 48" long, sharpen one end and it will cut thru asphalt
I have had a hard time keeping a 1"x2" pilot tool from self destructing after dozens of holes in compacted/hardened base rock (harder than hot asphalt). Could not even think that tubing would do any better that solid steel. JRL
If the points are relatively close together, I use a Hilti drill with a inch and a half bit. Works for lathe and hubs. But I suspose you could mount the generator in the back of the truck and move from point to point.
Other than that, I use several variations of the Bull..... (spike?), depending on the material.
I stopped using wood hubs over 15 years ago. Went to steel spikes, 3/8" x 8 ". Use a concrete form stake, 3/4" x 2 feet, to make a hole for the lath. Tie some flagging on the spike before pounding it the last couple inches to make them easy to find. You can buy the spikes in 50 pound boxes (about 200). Over all cost wise including time and hassle saved, I think the spikes are less costly. I've put in thousands of them.
> Posting for a fellow surveyor. In the Tampa Bay area, the soil is usually sand, which you can drive lath and hubs into with ease. But there are some filled areas that can be quite hard, which we use a bull... ummm, "chisel" to pre-hole before driving any stakes. Now if you have a project that you may be driving one hundred lath a day, there must be a better way... 🙁
>
> Suggestions ?
Same. Bull Prick most of them, then set a hub & Lathe. ""Hub"" Could be a 1"x1" or short 2"x2", 60d nail, depending on the project and contractor's comfort level. With the lathe we sometimes just mark them up and lay it on the ground next to it, but again that depends on the contractor. One could probably carry a hammer drill around the site all day hammering pre-holes but I don't see that being more efficient than just muscling it out.
We use a drill also.
It's easy to carry in our ATV.
TDD's fist is no match for hard ground ?
TNAI
PS
We use a "BP" in the Great North of Canuckionia.
Try a "Thunderbolt" (Hayes has them) Many other uses as well. Heavy to haul around, but it works well.
I know it is a stupid question but do you have points on your stakes. Pointed stakes with no knots make a difference in hard ground. We use a hammer probe to make a pilot hole when probing for pipelines in hard ground, I guess it could be used for a pilot hole for stakes.
http://www.tandttools.com/Slide%20Hammer.htm
Underlings. Thank God for underlings. Sitting in air-conditioned bliss watching I Love Lucy reruns while the underlings drive the stakes is by far the best way to get the job done.
Underlings
> Underlings. Thank God for underlings. Sitting in air-conditioned bliss watching I Love Lucy reruns while the underlings drive the stakes is by far the best way to get the job done.
I prefer "minions" to "underlings", they're more loyal.
Underlings
Oh good, here I am the underling, minions.
I fired myself three times but every Monday I had to hire me back just to get the work done.
We do lots of highway construction work which involves bluetopping the compacted rock layer which can have densities comparable to concrete. We use a 30lb jack hammer and air compressor to punch out out pilot holes. It works pretty good for a large task like this when you have 4 to 6 hubs to set every 50ft for miles.