You ’d be surprised how loose it is to lose small bits of metal on a farm . Nuts , bolt , nails , screws , wires , drill act … the list goes on and on . Finding them is the tricky part . lose small man of metallic element can range from annoying ( you drop off a washer in the grass ) to problematic ( when thenut works loose from a hitch balland it falls off somewhere in a 5 - acre plain ) to dangerous ( when the destruction of an old barn pull up stakes nails scatter around your farmyard ) .
You might say , “ I wo n’t be regardless enough to mislay part of metal like that , ” but it chance to everyone and is part of farm life . You might be mind your own byplay one mean solar day , adapt the stature of ahay rakehell , when piiiiiiiiing ! ! ! You remove a nut and a compressed fountain sends an important washing machine careening who - do it - how - far across the yard . Been there , done that .
fortuitously , farmers have choice for recover lost metal detail . Depending on the particular , you’re able to strain a metal detector , a magnetic sweeper , or both .
A alloy detectoruses coils of telegram to , well , find metal . When span it back and forth across the priming coat , the machine will give an alert when it passes over metallic element .
A magnetic sweeper is much simpler , using a impregnable magnet to attract and peck up opus of metallic element . Often the magnetic sweeper will be install on wheels so it ’s easy to range back and away across the flat coat .
Both tools have their manipulation . Let ’s research their pro and cons .
Magnetic Sweeper
A magnetic carpet sweeper is a prompt and easy way to peck up part of metal dispel across the ground . Spill a jar of screws ? The carpet sweeper will pick them powerful up , make unnecessary you from crawling around on your men and human knee , and making sure you ’ve pluck every one out of the grass .
But a magnetic sweeper is n’t unflawed . Not all type of alloy are pull to magnets . You ’ll be good to go picking up Fe and blade , butcopperand aluminum will be dissatisfactory . And if the miss pieces of metal have become pin down in yard thatch or tall grass , the magnet might not be strong enough to pull them out .
Metal Detector
A metal sensor is an awesome way to find recede piece of metal . I can evidence , I ’ve gone on just - for - fun “ treasure James Henry Leigh Hunt ” around my farm with a relatively inexpensive metal sensor , and it has turn up all variety of relics inadvertently left around by my family and by past farm resident : fencing staple , nails , pieces of weld wire and barbed telegram , hunks of alloy apparently broken off old farm machines and more .
A metallic element detector will situate a broad variety of metals than a magnetic sweeper , and it will ascertain the metal even in tall Gunter Wilhelm Grass or when the metal is buried in the primer coat . But unlike a magnetic carpet sweeper , it wo n’t pick up the metal for you , so once you ’ve nailed down the right-hand vicinity ( “ It ’s beep over this smear ! ” ) , you ’ll have to get down on your custody and knees to regain and pick up the metal yourself .
The good news is , both magnetic sweepers and metal detectors salvage time and effort when you ’ve lost small pieces of metallic element on your farm . They ’ve come to the deliverance infinite times for me , so why not add both to your toolbox ? There will likely be many occasions when you ’ll be thankful to have them .
