Why are there railroad ties around the perimeter of my chain link fence?
Question:I've recently moved into a new home and never had to deal with landscaping. My backyard needs a lot of work. Currently there is a chain link fence. On either side the fence just splits my property from the neighbors but the back of the fence is on the edge of the property line which immediately slopes drastically into woods. There are railroad ties all along the inside border. Do they serve a purpose or can I get rid of them? I thought the one in the back may serve as a way of preventing the backyard from "washing away" but it isn't buried in the ground or anything, in fact I can see a good size hole in the corner beneath it where the dirt has already started to slide.
Answers:
Preventing the ground from eroding could be the main reason for the railroad ties. They also help stop pets from digging. I would not remove them at this time unless you want to see more erosion.
I have had to ADD 4 x 4' to my rear sloping yard to stop erosion. We have lived in this house for 19 years and have needed more dirt trucked in every 3 years or so. It is rather expensive plus a lot of labor, reseeding the yard etc. Since we have added the 4 x 4 our problem has been dramatically reduced.
probably there do keep animals in or out... I actually put some ties around parts of my fence, where my dog kept digging ... they help to keep him in!!
The previous owner put them there to discourage their dog from digging out.
I would not remove them they are there for errosion control if this has started all ready get ahead of it now this is your first project take the ones that are ther now bury them leave about an inch out the top of the ground get enough to run along the top of them place on top and nail them down
My suspicions are the previous owner had a dog that liked to dig out under the fence.
You could remove one and the answer may be quite obvious.
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