Got permission on an overgrown lot, any advice?

Worth the effort. I would go for a push lawn mower raised up at it's highest setting, quicker than a weed wacker if you have the space in your vehicle.
 
As a energetic apprentice to the metal detecting hobby I always kept my string trimmer and both my push and riding mowers gassed and ready to go.
I live on the door step of one of the oldest towns in Washington State and I was certain that there was silver and old jewelry on each and every one of them overgrown lots.
True, I was really successful at getting permission to metal detect a lot or a yard after a promise to mow or weed it. And the old pocket knives, cigarette lighters and a few Wheat pennies was fun to find. But, in retrospect it was a very stupid endeavor considering the amount of labor involved, the possible liability I was exposing myself to, and the amount of good targets I never got to swing with my AT Pro because I was swinging a weed eater instead.
That was ages ago, and I've graduated to amateur metal detectorist now and have learned that there's work and there's a hobby. And cutting grass or pulling weeds is work, and no longer part of a hobby.
After a couple of years I spent mucho dollars on gas for the mowers and my car as well as dollars for the washing machine and dryer used to clean the dirt and dust from my duds.

My advice is just wait for them to tear the house down and then metal detect the entire lot where it sat. And, in the meantime find some good targets on property which doesn't need landscaping prior to metal detecting it.


AT Pro/GPP/AT/Fiskars Diggers
 
I received permission on a lot near my house. The house on the lot was built in 1917, but it has been empty for several years, and the lot is overgrown. I drove by to see how bad it was, and the grass/weeds immediately around the house are a good 2-3 feet tall....

Fooleeze, I see you are in OH. What are the chances that some or most of this stuff will die off after a frost or two?

Ever consider a controlled burn! ;)

I'll be going back to a few of my woods sites once the ferns and stuff die off. After May, some places just get too thick to swing.
 
I had a permission that when I arrived to detect I found the grass and weeds to be far too tall to allow me to detect. I tried pushing the grass down with the coil and actually found a merc. It did not take but a few minutes until my arm was worn out.

I told the land owner and She sent her husband with his riding mower to mow the grass so I could detect. I found three more silver coins and did not have sufficient time in the area to be able to detect the entire property.

When I got back the property had been sold.
 
Fooleeze, I live out in the country, and often detect where it's thick brush. Here are some thoughts: First of all, I occasionally find abandoned houses that are for sale that look like the dickens. I've called realtors and offer to swop services, cutting the grass for detecting. They're usually glad to oblige. Sometimes they even give me extra properties to scope out.

I agree with those who say to wait till after several hard frosts to knock the weeds down. Spring time is even better.

One thing I've always wanted to try was pegboard. I was thinking of laying a sheet down to compress the grass, then detecting on top of it. If I find a target through the peg board, I was going to hit the peg hole with a dab of spray to mark it, then move the board to dig. Sounds labor intensive so I don't know how practical it'll be.

I wouldn't burn weeds on someone else's property (I'm thinking Digger Dave was joking!). Without water/hoses, etc., it may be more of an "out-of-control" burn!

\Good luck with the house! Curt
 
Thanks for all of the responses on this, a lot of great ideas. I made it back to this property a few times. I tried a few of the ideas. I used the plywood idea, but that became very tiring moving the pieces of wood. I tried cutting down some weeds by hand, but that also got very tiring. (I was also trying this during the hottest part of summer.)

All of the weeds were a good 3-4 feet tall. Really bad, and just too thick. Coupled with the fact that the place was loaded with trash, it was just not worth it. I found some coins, but almost everything was modern, other than one wheatie. I stopped, and thanked the owner, and asked him to keep me in mind if he ever brush-hogged the property.

I may check it out after some frost or late winter or early spring and see how beat down the weeds are. Maybe it'll be easier, but some of that stuff was THICK.

Thanks again for all of the ideas!
 
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