Recommended laser for fencing property lines?

[MNBobcat]

Hi All,

Had my land surveyed and now want to fence. I'd like to use a laser to shoot the line between property line stakes which are every 150 - 200 feet.

I've been googling trying to find a good outdoor laser for the job but not finding much information. Was wondering if you have any recommendations?

 

[bcp]

I've used a tight string between stakes, and in later years, a laser pointer, in the evening, fastened to a tripod.



Bruce

 

[TractorGuy]

American Farmworks Poly Wire makes a good string line and holds up well. It will pull nice and tight without breaking.

I've not tried a laser for fencing.

 

[fishheadbob]

Hunters and golfers use laser range finders quite a bit. Decent models probably start around $150 but you might be able to borrow one from a golfing or hunting buddy on a day he's not hunting or golfing. The Poly wire is another good suggestion too.

 

[Birdhunter1]

150-200 feet a heavy string will work just fine, I've put in miles upon miles of fence using barb or high tensile wire strung between poles at the ends. If you have stakes every 150-200 feet you shouldn't t have much trouble.

 

[MNBobcat]

I'm working in a wooded area where I'm going to have to remove brush and hopefully not have too many trees to remove. My thought was to use the laser because it would illuminate anything that needs to be removed between the two stakes. Whatever the laser hits I would remove until I had a clear line. Whereas stretching a wire would be tough because of it getting hung up in the brush.

Good idea to do it at night. That would make things MUCH easier when using a laser. I have a tripod that I could repurpose for the project. May add a plumb bob to center it over the property pin and then level it. Just need to find a good laser.

 

[zzvyb6]

I just bought a laser sighting thing at an estate auction for $20. Black & Decker. New in a box unopened. Ordinarily I use a surveyors transit and a neighbor kid on the pole. Might need a brush cutter if going through weeds or forest. Strings or wire yield to winds and breezes, so be careful. I also leave 6" - 12" away from the 'line' just for the sake of argument.

 

[/pine]

I'm working in a wooded area where I'm going to have to remove brush and hopefully not have too many trees to remove. My thought was to use the laser because it would illuminate anything that needs to be removed between the two stakes. Whatever the laser hits I would remove until I had a clear line. Whereas stretching a wire would be tough because of it getting hung up in the brush.

Good idea to do it at night. That would make things MUCH easier when using a laser. I have a tripod that I could repurpose for the project. May add a plumb bob to center it over the property pin and then level it. Just need to find a good laser.

FWIW...If you put your stakes directly on the property line half the fence will be on the neighbor's property...

 

[AWSubie]

I went through a similar exercise a few years ago stringing over 3000 feet of barbed wire through heavy brush. A simple string is the best method. If you can’t see from post to post due to brush and or elevation changes, you will need a compass (or if u have a smart phone and reasonable reception at the location at which you are working, a compass app works well). Start at your first post with chainsaw in hand and start walking to the second post clearing the line and keeping ur bearing with the compass. Once u have a rough path cleared u can string ur line and determine what else needs to be cleared. Also a tip I learned the hard way: take a quart spray bottle of round-up with u and spray the stumps of the trees u cut so they don’t start sprouting next spring into ur nice new fence line!

 

[wngsprd]

MNB, I used a Bosch laser level on an exterior building project. Didn't have such long distances as you, but it did a good job, especially at dawn and dusk. I think they make a model that will go 150+ ft, using a receiver, but not sure about 200.

Good luck with your project.

 

[TractorGuy]

Yeah my property already has fence on 3 sides that is about 3" to my side of the line. The problem with that is you can't maintain the outside of the fence without going on the neighbors property. If and when I re fence I will leave room on both sides of the fence for maintenance and just pull a wire on the property line. I will probably fence 15 feet inside the property line. I will keep a non energized hot wire ON the property line along with some signs.

I had the same deal as the OP on one side. I just drove a T-post at the markers and tied a piece of flagging tape on them. I cleared along the line until I had a clear view of both markers then pulled the poly hot wire.

 

[Diggin It]

Not seeing your property, the total length of fence, the type/density of brush or the type of equipment you have to work with ......


I'd try to rig up a spool of fence wire on the back of a tractor and drive between markers with the FEL down to push over the smaller brush. Have a chainsaw or other tool on board to take off the bigger stuff. But yeah, the fence should be a foot or so your side of the line.

 

[Diggin It]

Cross posted. I'd leave marker ON the line with signs, but no wire between them. Fence 10-15 feet inside should handle it, maybe less ... just over the width of a mower.

 

[fried1765]

Cross posted. I'd leave marker ON the line with signs, but no wire between them. Fence 10-15 feet inside should handle it, maybe less ... just over the width of a mower.

10-15' (or any meaningful distance inside the line) is a very poor idea.

At some point years ahead there could be an ownership dispute regarding that narrow strip of land usage.
The situation is legally referred to as "adverse possession"

Now....if you are in Montana, or North Dakota, that might not ever matter, but if you are in the more crowded Eastern US, it eventually will matter.

I am a former land surveyor.
I have seen such situations boil over.

 

[4570Man]

Is there any reason for the fence? There’s not much I hate worse than maintaining and mowing around an unnecessary fence. Keeping a fence nice and not some overgrown eyesore is a lot of work.

 

[Newtocvt]

The previous owner of our property fenced at least 12 feet off the line so he could drive around the property. After we bought the property one neighbor decided to put no trespassing signs on that fence line. Effectively trying to take that strip of land. We payed for a new survey and I’m putting up another fence on the correct line. My 2 cents is put the fence on the line or an inch or two from it.

 

[JerryK]

I put bright orange posts at the corners of my property, and had Wade Trim put stakes near the mid point of the lines. If you go out in the woods with the sun in the right spot/right time of day, use a rifle scope or good set of binoculars, you can move around and see where they are and slowly wack at the branches/limbs/small trees until you can eventually see the line clearly. I put T posts in every hundred or so feet just inside the line, and paint them every fall just before deer hunting season. Have planted firs and pines a foot inside my lines around the entire length with another row in about six feet. Someday they will grow large enough to mark the lines better, slow growing for them out in the woods until they get rooted in good. Put maintained trails in about 40-50 foot from these lines for walking paths and to fall trees into. With more internal roads as needed, when I feel like it. Keep all these cleared and drag them when I have time.

 

[fried1765]

The previous owner of our property fenced at least 12 feet off the line so he could drive around the property. After we bought the property one neighbor decided to put no trespassing signs on that fence line. Effectively trying to take that strip of land. We payed for a new survey and I’m putting up another fence on the correct line. My 2 cents is put the fence on the line or an inch or two from it.

You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT !!!
This is precisely the problem I described in post #14.

 

[Diggin It]

That's why we said put corner markers, line posts and signs ON the line. You also don't want some trespasser on a snowmobile, ATV or dirtbike running into a fence that claim they didn't see, so you keep a clear field of vision for the fence itself.

 

[fried1765]

That's why we said put corner markers, line posts and signs ON the line. You also don't want some trespasser on a snowmobile, ATV or dirtbike running into a fence that claim they didn't see, so you keep a clear field of vision for the fence itself.

If there is a fence, set well back from the line, it will eventually become the de-facto property line, per adverse possession.

Over time the fence will define who has had physical access to/use of the property.

Corner markers, line posts, or signs will not change that, and they will likely eventually be pulled out or knocked over, while the fence remains.