Pain in the grass...

[Johnny Cache]

I live on the prairies in a rural area with lots of old abandoned homesteads. The problem is this: all the yards are thigh high with grass. Its so frustrating to imagine what I might find if the grass was gone. Is it crazy if I spend a few days with my weed whacker clearing the yard before I search it? Does anybody else resort to grass removal?

 

[oldranger]

S ofar I havent had to but im sure I would
if the chance to find good stufff was
there

Ron

Rangers Lead The Way

 

[MNCoinhunter]

As long as I had the ok to do it...I would have my weedwacker in the back of the truck. I couple hours of work would pay off I think....what is that called? Sweat equity? lol.

 

[Mat in MA]

I don't know where you are located but I've heard others say the same thing. The best thing to do is go either in the Spring before all the grass grows or wait until after a frost knocks the grass down before the winter. I wouldn't waste my time cutting grass on someone elses property. Besides, how do you know you cut the grass in the area where the good finds are located? They could be any place. Good luck.

 

[Dwayne2010]

Back when my brother and I were young (he was in his early teens, hes now 37), we lived on a farm. Our cousin and him decided to take a can of 1800s coins from the family safe (according to him it was the size of a skippy peanut butter can) and tossed them in a field for fun. We went out there 2 weeks ago, (we no longer own the farm) and to poke aorund. I brought my metal detector to see if we could find some coins. Unfortunately, the june grass and weds were waist high and I wished I had a weed whacker. Knowing that there were some valuable coins out there, was very frustrating! Wish I had a weed whacker

 

[Geo Unit]

There was a post a month or so ago where they laid a piece of plywood down an detected over it.
Then they advanced it and detected. Sounds slow 2 me but I've never trird it.

 

[fongu]

Charles Garrett mentioned in some of his books that a piece of equipment every metal detectors needs is a lawn mower. If I had a trailer for my riding lawnmower and thought I could find something at an old location, I'd cut the grass in a minute. Unless it was so overgrown up I thought it would damage my mower. There is an old house in the town where I live where the grass is almost head high and if I could get permission to search the grounds and the inside of this old mansion from before the Civil War, I would rent a small tractor and a bush hog and go for it. It's too much for my riding mower. Of course, this would only apply if I had written permission to metal detect for at least 3-6 months and the exclusive right to keep everything I found. This old place had slave quarters that have been torn down and just finding one slave tag or other artifact would make it worth my time and effort. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until I get through with my surgery and rehab and get written permission and contract from the lady who inherited the place.
If I was a younger man and in good health, I would be glad to work out an arrangement with some of the older families around here to search their properties and old homestead in exchange for a little work. A lot of elderly people who own property can't afford to pay someone to clean it up for them and are not able to do it themselves and it would be a win-win proposition for everybody. Plus, these old timers know where the old home places that are no longer standing were and could be invaluable help to a metal detector hobbyist. It's a give and take thing with me, I do something for them and they do something for me and we both get something out of the deal. If you don't find something worth a lot of money, you established good will which may lead to more opportunities in the future. 2 cents.

 

[Uncle Willy]

That's a good idea but if you located something you'd have to move the plywood and get rid of the mass of grass and weeds to get to it.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Yeah I'd cut weeds and grass in order to hunt an old property. Guys do it all the time.

Bill

 

[Johnny Cache]

Thanks for the input everybody. Tomorrow I'm going to go out to a place I've had my eye on...it's only a 100 yards or so from where I found my Barber half, so I think I'm going to do some mowing. The plywood idea is interesting though...

 

[Dwayne2010]

Maybe attached a small sheet (2 or 3 square feet)of 1/4 inch plywood around your waist, dragging it, so that yoru hands are free to detect?

 

[destructo]

it depends on how old they are i guess if u have a riding mower i would highly suggest using that


-destructo

 

[fongu]

Good luck.

 

[Geo Unit]

Maybe we'll be seeing a new Garrett GTIWW (WW=weed whacker).
IMHO if you have the time and energy clear the area
The opportunity to hunt could be gone b4 you know it
I wouldn't want to lose that chance

 

[NM5K]

I see nothing wrong with it as long as you have permission from the land owner.
It sure would make it easier to detect. Weed whacker? I'd drag my lawn mower
out there and really give it a hair cut.. I have one of those cheap Wally World
$99 lawnmowers that I drag up to Oklahoma to cut my weeds up there. I take
the handle off and it all fits in the trunk of my car no problem. It's pretty light too
being as it's just a plane jane 20 inch deck with power nothing, and a B&S engine.
You would be surprised at the tall weeds and brush that I go through with that thing,
while whacking logs and rocks at the same time..
But it keeps on ticking.. I got a cedar limb jammed in it one day, and when I
got it unstuck and restarted, it was making a knocking sound, and I thought I
had whacked it out.. But it was just a loose blade. Tightened it back up and all
was well.
It's going on it's fourth year of abuse and still starts on the first pull every time.
You could mow a few strips, detect, mow a few more, detect, etc..
It will get the weeds down a lot lower than most other tools, and the noise will
run the snakes off..
A shot of it resting after a mow session here at the house the other day..
It's been a pretty good mower for a C note..

 

[Johnny Cache]

I tried weed whacking today...what a lot of work. I think I'll wait until spring before the grass gets so high. I took pics of this particular spot, and I'll post them when I am able.

 

[Johnny Cache]

Ok, here is the old house I so badly wanted to detect. It took me about 20 minutes to mow down the area shown, and even then it wasn't exactly easy detecting. I didn't find much, old bullets mostly. Anyway it was an adventure haha!

 

[fongu]

Work the inside over very slowly and carefully if it's safe and not falling down. Those old timers always had a small stash handy and their wives kept their butter and egg money close at hand also. The large stashes were probably buried outside. check the fireplace and around the doors and windows. Looks like a good place for snakes. Right around the roots of that tree and that large bush in the rear of the house might be good places to look and the grass doesn't look very high under the trees. If you can get a UV light and look around when it's dark, you may find a hidden location within the walls or fireplace. www.blacklightshop.com can advise you about UV lights if you are interested.