Automatic Beachcomber

[trashdude]

Hey I'm reading a post on Florida Today. Says Cape Canaveral is considering buying automatic beachcombers to groom the shoreline. The Tourist Development Council is expecting to work with Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach on buying a $81,681 surf rake to begin cleaning the beaches before the April start of turtle nesting season.

This rake is 7-foot-wide with spring-loaded tines like stainless steel fingers, flicks cigarette butts, broken glass, plastic, bottle caps and other debris into a hopper pulled behind a tractor.

More than likely this will be approved. Say GOODBYE to any potential finds folks.

Here's the link: www.floridatoday.com (2 cities consider automatic beachcomber to groom beaches)

The trashdude

 

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[trashdude]

Hey FLauthor,

What's been your experience with these dump spots? Have you been able to search any and have you had any luck in them And thanks for the URL.

 

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[Dirt Fishin Dale]

They need to scrape up all those dead fish with those rakes.

 

[trashdude]

Yuck. They need to dig a deep trench and just torch em'. I haven't been out there for about a week and WOW that really looks bad.

 

[FLauthor]

Personally I've never found a dump pot but I've talked with other TH'ers who have and the finds can be rewarding, i.e.: coins and jewelry. They won't use it to pick up dead fish, I heard they got the prisoners out collecting the fish and throwing them into a big hole then cover it up.I recommend anybody hunting the beaches during Red Tide to go to a hardware store and buy a good respirator to filter the air. You might look funny out on the beach but at least you can breathe. It your eyes are watering then a pair of googles will help. Good luck!

 

[trashdude]

Thanks FLauthor. Was just wondering bout' the dump sites. Appreciate you weighing in.

I might try to go out tomorrow. HH, Thanks again and have a Happy New Year.

 

[RON (PA)]

I can't speak for Florida, but they do use a Beachcomber on Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. Just from looking, they have the tines set to go deep, about 1 - 1.5 inches. That's okay, I can still find stuff. The beach does look weird that way with all the tine marks. It does though make it easy to see where you have been.

 

[trashdude]

Hi Ron.

It will be interesting to see what happens. At first I was real aggrevated about it, but as I've listened to all the stories about this machine, I'm starting to believe that it may work out to our benefit. I don't think they've purchased it yet. Haven't seen it on the beach, but I know it's coming soon. Thanks bunches. HH

 

[vegasmtl]

I had my first experience on a beach that I think uses one of these things. Some of the beaches here looked like they were "scraped" and the excess sand pushed in the water. I couldn't see any tine marks, but there were tire marks and the scrapes. I did however find about a pound of shredded cans. Got real tired of digging junk. I tried to ask one of the caretakers near one of the beaches, but he didn't speak enough english to understand me! And of course, my Japanese is a little rough. I can order dinner, but asking about beachcombers is beyond me. I did search where I thought they cleaned their trough, but nothing but more junk. I guess I got to hit it in peak season, often.

HH
vegasmtl

 

[trashdude]

Hi vegas,

Been to Japan a time or two. Real nice but real busy over there. Doesn't surprise me about them raking the beaches. They take great pride in parks and rake all their gardens/beaches. If you found stuff on a raked beach, that gives me encouragement. HH vegas and good luck over there.

 

[sandsifter]

Get a resperator. The goodies will be under the dead fish.

 

[trashdude]

LoL, sandsifter. We already experienced the RED TIDE down here at Cocoa Beach. It was hard to stay out for even ten minutes. A lot of dead fish and very few finds. Absolutely terrible. Good luck to you this year. HH

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

80% or more of all the metal trash is pick up for free by us. why spend that kind of money.

I should send the City of Cape Canaveral a bill for my services rendered...

LOL


Ray S

 

[khouse]

The beach rakes will leave most all the coins. It's the sifting and screening machines you have to watch out for. They can screen down to 3/8 inch if they want to. Most of the time it's 3/4 to 1 inch though. Most coins will fall through. But I'll bet that they use the smaller screens to catch the goodies. I sure would.

 

[xXx]

This process has been in effect for several years here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. At night they "rake" the beach. As most people know, there are no problems getting good finds on these beaches. In fact, this cleanup process helps me by getting rid of the large trash targets like cans. You can also talk to the city and find out where they are dumping and go there to hunt?
As far as using inmates to clean the beaches? Again, here in Myrtle Beach we do. In fact I work for the Sheriff's Department and am writing this post from work, the County Jail. Every morning we have to wake up the "Beach Clean Up" crew (minimum security inmates mostly in for child support and such) and they go off to work cleaning trash from the beach.
These "cleaning machines" aren't all that bad!
xXx

 

[trashdude]

Thanks xXx.

Hey by the way, does your inmates do a good job at cleaning up at the beach? Just curious.

 

[xXx]

I really don't know. They go out with the county workers and I'm stuck here in the jail. I seriously doubt they do a good job though. They can't seem to get their cells clean, and I'm sure there's usually too much "eye candy" to keep their attention from work. They still get 2 days for each 1 off their sentence that they work.
We should find a way to attach little coils to their county issued shoes and mark the good targets as they pass them over?
xXx

 

[trashdude]

Hey xXx,

I hear ya on the eye candy thing. Can't say as I blame them. You got a good point though. If they can't even clean up their cells, bet is they aren't cleaning the beaches either. Hey, good luck at the jail. That can't be easy work. HH.

The trashdude.