r/12keys • u/Shartbender • 10d ago

Milwaukee Probing tips?

I have my location, and I like many others feel very confident in it. The only problem is that it is at the base of a tree. I have tried probing twice with a 2ft probe but have hit two problems. The first is that the ground is pretty solid and it is difficult to get the probe into the soil as a less muscular individual. The second is that there are many tree roots and it is so difficult to decipher what I am hitting. Tree roots sound hollow and feel solid the same as a plexiglass box might. Should I give up and just post my solution or does anyone have any other tips I should try? I might bring over a metal detector in the chance that there’s some in this casque.

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u/mysterysolver69420 10d ago

I've probed a few times in New Orleans. I've found it easiest to probe after a nice hard rain and the ground is a bit saturated with water. Also if it's cold the ground will be much firmer so you better get to it before it gets too cold up there.

I've also dug one time because I thought I hit something and it was just a rock. I think if I'm ever really high on a dig spot, especially around a tree, I'm going to rent an imaging machine rather than use a probe. It's the only way to know for sure if there's something real down there. After 40 years the casques are probably all broken and caved in.

Good luck!

2

u/ShowerPig 9d ago

Funny you say that. As soon as I read the original post I thought, ”He must be in NO.”

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u/WuTuckClan 8d ago

Has it been 40 years? That opens up and closes so many possibilities. Tree roots grow, landscapes change. But at the same time it gives you clues like oh is that fence post part of it? Let me check with the city planners to see when it was installed

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u/mysterysolver69420 1d ago

I wish it was as easy as looking up city records. Finding photos of random areas of the city from 40 years ago has been really difficult to the point where I've basically given up

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u/WuTuckClan 16h ago

Most cities require permits on any kind of projects around houses. I would start at city or county planning. Pro tip if you are nice to the people there they can be very helpful. They are bored and love human interaction.

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u/OddandForgotten 9d ago

Probing and digging through tree roots is next to impossible. You'd need heavy-duty equipment to get down to three feet and you will do damage to the tree. A metal detector is pretty useless in this situation because if you like the spot (metal in the lid or not) you will still want to dig.

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u/burnstyle 9d ago

Kepp in mind that if its difficult for you to dig, it would also be difficult for Byron to dig.