dirtlooter
Gold Member
- Jun 5, 2014
- 8,889
- 13,497
- 🏆 Honorable Mentions:
- 3
- Detector(s) used
- XP Deus with 9"LF and 9" HF Coils and 600 Equinox with stock and 6" coils
- Primary Interest:
- Relic Hunting
A local small contractor contacted me to help find a missing tooth off of his bucket on his backhoe. it was the corner tooth and not having it made a smooth outside dig impossible. It was also an oddball size as he found out, having bought two replacements that didn't fit at all. He had no idea where it could be for sure other that at the site where he had been digging shale fill or at the site where he had been taking the fill. So, we started at the digging site, what a mess! I brought the Deus and the AT GOLD and ended up using the Gold because of the water at the site. I was thinking that the shale would be solid and most of it was except for about a foot or so of mushy shale mud. After an hour or so, around the huge hole and then in it, I told him that it wasn't there.
So, we loaded up and headed to the dump site. Got there and there was about fifteen pretty good size piles of muddy shale. He seemed certain that the last piles were at the far end so we headed there first. I am looking for a good sized piece of iron and immediately got a very loud hard hit and then another and then another and so on. This was at an old and still existing sawmill and there was tons of big iron everywhere and I was picking it all up. After a couple hours of digging big iron (he dug a lot of it) we were hot and tired. He said that he would just have to drive about 3 hours to Little Rock and hope that this other place had what he needed. As we walked back to his truck, I continued to hit the other piles as quickly as I could.
Then, as I hit the very last pile (the 1st one that we walked past) I had a pretty good hit a little higher on the side of the pile. I told him that this had to be it. He was hot and didn't want to dig another spot but he brought the shovel over and in the third shovel, out plopped the tooth. Suddenly a huge smile appeared on his face as he grabbed it up and then gave me a big bear hug. The relief of getting it back was so much and he asked what he owed me. Now normally I say nothing but a handshake and a pic but this time I told him a drink of water would be nice. So, a bottle of cold water and we were headed back. He got the tooth welded back on right away and is very happy. Have a very good friend too.
So, we loaded up and headed to the dump site. Got there and there was about fifteen pretty good size piles of muddy shale. He seemed certain that the last piles were at the far end so we headed there first. I am looking for a good sized piece of iron and immediately got a very loud hard hit and then another and then another and so on. This was at an old and still existing sawmill and there was tons of big iron everywhere and I was picking it all up. After a couple hours of digging big iron (he dug a lot of it) we were hot and tired. He said that he would just have to drive about 3 hours to Little Rock and hope that this other place had what he needed. As we walked back to his truck, I continued to hit the other piles as quickly as I could.
Then, as I hit the very last pile (the 1st one that we walked past) I had a pretty good hit a little higher on the side of the pile. I told him that this had to be it. He was hot and didn't want to dig another spot but he brought the shovel over and in the third shovel, out plopped the tooth. Suddenly a huge smile appeared on his face as he grabbed it up and then gave me a big bear hug. The relief of getting it back was so much and he asked what he owed me. Now normally I say nothing but a handshake and a pic but this time I told him a drink of water would be nice. So, a bottle of cold water and we were headed back. He got the tooth welded back on right away and is very happy. Have a very good friend too.
Thank you for sharing. 
