Advice on locating missing survey pin?

[wesmann]

I know distances and directions from two pins that converge on a missing point. The terrain is to rough to pull a tape and I'd like to mark along the lines. Seems like a good GPS might solve my problem. Any how-to advice or on affordable systems or places to rent? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jstpssng]

I know distances and directions from two pins that converge on a missing point. The terrain is to rough to pull a tape and I'd like to mark along the lines. Seems like a good GPS might solve my problem. Any how-to advice or on affordable systems or places to rent? Thanks in advance.

How much distance is involved and would your adjacent neighbor be willing to help you set it, and agree on the location? We do that sometimes, but it still requires a lawyer to write and register the boundary agreement.


The only GPS good enough is the type a surveyor would have; and even those require "corrections". That may not be as expensive as you may think; and sometimes it really is cheaper to hire a pro.

 

[sixdogs]

Mine might have been a different situation but I found my servey pin with a metal detector set on it's most sensitive reading. I sort of knew where it was but the deector nailed it.
Of course a surveyor is best and GPS helpful. Also, look for marked line or corner trees if in a wooded area. Markes are all at breast height.

 

[ricklman]

Knowing the type of terrain would help... I finally hired a pro and found that every fence surrounding my 32 acres was off by 15-20 feet. It's not a problem in our small mountains, but we all ( neighbors and I ) thought it was odd and agreed the fences were just fine where they sat :drink:

I had tried using marking tape and had gotten fairly close, but the new equipment the pros use is all GPS and can nail it down to within an inch.

 

[Car Doc]

I second the metal detector idea especially if you triangulate to a known distance from other pins. Sometimes surveyors will put 2 pins down so if one gets removed etc there is still a marker albeit below grade.

 

[dodge man]

I have an answer. NO! Let me say it again NO! Hire a surveyor to do it or leave it alone. A good survey grade GPS system cost over $20,000, and maybe more like $30,000 to $40,000, and they are complicated to use. They also don't work in tree cover.

If you could see from 1 end to the other with no obstructions, you could use a transit to set points on line. The problem is, if you could see from one end to the other, you wouldn't need to do the work to start with.

 

[Mousefield]

Sounds like you would be able to figure out the approximate area. As others have suggested use a metal detector. They work well. In 1989 a neighbor "accidentally" logged about 300ft onto our property, this when it was vacant land. Had a pretty good idea he had so hired a surveyor. They used a metal detector to find one pin near the corner of our property where a road and private right of way crossed. After that they did their thing. If they hadn't found this peg they would have had to go out to the highway and the cost would have been much more. By the way, neighbor and logger ended up paying $18,000. Lawyer got about 30%, the survey cost about 20% and the rest paid for the trees.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Dodge Man got it right.

If being within 30' is close enough, a consumer GPS can do that, but what are you going to use for the coordinates? Which datum are you going to use?

If the question "do they have a state plane coordinate system in your state" doesn't make sense to you, there is more to learn before "setting" your boundaries.

 

[newbury]

Regardless of the accuracy of YOUR GPS it is not very good for court.

The surveyor gets the bucks because he is supposed to know how to do it correctly.

To be accurate to the itty bitties your probably looking at a $10K tool, plus a few weeks of training, and you still are not a registered surveyor.

In my neck of the woods survey runs about $100/acre for 70 plus acres. And that's just for a simple survey, not a full "mark the lines" job. Real small jobs cost more per acre.

I figure I'm looking at about a $20K bill for what I need surveyed, but to me it's one of the prices of owning land.

 

[sam5570]

Mine might have been a different situation but I found my servey pin with a metal detector set on it's most sensitive reading. I sort of knew where it was but the deector nailed it.
Of course a surveyor is best and GPS helpful. Also, look for marked line or corner trees if in a wooded area. Markes are all at breast height.

thats how we foud 3 pins in the mountain worked well even found nail's that had been driven in ground with pink tape on them couvered up with alot of leaves