Posted By Hub Set on 8/24/2008 at 12:43 PM

Morning,

I've been doing alot of construction layout (roads and utility)as of late and use a 1x2x12 wood hub with a 4' lath for marking Sta/C/F etc. as a standard mark. I use larger hubs is soft soil for stability.

30 years of surveying have caused my right arm to give out and setting the 1x2's to be a real pain, literally. I'm thinking nerve damage/pinched nerve/old age.

I set a centerline earlier this month and ended up using 6" spikes and pin flages as the old gravel road bed was so compacted wood hubs turned into splinters even when using a frost pin.

Most of our contractors in the area don't require blue/red tops, and machine control is just now starting to make inroads into the region.

I was wondering what other methods people were using for marking line and grade points in dirt and gravel.

I guess the days of humping 50 hub packs with 50 lath are gone at least for the time being. Maybe the arm will heal up over the winter months.

I still have 4 large construction projects left to do this season and need something for the interim.

Any suggestions besides retirement??

Thanks
Bob