Non-Stealable stakes

[Wizard]

Well gang, my one property on a busy street keeps losing it's stakes. I've replaced the ones at the entrance (near a sidewalk) 4 times now, and driving by again tonight they're gone again. I was using the new 36" plastic 1/2" hollow poles from J-Thomas, but after the first few times, I put wood stakes up, now they're gone too. A couple times they've been found in the bushes 50' down the sidewalk, so I asume it's just bored kids yanking them out and tossing them as they're walking by. Anyone pound rebar in instead? Assuming they wouldn't be able to be pulled out easily... How do you get them out in the spring? I'm thinking ground clamp and cable to the truck bumper to yank them out. I only need to do this in a couple spots they always disappear from, and I'm getting tired of replacing them. Sure sucks smacking the low curbs that the city plow buries after someone yanks your stakes... :feedback

[snowjoker]

Use 3/4 or 1 inch inch rebar 3 feet into the ground............... if they cant steal them they will bend them so dont give them either option...to get them out just clamp some thing low to the ground and work it back and fourth to losen it up so you can pull it out.

[Mark Oomkes]

Yeah, wouldn't you like to just beat the ...................... Well, you know, the little angels.

WE have one place that we stopped staking completely because of the little delinquents. This came about after the customer asked us if we could get the stake out of their "Drive-It\Stucco\whatever" facade. We had been using those 4' fiberglass ones with the reflective tape at the top. Little bastards had already appropriated a bunch of them and then decided they'd make a good spear. :fuming

[PROCUT1]

Some nice thin needles taped to them should do the trick...lol

[Snowboy]

How about axle grease or petroleum jelly? We did that to a section of our fence as our neighbors used it to climb into there cousins yard who were on the other side of us. Why go out your front door and walk around to your cousins house when you can just hop the fence from your back door to there back door.:beatsme

You would not have to worry about the grease getting on you until the spring, but I’m sure you can wipe it off the stakes then and use gloves.

I do not think the punks will like that all over there hands.

[hlntoiz]

I would wait till the day before the next storm and put new stakes in the ground then spray them with a little Fluid film. Hopefully they will last till the storm then when you have the windrow build up so the stakes aren't as important. I loose or barry most of mine buy the 3rd storm of the season anyway!

[QuadPlower]

I like the grease on the 3/4" rebar idea. Rebar is pricey though. Somewhere I've seen rods with a big screw on the bottom. Kind of like what some people use to tie out their dog. Another idea would be the old T shaped fence posts. They are a pain to get out, both for you and the criminal stealing them.

[Mark Oomkes]

OR some Anti-seize, some good stuff that won't come off easily and will make them think twice the next time.

[snowjoker]

OR some Anti-seize, some good stuff that won't come off easily and will make them think twice the next time. LOL I was thinking the same thing reading down the posts .......:greenange OHHH how pretty are these silver markers . What the *&^%$@&

[wyldman]

Once they get the crap all over their hands,the are going to get pissed off,and probably trash the markers anyways.

I wouldn't use rebar,just imagine if a kid happened to fall on one ?

[Mark Oomkes]

That's OK, it would be worth it.

That's why we used the fiberglass markers at the location I was referring to. Previous contractor had used the T-stakes and somebody had 'hurt' themselves on one and of course sued them.

[Plow Dak]

Just put a little sign on them not to touch and put a few amps through them to wake them up a little if the want to play with them :) Or is that to mean ???

[appleman]

We have had the same problem. I often wished we could treat them good with poison ivy concentrate.:shades

[Wizard]

Alright guys, as it was raining hard this morning, I made a little trip over to Homey cheaps and bought a couple 1/2" rebar. I put them in the bench vise and took the grinder to one end and made them real nice and sharp (the ground is frozen now). I pounded them about a foot into the ground and I wasn't able to pull them out without a lot of effort by hand. Then I coated them with bearing grease which I had an old tub of. As of the slush plow and salt app at the property this evening, they're still there. If these disappear, I'll throw some polished steel rods in from the hardware store (a bit more expensive) and coat it with anti-seize (good idea!). Thanks for the feedback guys, we'll see how long they stick around...

[Snowboy]

Good luck.

