Probe length

[div2roty]

I am getting my brother to make me a probe. A friend said he wished his 4 foot probe was a 5 footer. My question is how long should I get it made for? I'm kinda tall, 6'1. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

 

[bottlediger]

If you're over 6 ft tall a 5fter shouldnt be a prob at all, I use both a 4 and 5 ft prob, im 5'7 so the 5 ft probe is a little bit of a pain for me sometimes

Digger Ry

 

[div2roty]

Thanks for the help.

 

[CALDIGR2]

Around these parts a 4' probe wouldn't find you much of anything. 5' is the minimum, with a 6'er peferred as a starter. I'm 5'8", and a 6 is no problem for me. I use 5, 6, 7 & 8' probes as a rule and often stick the area with a 5, followed by the 7. Usually, that will suffice to hit the use layer, which is often coverd by several feet of fill. Some "depth charge" pits require a 8 or 10 ' probe to even touch the top of the goodies. We dug one last month that didn't start 'til 7' and went to 14 for the "meat", which was all '60s and '70s.

 

[BittersMax]

For a good starter probe this is the formula I use. Stand up straight with your digging boots/shoes on. Hold your arms out perfectly level/straight with palms facing down. Now measure the distance from your palms to the ground. That's the length you want to use for just some basic shallow proding. Like Caldigr says you'll need an assortment of lengths if your going to get serious about it and want to know what your up against. I use an assortment of lengths ranging from 3' to 20' depending on many factors like soil conditions. I also like knowing how deep I'm going and where a layer starts, that's were the long ones come into play.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

5 & 10 footers for me.Word to the wise,once you find a pit,don't probe it like swiss cheese.The bottles will thank you for it.[8D]

 

[CALDIGR2]

Hey Rick, some of us Western "carpetbaggers" might be headin' your way this Spring for a bit of a dig. Might be some fun. Compared to out thisaway, the East is a gravy train. Too many ancient towns and cities to choose from. Y'all got over a century on us.

 

[BittersMax]

ORIGINAL: RICKJJ59W

Word to the wise,once you find a pit,don't probe it like swiss cheese.The bottles will thank you for it.[8D]

How true that is. I've seen more than one good bottle popped by machine gun prober's after a pit is located trying to hit glass or what ever it is their doing. Stick it just enough to determine size and where layer starts then dig. My worst experience was a former partner stuck his probe through a pure green Dr. Renz's Bitters after I had already probed the hole.