How to clear large areas that are off the beaten path?

[ZOFCHAK]

So the situation I'm faced with is a large, heavily wooded parcel that was a picnic site in the late 1800's. It was served by rail only, and the tracks have been gone for decades so it involves quite a bit of hiking to get to it, and is inaccessible by car or ATV. The problem is that the dead and fallen material and undergrowth make it difficult to detect. I have permission to detect the area, and to clear brush and debris so I have been using a large leaf rake, axe and shovel to clear sections of the ground before detecting. The problem is it's very time consuming, difficult work that means I'm clearing brush for an hour for every 10 minutes of detecting. The finds are totally worth it, so I'll keep it up, but am considering alternative means of clearing the ground.

My " Bright Idea" is to make use of a 10ft section of light weight steel I beam that is already on the site, and hike in a 12v DC winch and deep cycle battery. I'm wondering if I can use this section of steel as a drag mat to clear the ground by pulling it across the ground with the winch? Totally crazy idea? Or does anyone think it might actually work? Any better alternatives? I'd love to be able to get a bulldozer back there, but the old rail bed is just to overgrown.

 

[scubadetector]

Seriously, No 4 wheeler can get in with some attachment to clear brush? No other ideas here. I need an underwater lawnmower in a lot of my great spots!!

 

[798hand]

a weedwacker with a blade attachment and the regular string would work much better
Ill do it for ya but ya gotta let me hunt it with ya no but would probable work better for you

 

[fowlercharles]

Hi ZOFCHAK, sounds like a pretty big handicap you have but take heart, Unless you are in Katrina ravaged woods as I am, you still at least have a regular wooded area, though grown over in old and new trees and underbrush, and not having hundreds of trees down , now with dead tops with trees and roots that leave huge holes in the ground. And with the sun having gained way over all this the real underbrush of briars weeds and newgrowth trees has laid it's carpet in and on top of all this to create a living hell of tangled mass where for miles the ground is no longer visible , even if it was possible to get into "the woods". You got it good , so hang in there and consider hunting what you can,All that said, my thoughts/suggestions would be to consider either a piece of Tarp, or small piece of plywood, (3/8-1/4 ?)or 2-3 pieces of plywood, "rope hinged" together for easy packing. Go in and spread it and walk./stomp down the areas that you can, and detect it over the plywood..A good deep machine will do you well and the plywood will be a smooth surface to swing over and will beat fighting the weeds and stubble..Also, when it's cold enough and the slither critters are bunked up, get down on your knees and crawl the places you can't stomp down. Those are my thoughts,from what I have done a few times myself. It ain't perfect by any means but can work somewhat well in some spots. HH, Charlie

 

[osgood]

you got me thinking. I have permission at a cellar whole to clear, etc. Found a bunch of large cents there. But nothing lately.Off to the sides I raked- Do you think if I skimmed say 3 or 4 inches of soil off the top ( or more) and re scanned it , I might get more hits. Its that loose stuff, you know like a hundred years of rotted leaves etc. Or being that loose stuff will my detector already have gotten as deep as its going to get?

 

[wvrick]

a weedwacker with a blade attachment and the regular string would work much better
Ill do it for ya but ya gotta let me hunt it with ya no but would probable work better for you

I'd rather carry a weedeater that lug a battery and wench.