The grease worked for my neighbors as well as the damn squirrel eating out of my bird feeder by climbing up the pole to the feeder. Fun watching him slide down when he tired to climb the pole. I fixed him both ways I laced the seed with paprika and cyan powder. It’s mouth was on fire.

Couldn’t fix the rats under the shed thou cuz of the feeder, so had to call in an exterminator.

Take rattle can to the rebar spray it grey and then put the anti seize on them no need for extra expense on polished steel.

[Wizard]

Take rattle can to the rebar spray it grey and then put the anti seize on them no need for extra expense on polished steel.

I was thinking the polished because it's smooth unlike rebar, so harder to pull out...

[2_DJinn]

Rub poison ivy oil all over them

[Mark Oomkes]

I'm liking the poison ivy idea. That would be even better.

[kemmer]

id get the rebar caps if i were u, they also be used to help see them at night

[Landgreen]

Cat yourin. If you can figure out a way to get it on the stakes. Or try some doe yourin. That is almost as bad. Those kids will either leave your stakes alone or possibly retaliate ten fold.

[Snowboy]

Yea cat pee is something else. Used to have a cat and she pee’d on a few things in the basement.

But I think an electric charge or poison ivy is still better. They would have no idea where they picked up the poison ivy as well.

[Slightlymad]

Oh the level of liabilty brought about by anger over some stakes. We dont do commercial work but I do manage commercial property and if you put rebar in at my place I would pull them out. However I have been know to wrap my stakes with wire attached to a nice little farming device that sends out a short sharp shock at 5 sec intervals ( its used to keep cows off of fences ). I have also been know to find the kids who steal my stakes and plow their parents in. Ever seen a 13 year old shovel the hard ice at the end of a driveway yes I usually stop and introduce myself and yes the police know who I am and no were are not freinds. You would be amzed at how clueless parents are these days so I dont waste time with them anymore.

[Wizard]

Funny this post got brought back up again. Guess what guys, they're still there! Spoke to the property owner today, he actually supported putting rebar in.

Liability? Isn't tetanus better than a lousy sliver? :greenange The stakes are 2 keep back from the sidewalk on either side of the entrance. Rebar's no different than a fence post, sign post, etc. If they're stupid enough to hurt themselves screwing around with rebar, they're stupid enough to hurt themselves hopping a fence. I'm not too worried. At a different property today I found 2 in the bushes and one nailed to a post (seriously, I cant make this up)... Dang kids...

[Wizard]

Well boys, a little update. Did my staking today, and I'm a glutton for punishment, I used the 1/2" plastic ones everywhere... I know, I know... I haven't had the time yet to grind a point on a couple rods yet, paint them, etc. But, I hosed the ones likely to disappear down with :ff :D. Plus, I have a new install tool that gets them a bit deeper in the ground, so they're harder to pull out. So hopefully, between being in the ground good, and being slippery, they'll stay put, we'll see... May end up back in the next couple weeks with some polished rods and anti-seize. Too bad the rebar/grease I ended up with last year was so messy for the guy (me) that had to put them in and out... :(

[Firstclasslawn]

I use 1/2 PVC pipe for stakes. And after losing about 15 in a trailer park i replaced them and sprayed them with the almighty, stinky, sticky, slimy :ff:ff:ff:ff
1 week later 2 are on the ground.... BUT STILL THERE!

[ManForAll]

Another good thing to coat the stakes with would be fish lure. Gawd does that stuff stink. I still remember when my brother spilled some on his dresser and ruined most of his wardrobe in the process. Whole top floor of the house smelled for over a week.

[BrahmaBull]

Get trappers fox piss from Gander mtn. and vaseline... That will hang with them for weeks!!!

[Mark Oomkes]

You guys are making me want to stake my problem property again, just for the fun of it. :grinz :grinz :greenange

[Wizard]

BTW, they're all still there... :D Seems the deeper penetration and :ff is working! :wink















Sick, I know... Have fun with it Mark...

[Mark Oomkes]

BTW, they're all still there... :D Seems the deeper penetration and :ff is working! :wink















Sick, I know... Have fun with it Mark...

No way. Too easy.

[littleplows]

I still like the anti-seize them little @#*&&^# will try to get that off for days. remember they are not as smart as we were and daddy doesn't have any good hand cleaner around.