Soil Separator

[Eric_Phillips]

Well I finally built a soil separator. I have attached a couple pictures. A couple of things I learned. The chain link fence doesn't work well with organic material, stuff sticks to it. I am going to see how much some expanded metal costs and try that, otherwise I will try some welded wire fence. When it is just rocks and dirt it works OK but the holes are too big to remove the smaller rocks. Using two layers of chain link doesn't help. I also built it just wide enough to get my bucket in to remove the good dirt. I should have made it at least 6" wider since I catch the bucket on the supports a lot. Also since it just slopes down to the ground when I go to get the dirt I tend to push the dirt farther forward and can't get it. If I had made it stop sooner and put a piece of ply that I could push against when scooping it would have helped.

[Eric_Phillips]

Lets try attaching the pictures.

[LBrown59]

Originally Posted by Eric_Phillips

Lets try attaching the pictures.

I'm thinking of building one similar to this only making the upright and horizontal base foldable.
Why are you trying to sift brush with it?
Never heard of doing that !

[LBrown59]

Originally Posted by Eric_Phillips

since it just slopes down to the ground when I go to get the dirt I tend to push the dirt farther forward and can't get it.

Just get what you can and when you're done sifting simply move the sifter over to 1 side and then use your loader to scoop up what you weren't able to get to while the sifter was in place.

I find it's better to till the dirt before sifting it.
Makes for smoother easier sifting with better results.

[Eric_Phillips]

I was clearing a drainage ditch in front of the house and I got some dirt with the brush. I wanted to burn the brush and since dirt doesn't burn well I was trying to seperate it. I gave up on that and just burned it. The pile smoldered for about 4 days after the burning. Also I am seperating teh rock from the spoils after roch hounding some of the yard. These piles have three years of weed growth. I took off a layer of chain link last night and added twolayers of some welded wire. I will see how that does with the smaller rock. My soil is very sandy with a lot of rubble. I want to plant the pasture this weekend so the mounds need to go.