How big of a rock/boulder can a 60 HP tractor push on relatively flat dirt?

[oldnslo]

The pictures in post #17 show rocks a 50 HP tractor should be able to move and probably even lift. Careful pushing and lifting rocks with loader since real easy for weight to shift and pucker factor goes full power in a heart beat..

Yes stone boat works great if you can get rocks rolled onto them.

 

[ruffdog]

Yes stone boat works great if you can get rocks rolled onto them.

An old car hood works good for a rock sled.

 

[Jrasband]

Better to push from behind with a scrape blade. Just try and see what it is capable of.

 

[oosik]

I have lined my inner driveway with some large basaltic lava boulders. The rock weight chart I found on line says this one weighs around 3000#. I never tried pushing it. It would simply tear up to much land. I lifted it with my grapple - kept it right at ground level - moved it half a mile cross country to its current location. It's 4' wide - 2.5'deep - 2.5' tall.

 

[TimberFarm]

This will give you an idea of what I mostly deal with size-wise. The second picture is of those on the larger end. Of course I hit some outliers that are bigger but not often.

View attachment 751031View attachment 751032

60HP should handle them no problem. What you see isn't even half of what I dug out of piles of dirt and small trees.
All done with a JD 3203.
Largest was about 54"x30"x8". Others 54x20x20.
Bucket would only lift about 4 or 5" off the ground.
Pushed some of the big ones too.
Most of the smaller stuff, hand thrown in the bucket then dumped.
I probably moved about 75-100 tons when it was all said and done. Brownstone.

 

[Torvy]

The short answer to the original question is, 'it depends'. What is the density of the rock?

 

[mikester]

You can move bigger ones using forks than you can with a bucket...

 

[future_vision]

I have lined my inner driveway with some large basaltic lava boulders. The rock weight chart I found on line says this one weighs around 3000#. I never tried pushing it. It would simply tear up to much land. I lifted it with my grapple - kept it right at ground level - moved it half a mile cross country to its current location. It's 4' wide - 2.5'deep - 2.5' tall.
View attachment 751077

Well, that is encouraging. Your tractor is a bit more powerful than the one I am getting but pretty close. If I can fist this size then I should be good for most of the rocks I need to deal with.

 

[future_vision]

You can move bigger ones using forks than you can with a bucket...

You would think the weight distribution of using forks might be hard on the forks but I guess that depends on what your forks are rates for huh? But I can definitely see that forks would do a good job of getting under the full width of a large rock compared to a bucket.

 

[future_vision]

The short answer to the original question is, 'it depends'. What is the density of the rock?

According to Wikipedia

"New Hampshire is known as "the Granite State", but less than half is underlain by granite; much of it is schist or gneiss, both of which are metamorphic rocks."

Even though I used to collect rocks as a hobby growing up I couldn't really tell you what each of these rocks are.

 

[future_vision]

An old car hood works good for a rock sled.

Don't have one of those lying around but I imagine they might be easy to get. That and some chain sounds like a solid build although I suspect that would introduce a lot more friction compared to a stone boat which is basically a sled. You only have those runners touching the ground.

 

[future_vision]

Here is another good picture for reference. The excavator is a 18K lb Takeuchi TB290 (https://www.takeuchi-us.com/tb290-specs-and-dimensions/). That stone on the ground is one of the larger ones I've unearths although there are some larger ones I do not have pictures of. Those got pushed with this machine once I got them out of the ground.

 

[rScotty]

Don't have one of those lying around but I imagine they might be easy to get. That and some chain sounds like a solid build although I suspect that would introduce a lot more friction compared to a stone boat which is basically a sled. You only have those runners touching the ground.

Stone boat.... OK. Great idea!
I wonder what a purpose-built stone boat would look like? My guess is it would look a lot like a 50's vintage car hood. Lots of surface area, rounded edges, durable metal, reinforced edges, and hinge points to attach chains. A seriously ugly implement, though.
rScotty

 

[Bavarian]

Just make sure you're not getting a hood from a Tesla. Might not work.

When the last VW Beatles got retired, many roofs got cut off and used as sleds.

 

[jb1390]

9k lbs for a 50 hp tractor? I think mine will be around 7500-7600 lbs. 4K for the tractor. Another 1400 for bucket and loader. Another 1200 for the backhoe and then another 900-1000 for the ballast in the tires. Most of the rocks are well under the 4K mark but there are those special ones that pop up from time to time.

It weighs 6300 on the scale with nothing on the back, and no implement on the front (just the loader arms). So, when i run a 2k pound counterweight, and 700 pound bucket, it's right around 9k. It'll vary a little bit depending on what's on it.

Looking at the pictures you're posting, I would be able to lift most of those, and easily roll the ones I couldn't lift. Your tractor is more similar to mine than different.

I've never monkeyed with a stone sled, pulleys, etc. I think all you'll need is a machine with a grapple. If you don't already own a grapple, I'd recommend getting one that's as narrow and light as you can. Less stress on loader arms, and more weight capacity for your load instead of the implement. I run the single lid EA grapple at 54".

 

[CobyRupert]

The short answer to the original question is, 'it depends'. What is the density of the rock?

So many, many, many variables. Too many to name.

 

[future_vision]

Stone boat.... OK. Great idea!
I wonder what a purpose-built stone boat would look like? My guess is it would look a lot like a 50's vintage car hood. Lots of surface area, rounded edges, durable metal, reinforced edges, and hinge points to attach chains. A seriously ugly implement, though.
rScotty

But do you really want lots of surface area?

 

[future_vision]

It weighs 6300 on the scale with nothing on the back, and no implement on the front (just the loader arms). So, when i run a 2k pound counterweight, and 700 pound bucket, it's right around 9k. It'll vary a little bit depending on what's on it.

Looking at the pictures you're posting, I would be able to lift most of those, and easily roll the ones I couldn't lift. Your tractor is more similar to mine than different.

I've never monkeyed with a stone sled, pulleys, etc. I think all you'll need is a machine with a grapple. If you don't already own a grapple, I'd recommend getting one that's as narrow and light as you can. Less stress on loader arms, and more weight capacity for your load instead of the implement. I run the single lid EA grapple at 54".

No grapple yet. I've been 'grappling' with which one to get. Part of me says a skeleton/rock grapple since I do have a fair number of small rocks, roots and twigs to clean up. Another part of me says go with a root grapple and a separate skeleton/rock bucket. Then there is the choice of single or dual lids. Like the dual lids but those are sometimes only found on larger grapples.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Hmm. Stone boat. Good idea. Hadn't considered that. Guess I got some how to videos to watch.

Go to the junk yard and buy an old car hood.

 

[Rustyiron]

I need to push some fairly large rocks around. I've was able to push many of them with a 70 hp mini excavator with a blade but I am wondering what I can do with a 60 hp tractor. I'm guessing the weight of the equipment and it being able to maintain traction is probably part of the equation.

Throwing this in as a reference
View attachment 750989

How far away are you going with these rocks?
I'd pick my battles (rock size) between the excavator and the tractor keeping in mind that the tractor loader is more of a farm chore tool and if there's an excavator sitting there....