What are some tips for tot lots?

I grid the lot then go for my smallest coil possible to check round the frames..you can get closer and not get bled out by the steel construct...listen more carefully cos sometimes during a steel bleed you can hear the sound of something else and hopefully its not just the bolts holding them together under the ground

Small coil and beat everyone else with a detector there after goodies are dropped.

I've had good luck at the bottom of the slide and if I lower the sensitivity and hunt under the structures where the kids crawl around. I've not found a lot of good stuff, but plenty of clad and the occasional charm.

Anywhere in a tot lot lot can be productive even on the outside edge. Under the monkey bars is a good place to check.

SkiWhiz said:

Anywhere in a tot lot lot can be productive even on the outside edge. Under the monkey bars is a good places to check.

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This is excellent advise. Especially under the monkey bars. I once spent 2 hours under 1 set of monkey bars.....nothing but clad......nothing deeper than 3". I use a screwdriver in the grass under monkey bars.

I hunt wood chip, ground up rubber and pea gravel tot lots......have not noticed any difference in readings or sounds.

I usually find the lot's liner to be about 4-5" below the surface. Needless to say, but I will anyway, don't dig through the liner.

As for"keeper" finds, I have found an earring, a stone steeing out of a ring and a silver ring.

I work my two favorite lots every 1-2 weeks.

HH y'all.

Frank

Just hit the whole area of play ground equip. Bottom of slides, under swings and monkey bars. Dont forget where kids LAND when they jump OFF the swings at high swing. Also everywhere within about 20' of the perimeter of the area as thats where parents sit and kids lay down their bikes and/or sit around talking to friends. Just dig every signal there is. Rubber tire areas (Ground rubber) will have quite a bit of lead from wheel weights and brass from tire valve stems as the magnets that pull out the steel from steel belted tires wont pick that stuff up. Just pick it anyways that way you wont have to guess next time. Tot lots are VERY popular spots to hit and the rubber tires can be hit year round as the sun will keep them partially thawed on sunny days of the winter. Regardless. DONT dig through the cloth/plastic liner under the rubber/chips/gravel because if the parks comity sees you doing that it will be a very fast way to get the boot forever in your area. Good luck.

For me the best spot is near poles or equipment. I got a 18K/Plat Wedding band from under a slide and next to the monkey bars a .925 hoop earring. Gold (and some silver) can read very low, like trash. Dig every signal except for nail signals in the tot lots... even some of those close to the surface are worth digging up! Also might want to watch out for razor blades, there's some sicko's out there that would leave those behind for kids to step on in the playground, found three under monkey bars and read up like iron. Tot lots are very productive and easy sites because most of the time you don't have to dig a whole lot. GL and HH!

Isaac43 said:

Tot lots are very productive and easy sites because most of the time you don't have to dig a whole lot.

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Yeah, I kinda liked it whe I went out a couple times with my kids because of this. It let us all work together & have fun. I did find a couple of fishing lures right on the surface. Don't think they were a plant but it sure opened my eyes as to the dangers of the playground and bare feet.

KT agrees with the previous comments of regular totlot hunters.

1. Don't bother to dig through the liner...KT has done that a few times just to see what was there and mostly crushed aluminum cans, probably dumped by the installers...never a coin or anything good.

KT grids off His Royal Totlots and has a few suggestions....starting with cover every square foot...right out to the edge...unless there is grass in the wood chips....that indicates not enough kids to keep it from growing. KT often hunts the perimeter first...recovered a pocket spill of 7 quarters one time all next to each other! Also easy to step in a swing width when you have something to measure against.

Thoroughly search every piece of equipment...KT likes swings and horizontal bars the best...the "sling zone" about 6 feet out from the swings on either side is often very productive...that's where the kids land when they swing high and jump off! Horizontal bars where kids can hang upside down are great spots too...out to about 5 feet away...but do not neglect wide open spaces...search them carefully...If a kid is running and falls down out there, they never notice the coins that they drop! KT loves those round jungle gyms, especially inside them when He can squeeze through the triangles to hunt their interiors...usually lots of coins cause most MDers won't contort themselves to get inside for a quarter...KT cleans up in them! And look under the larger equipment, where kids obviously sit and play in the shade.

Also swinging bridges are great....under them KT always picks up a few coins...if the kid falls on that ladder, the coins rain down into the chips!

KT has not found a totlot yet with some good equipment to hunt under....or around...and the nice thing is...the coinage is very renewable, just give the kiddos a little time and you will clean up again! HA HA

Hope these tips are some help to you!

There was a similar post not long ago of folks saying they were not finding much in totlots (me included). Someone suggested moving out to the surrounding grassy area's, which I did, and started finding several targets.

Here is my tot lot secret...especially for wood chips... go early in the morning when no one is around. Get on your hands and knees around the metal poles and drag all of the chips out into the open. All the way down to the weed barrier if there is one and about 12 inches from the poles. Also dig out under the end of the slide. Then detect the chips you dug out. After you are Satisfied you have gotten the goodies around the poles and slide you can just kick the chips back in and detect the rest of the TL even if people show up to play. Keep the broken glass and jagged metal in your pouch so you can impress parents with the cleanup you are doing. I was vacationing in Oklahoma at a campground and did this and heard two moms talking about how impressed they are with the Oklahoma Parks Dept. for hiring someone to clean the play areas...I just smiled as I rubbed the small gold ring in my pocket.

Another place to check at playgrounds are the areas leading to any drains.
At our local school, there is a slight grade going to a large drain. You can see where the woodchips pile up in certain areas where the water runs to the drain. I have found alot of clad in these areas and around the drain itself.

Another good spot is around the benches where mom and dad sit and watch junoir.
People are always dropping stuff at either end more so than in front or back.

FFX2 said:

Stay out of the tot lots is my advice!! Even though you probably never see anyone detecting them they defintely do get pounded !!

Hit the open grassy areas or the tree lines that are in the vicinity instead.

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Yeah I suspected that they get hit a lot as the digging is way easier
I was trying it out to find something to involve my boys in with me. It's easy for them to pinpoint the stuff in the wood chips so I figured I might as well learn eveything I can to make it as productive as possible when I go again with them.

I haven't spent a lot of time in tot lots with my F2. I went some with my gold digger when I first started. Funny this subject came up, I was just thinking the other day about strapping on the sniper coil and going in swinging. I need some practice with it anyways before I hit my junk park in "Silver Lake." Thanks for the tips