Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What?

   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #1  

Kamik

Bronze Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
65
Location
Maine
Tractor
John Deere 2520
Some new trees and shrubs were delivered and I need to move them to the locations specified for planting.

The challenge is that the Japanese White Pines weigh about 1500lbs. each. I tried lifting the smallest one with my 2520, 200CX and Horst pallet forks (I had to try!) but it wouldn't budge.

Any suggestions for moving them would be greatly appreciated!

Kamik
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #2  
Some new trees and shrubs were delivered and I need to move them to the locations specified for planting.

The challenge is that the Japanese White Pines weigh about 1500lbs. each. I tried lifting the smallest one with my 2520, 200CX and Horst pallet forks (I had to try!) but it wouldn't budge.

Any suggestions for moving them would be greatly appreciated!

Kamik

put on a good counterweight, lift as much as it will, return valve to center. Now push. Should slide ok. Stop pushing any time you need to re lift. Maybe tricky steering. Take it easy.
larry
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #3  
Try a larger tractor hehehehe!
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #4  
How far do you need to move them? You might have better luck skidding them than trying to lift them. Your 3point had mire lifting power than the FEL so you may be able to chain the lift arms to one side of the pallet to lift it enough to get some boards or something underneath. Repeat on the other side until the entire pallet is on your boards. Then try pulling it to see if it'll skid on the boards.

If this doesn't work, try putting the pallet on something round like fence posts so you can roll it. If it worked for the Egyptians building the pyramids, it'll work for you! I had to move a 2000lb maple in a big pot and did it this way. Have a bunch of posts on hand -- as it rolls off the ones in the back, move them to the front and you can leapfrog your way wherever you need.

Good luck.
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #5  
Slide the forks under then, pick them up, if you can, then tilt the forks back twords you. That might get it off the ground enough to kind of skid them like talked about earlier. Use a lot of counter balance.
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Hi Guys,

Thanks for the great suggestions. Using your inputs, I put on my thinking cap and came up with this plan: I'll build a travois and drag them into place!

Ponies and sled dogs pull travois to haul all kinds of stuff, so why not just scale up the concept and use tractor power for this job? I've got a pair of old 3"x9" timbers that I can use, so I'll loosely bolt one end of each timber onto my 3-pt drawbar and scew a double half-sheet of plywood cut to fit the width of the largest rootball to the other ends.

I'll lever up the edge of the root ball with my landscaping bar and block it in place. Then I'll carefully back the tractor and slide the travois under the root ball until the tree is resting on the plywood deck. I think I'll add eye-screws to four corners so I can strap the tree upright and keep it from moving around. It should then be an easy pull into place.

Thank you for your ideas, tomorrow should be an interesting day and I'll post an update once it's done.

Kamik
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #8  
Rethink the lift.
Try the the other end to lift.
Use the 3 pt, (much stronger!!)
;)
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #9  
Re-think the whole wretched project !!!

Lookit;
They're too damned heavy for you to lift.
They're CERTAINLY too damned heavy for you to put in the holes.
There are all sorts of tricky ways to GET them to the holes, but with inadequate lifting power you WILL have MAJOR problems planting with that sort of weight going into that size hole.

MAJOR as in someone is likely to get seriously injured.
You can't get one of these things off of someone if they get wedged/stuck.

Get help, in the form of adequate lifting equipment - neighbor, professional, contractor, crane guy, - anyone but the fire dept and local EMS after the accident.
 
   / Can't Pick 'Em Up - Now What? #10  
PS Are the holes dug yet ?
I have a vision of a HUGE hole, a HUGE root ball and a teeny weenie tractor at the bottom of the hole with the root ball on top - operator nowhere to be seen - - and nobody daring to look in the most obvious place )-;

Around here by the time they sell you anything with a root ball that big you can negotiate "installation" for very little more, especially if they think you're about to walk.
Too late for that I guess ?

Anywho, I'm still curious as to how you think these things are going to get planted.
Despite the tone of my posting I am genuinely WORRIED that you are attempting a task beyond your equipment's capacity - and that the next task (planting) is even more beyond.
These are factors for DANGER.
 
 
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