Removing rocks

[Rsnpac]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2" - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this? We are using this 1/2 acre for grazing horses. My guess is the owner plowed up a leach field and now (no rain) the ground is very hard with rocks exposed. The horse's sole of the hoof gets bruises and then become lame. The rocks are on the surface (picked up a lot so far) and I assume there are lots more under! Hope this makes a better picture.

 

[lagunagrande]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2 - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this?

2 feet or two inches? If it is two inches than a normal FEL with a bucket can get the job done.

 

[Boeing]

I fought this battle all last summer on approx 2 acres that I wanted to plant. There ARE rock rakes; stiff tines that will rake rocks up for you to pickup by hand or rake into a pile for your FEL. There are rock collection impliments that are supposed to capture and hold the rocks; got poor reviews. I didn't have the money for a rake so I used the "diggers" of my box scraper to expose them and I picked up THOUSANDS of rocks by hand and transported them by the bucket load. I finally got it to the point that I could disk and spread seed. Still have lots of 1" rocks but seeds will grow around them..... that's "next" summers job.

 

[Don87]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2 - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this?

Try here:



Everything Attachments | Skid Steer Attachments, Tractor Attachments, 3 Point Hitch Attachments, and Farm Tractor Implements.


and here:

Watch the video:

http://www.everythingattachments.com/Tractor-Harley-Rakes-Power-Box-Rakes-3-Point-Hitch-PTO-s/88.htm


and here:

http://www.everythingattachments.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=rock+rake

 

[creekbend]

The previous suggestions are good. Some of these suggestions can be costly. This is what works for me. I have a 6-Foot heavy duty box blade and a tooth bar on my FEL. Just this past week, I used these two implements to remove around 150 rocks, ranging in size from 10 inches to 24 inches. I lined the bottom of the driveway on both sides with these rocks to help prevent wash out due to heavy rainfall deluges. Just a thought? Wishing you the best of Luck.

 

[JohninCT]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2 - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this?

There are many attachments and techniques for getting up rocks. But, you might need to provide a little more info on what you are really trying to do. Are you talking about picking 1/2" to 2" rocks out of an established pasture (grass)? Or are you talking about getting them out of dirt that will eventually be a pasture? Are the rocks embedded in the ground or are they loose on the surface? Less than 2" rocks are pretty small (at least around here). If you are dealing with loose rocks on dirt my advice is to rent a skid steer with a rock hound attachment. It will rake up and pick up lots of small rocks like this in dirt with ease and leave it ready for planting seed.

 

[JimRB]

I have used my hands, a pick, a 5 gallon bucket, a wheelbarrow, and a tractor loader bucket to clear pastures of rocks. Our pastures are only 8+ acres here and the last place was less than 15. I pick up rocks every spring and sometimes in the summer. I have some black granite growing in one corner but I suspect there is a lot under ground that by the time I am old and feeble may have finished getting pushed up.

My neighbor made the mistake of driving around with a set of disks pulling rocks up all over. He has a lot of rocks to pick out if he wants to run a brush cutter quietly over his 15 acres.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2 - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this?

Why bother for that size of rocks? What do you need to get rid of that small size of rocks for?
I live at the bottom of what was once Glacial Lake Missoula and we have rocks from the size of a Volkswagen on down. Some are so big that a trackhoe can't pick them up and they have to be buried. Those less than about 150 pounds, I bar up and haul to the fencelines with the FEL as they become a problem. If I wanted to farm up the ground, I'd need a rock picker to get the bigger rocks up and anything less then about 4 -5 inches we'd roll into the ground with a roller. if all I had was 1/2"-2" inch rocks, I wouldn't bother.

 

[slofr8]

You can do what I did and use a snow blower. Oh, yea, I was gonna be smart and blow near the sauna so I wouldn't have to shovel. Picked up a rock and do you think the 1/4" shear pin would "shear". Nope. $280.00 gear box is what's the weak link in this story. Not angry...just sayin'..Dan.

 

[powerpace]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2" - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this? We are using this 1/2 acre for grazing horses. My guess is the owner plowed up a leach field and now (no rain) the ground is very hard with rocks exposed. The horse's sole of the hoof gets bruises and then become lame. The rocks are on the surface (picked up a lot so far) and I assume there are lots more under! Hope this makes a better picture.

Having been a Landscaper in a previous life one thing I found out early on. You will always have rocks in your yard. A half acre you have the horse on is probably not big enough for horse keeping with grazing. A paddock that small will not stand up to much horse pounding, the more use the more rocks.

One point I might add. Around the water trough allow a trickle of water to keep the surrounding area wet (mud). This will allow the horses hoof to become softer and more plyable. It seems your horse has tender feet probably resulting in bruising the sole.

 

[Jay4200]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2" - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this? We are using this 1/2 acre for grazing horses. My guess is the owner plowed up a leach field and now (no rain) the ground is very hard with rocks exposed. The horse's sole of the hoof gets bruises and then become lame. The rocks are on the surface (picked up a lot so far) and I assume there are lots more under! Hope this makes a better picture.

Rent a Harley rake. That will pulverize the surface and clean out most of the rocks a couple of inches deep. Then, get the wife and kids out there with garden rakes - line them up and go. 1/2 acre can be picked clean by a couple of people in a day.

No matter what you do, you'll have to rake out the area by hand, but a Harley rake will make that job relatively easy.

JayC

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I'm with Jay on this one. A rock rake dragged behind the tractor will get a lot out; but nothing is as good as a Mark I hand rake powered by a Mark I human for however long it takes. Get a teenager and offer him $20 to $50 to rake and rock pick the enclosure.

 

[expedoman55]

I de-rocked an 8 acre parcel here in upstate NY when I built our house in 2001. I did not own any equipment at that time so I rented ALL of it .. DANG I am in the wrong business. Rental is good bucks.
We rented a rockhound and skidsteer and many days later we had a rock free lot. What I will suggest however is do not let the rockhound fill up to far or you will pay a price of manual labor to empty vs dump. Also I know you are all smarter than I however just a tip don't try to drive it forward with the rock hound down.. operate ONLY in reverse..

 

[JimRB]

I missed the 1/2 acre and horses. Well I saw the 1/2 acre part. In Georgia the rule is an acre a horse if you can rotate pastures. This of course assumes established pastures and good rain. 1/2 acre and horses plural means it is a dirt paddock unless you rotate two horses off after a few days. At least that is what happens at our little ranch.

 

[Low Bucket]

Need advice on removing rocks (1/2" - 2") from a pasture. Is there an attachment for this? We are using this 1/2 acre for grazing horses. My guess is the owner plowed up a leach field and now (no rain) the ground is very hard with rocks exposed. The horse's sole of the hoof gets bruises and then become lame. The rocks are on the surface (picked up a lot so far) and I assume there are lots more under! Hope this makes a better picture.

Welcome!

Doing a search on here brought up this homemade rock bucket. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/141181-input-my-homemade-rock-bucket.html

Jimgerken sure did a great job building his and he saved a lot of money!