How do you accurately find your property line to post signs and paint trees

[Creamer]

I have 80 acres. 1320 x 2640. All four corners have been surveyed - at one time or another. I back sighted from each corner to establish a straight line. Pounded in the T-145 steel posts - strung four strands of barbed wire. Mile and a half of fence line.

My 80 acres is a mere "pimple" - compared to the two neighbors I have. One on the North - other on the South. Their lands completely wrap around my property.

Their land is measured in the thousands of acres. They both run cattle - basically open range land. If my property line fence was off a little - nobody would give a toot.

You got the sequence backward. You are supposed to string one strand of wire from corner to corner and then use it to guide you where to put your posts. It also helps keep your fence tighter because if you posts are not in line the tension of the wire will pull them over time and the wire will be come loose.

 

[TractorGuy]

Don't know if one of these would help but I bought one and it shines for a LONG distance. Ad says 300 meters for the green.

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[Jims1025R]

String up bright helium balloons at the known corners and midpoints, and sight between them

 

[oosik]

Creamer - I must have got the T-posts in a straight enough line. I fenced my property in 1982 and it's still up and tight. I don't think I could string a single wire 2640 feet and get it up off the ground. The far/near points would have to be, at least, 50 feet off the ground. Same problem with the two 1320 sides.

HOWEVER - I sure could have used help. I was all alone on this fencing job.

Now - on the idea of painting the property line trees purple. If I did that then OR today - my next visitors would be men in white jackets.

 

[Jstpssng]

I established a mile long property line using the method I described, after the original survey laid out a 1500 acre tract for what was supposed to be 1050 acres. Both landowners were in agreement (and knew that I was capable of doing it) but you need to be able to flag a straight line to begin with.

The easiest way would be to get the original surveyor back to flag the line, as others have suggested. It really shouldn't cost that much, he already knows what's there and it would just be a matter of connecting the dots.

 

[dodge man]

Depending on the terrain, it might cost quite a bit to get the line flagged by a surveyor. A modern survey grade GPS system MIGHT, work in the woods during the winter. They have gotten a lot better but heavy woods can still make gps not work. If gps won’t do it convention equipment is required which takes a lot more time.

 

[ZTMAN]

Now - on the idea of painting the property line trees purple. If I did that then OR today - my next visitors would be men in white jackets.

I thought the same thing until I came upon a trespasser during last years deer season posted up right in the middle of our drive. Long story short, the fellow played dumb and claimed there were no, no trespassing, signs from where he entered the property.
The signs were there at one time, but trespassers rip them down and claim ignorance. They cannot rip down purple paint, so me and another fellow invested a little time to spray some paint.

 

[Jstpssng]

I thought the same thing until I came upon a trespasser during last years deer season posted up right in the middle of our drive. Long story short, the fellow played dumb and claimed there were no, no trespassing, signs from where he entered the property.
The signs were there at one time, but trespassers rip them down and claim ignorance. They cannot rip down purple paint, so me and another fellow invested a little time to spray some paint.

Paint is easy to make disappear, I do it occasionally when a line has been spotted wrong. Still, it's a lot more permanent than a sign and you can find it even after I've gone over it with gray or brown deck paint.

 

[Jchonline]

Living in dense woods on ridges I can attest to just how difficult it is to keep a straight true line. As mentioned transit is the best if the terrain allows it. I also used the "go home" feature on my drone and it worked pretty well. I set the home as 1 of the property stakes. I walked to the second stake, then flew the drone back home...that way I could follow under it and mark spots on the ground with paint. Then I went back and added metal stakes with caps.

 

[Jchonline]

I thought the same thing until I came upon a trespasser during last years deer season posted up right in the middle of our drive. Long story short, the fellow played dumb and claimed there were no, no trespassing, signs from where he entered the property.
The signs were there at one time, but trespassers rip them down and claim ignorance. They cannot rip down purple paint, so me and another fellow invested a little time to spray some paint.

Ya but paint in no way means "no trespassing". Put the signs in a tree ~10 feet off the ground...where they are still in clear view but can't be ripped down. That coupled with wireless cameras works well for us.