Without the "magic box"

[fat man 4,741]

The bar is an invaluble piece of equipment when diging without locater,even to this day i would not be without it.How many times have collars failed or a cave in occured in soft running sand,then the bar comes into its own.We always use locater now but i still like to push the bar through to find exactly where tube is.I have dug with the BnF a few times and we seemed to come down one side of the terrier so bar comes into use again.Maybe its a case of old habits die hard but i always say why change a winning team.

[Rabbit Hunter 6,613]

I know what you mean with the Bellman coming down on the side of the dog, we've had it over and over through the last few seasons. You say that you push the bar through to locate the tube then dig, I've never tried it as i've always thought if daylight hit the dog and quarry it would spook the quarry and try to push the dog a lot harder than if you were just digging down?

[fat man 4,741]

Its only in the last ft or so id use it,gives you an idea how much is left and helps in the break through,just the way i do it,people differ.

[p3d 879]

I know what you mean with the Bellman coming down on the side of the dog, we've had it over and over through the last few seasons. You say that you push the bar through to locate the tube then dig, I've never tried it as i've always thought if daylight hit the dog and quarry it would spook the quarry and try to push the dog a lot harder than if you were just digging down?

 

Fatman/Rabbit Hunter,

This might sound like a daft question, I am hoping to be digging next season after a long break from the field.

My 2 dogs (17months) are coming on OK, ratting/bushing and traveling through empty earths at this stage.

When I dug in the past we opened perpendicular to the tube,using a mattock, the opening would be 5feet x 3Feet minimum.(3Feet deep)

Therefore where "X" marks the spot on the surface, we would be 2 1/2Feet either side of the mark..

When using a B&F collar box, what size of opening would you be opening to come down on the side of the tube?

[Guest busterdog]

p3d, with all due respect you can't possibly come down on a tube 5x3, the shovel will always poke through in one place or the other lol, you can open up 5x3 but not (without a jcb).

I've had the same problem, the B&F always seems to give a loose reading, good enough to find the dog but not good enough to pin point the way the dog came to be there, with the old deban you could follow the dog inch by inch and could make an educated guess where to dig to be on or just behind the dogs head.

[fat man 4,741]

P3D i have only used it a handfull of timesbut all with the same result,one side of the terrier.I have heard other lads complain about the same thing.We use the orthovox or the old deben with great success.Hole wise it depends on depth,if it was say 6ft in depth we open say 5ft long by 4ft wide,always enough room to work the shovel and to break through without hassle.Deeper then a longer wider outlet,all depends on the earth were diging.

[p3d 879]

p3d, with all due respect you can't possibly come down on a tube 5x3, the shovel will always poke through in one place or the other lol, you can open up 5x3 but not (without a jcb).

I've had the same problem, the B&F always seems to give a loose reading, good enough to find the dog but not good enough to pin point the way the dog came to be there, with the old deban you could follow the dog inch by inch and could make an educated guess where to dig to be on or just behind the dogs head.

 

Thanks Busterdog,

I was describing the opening as 5x3 and 3 feet deep.

(5x3 tube and I would run through it myself )

If the terrier is 3 foot deep, surface to bottom of tube, what size hole would you normally dig?

ATB

[p3d 879]

P3D i have only used it a handfull of timesbut all with the same result,one side of the terrier.I have heard other lads complain about the same thing.We use the orthovox or the old deben with great success.Hole wise it depends on depth,if it was say 6ft in depth we open say 5ft long by 4ft wide,always enough room to work the shovel and to break through without hassle.Deeper then a longer wider outlet,all depends on the earth were diging.

 

Same size opening I would use and like yourself use the bar as I get closer to pin point the exact spot.

Thanks.