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Old 10-13-2019, 10:14 AM   #1
DickR
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Default Plowing stakes

Every November, before the ground freezes, I place some plowing stakes, a few along the edges of my driveway but mostly along the last stretch of road coming down into where I am. Without these, the plow tends to take corners too wide in places. Although plowing done along the road by the town and at driveways by other contractors usually takes out a fair number of the stakes, at least the snow pile at the sides becomes enough to guide subsequent plowing. Often I'll pick up plow-removed stakes and plant them in the snow piles. Sometimes I'll use my snowblower to trim out edges where the plow has been way off, but that's another story.

For stakes, I have been using wood poles, mostly scraps from various minor carpentry efforts, plus some rips of 2x framing. I use the table saw to cut the bottoms to crude points. To place one, I drive an old cold chisel into the (usually stony) ground to make a hole, then drive the stake in as best I can. Getting a stake in more than 4-5" is a usually elusive effort, but once the ground freezes it's enough. When the plow hits a stake, it snaps at ground level.

But I'm thinking there might be a better choice of materials for the stakes and a better way of placing them in the ground, so I'm looking for suggestions.

One idea would be to use skinny orange fiberglass rods made for the purpose, and use a piece of rebar to make the hole for insertion. When one gets broken by the plow, I could cut off the frizzy broken end and grind a new point for it. Any other low/no cost ideas?
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Old 10-13-2019, 10:22 AM   #2
Sue Doe-Nym
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Ocean State has them.
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Old 10-13-2019, 11:06 AM   #3
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Default Stake Out (Or In)

Ocean State has fiberglass poles of different sizes. We install the stakes along our driveway at home before the ground freezes. 🐻
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Old 10-14-2019, 10:01 AM   #4
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Default Power Drill

I place typical reflective orange stakes in by using an old, long 1/4" or 3/8" drill bit in my battery powered drill and it will wiggle around a little until it gets past the many stones that are in the way. Works well.
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Old 10-14-2019, 10:46 AM   #5
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I have long driveway and I use the orange fiberglass sticks from Lowe's as well and never had an issue just pounding them in with a hammer. If I hit a rock, I just move it slightly... Sure I may lose / break one or two each year but heck they are cheap enough...

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Old 10-14-2019, 11:50 AM   #6
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cheap bit, 4' long

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-ei...bit-94317.html

they have a couple others on the website, 24" and 18"
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Old 10-14-2019, 02:21 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DickR View Post
Every November, before the ground freezes, I place some plowing stakes, a few along the edges of my driveway but mostly along the last stretch of road coming down into where I am. Without these, the plow tends to take corners too wide in places. Although plowing done along the road by the town and at driveways by other contractors usually takes out a fair number of the stakes, at least the snow pile at the sides becomes enough to guide subsequent plowing.
First, I have no dog in this fight. I am not, nor have I ever been a "plow guy".

That being said... Neither the Town nor the State care where you plant your stakes. The job is to clear the roads for everyone and they can not be parsing every street to find property lines VIA stakes planted by residents.

FWIW, I pay my "plow guy" to clear the snow from a 'side' parking space' that is on the street. It is a space that is banned parking from Nov-Apr... but I want is cleared anyway.
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Old 10-16-2019, 11:01 AM   #8
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Just simply put them in now before the ground freezes. At home I keep a few along the street year round. Same ones from Lowes/H.D. the orange ones.
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Old 10-21-2019, 08:16 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Top-Water View Post
I wait till the first or second freeze of the season to make a supportive packed hole much like the long drill hole, I then use a left over landscape nail / landscape spike about 10- 12 inches long to make the hole, pull the spike and slip in the poles.
I can't do that at home along the edge of the yard is also a sprinkler system so if there's any resistance I want to feel it. Driving a spike in could not end well.
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Old 10-21-2019, 11:08 AM   #10
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I use the Ocean State orange ones as well.

I typically wait until the ground starts to firm up, and use a crappy drill bit to drill a hole to put them into unless it goes in with no resistance.
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Old 10-21-2019, 04:15 PM   #11
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Default grade stakes

Garden is shut down and the tomato stakes can line the road. If they break off, kindling. Triple re-cycle.
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Old 10-23-2019, 02:06 PM   #12
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We also use wood stakes from past carpentry projects. But the one thing we do additionally is to spray the tops with fluorescent paint.
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Old 11-04-2019, 06:27 PM   #13
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Default Anticipation. ❄️

We installed fiberglass snow stakes today along our long driveway at our home in southern NH. We always wear gloves when handling these stakes to protect our hands from the tiny fiberglass particles which are itching to make you uncomfortable despite their harmless appearing smooth finish. 🐻
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Old 11-05-2019, 11:09 AM   #14
Sue Doe-Nym
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Fiberglass stakes went in last week using a 3/8" masonry drill/bit about 18" long inserted in the cordless drill. Worked like a charm.
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Old 11-05-2019, 05:37 PM   #15
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Ultimately I bought four six-packs of 1/4" orange rods w/reflective tape for $6/pack at Ocean State. I used a 12" landscaping timber spike and hammer to punch the hole, slipped the rod in, and hammered the sides of the hole to tamp the dirt in around the rod. A couple of days later, a landscaping truck placing mulch on a neighbor's property ran over three of them. I trimmed them back past the break, filed a point, and reset the now shorter rods. We'll see how long they last. The orange rods aren't that easily seen this time of year, but at night those reflective strips really show up, and the orange rod ought to show well against snow.
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