5' Blecavator (Stone Burier) - right application?

[eCRX]

Anyone have experience with a Blecavator?

My buddy is building a home on a large lot and we're looking into options for dealing with the existing rocky topsoil.

The topsoil has a decent amount of rocks the size of potato's and the odd watermelon-sized boulder.

What size rocks can a Blecavator handle?

Any general advice about appropriate applications for a Blecavator would be appropriated.

Thanks

 

[orezok]

I’ve had my Blecaviator 130 for about 15 years. Thats just over 5’, so probably the same as yours. While the desert soil tends to be mostly sandy, there are areas where the ancient volcanos near me deposit many small rocks. My experience is that it will handle rocks up to about baseball size ‘mostly ok’.
It will also bury most weeds, twigs etc.

Larger rocks will bounce around and finally be spit out on the surface.

Its biggest drawback is that you really need 35 to 40 hp or it will be really slow going. The reverse rotation really puts a load on the tractor.

It also weighs about 900 lbs not including any water ballast you put in the compaction roller.

 

[oosik]

I visited the web site. It showed the 155 model. The 155 is one really heavy piece of equipment. 1665 pounds - as I recall.

Just a couple questions. Does this "thing" really do that good a job. How does it compare to simply - gathering and removal.

 

[leonz]

Anyone have experience with a Blecavator?

My buddy is building a home on a large lot and we're looking into options for dealing with the existing rocky topsoil.

The topsoil has a decent amount of rocks the size of potato's and the odd watermelon-sized boulder.

What size rocks can a Blecavator handle?

Any general advice about appropriate applications for a Blecavator would be appropriated.

Thanks




View attachment 882131

I would spend the money on renting a row crop tractor and a hydraulic drive rock picker like the Degelmen or Schulte rock pickers for a few days.

 

[orezok]

I visited the web site. It showed the 155 model. The 155 is one really heavy piece of equipment. 1665 pounds - as I recall.

Just a couple questions. Does this "thing" really do that good a job. How does it compare to simply - gathering and removal.

 

[orezok]

Actually, it does. I don’t use it primarily for stone burying, but it is the best maintainer of my fire breaks. I have 40’ to 50’ wide firebreaks around the perimeter of my 26 acres. This is desert and while there are no trees to speak of, the brush grows every spring after the rainey season.

The Blec will grind up any brush & weeds up to about 3’ high and bury it almost completely. After a pass all you see is bare dirt and a few larger cut up branch which will not burn on the ground.

And if it does encounter rocks, it burries them too.

 

[oosik]

Thanks orezok. Firebreaks are one of my major concerns this time of year. I really need to cut about half a mile of firebreak in my NW pasture.

These gosh darn wildfires are getting worse every year around here.

 

[dstig1]

I thought for sure this was a made-up word and you were messing with us. Like the Deframulator or Turbo Encabulator (look up that video if you haven't). But no, it is actually real. Learn something new every day...

 

[ruffdog]

It's hard to believe they do this:

 

[jyoutz]

Thanks orezok. Firebreaks are one of my major concerns this time of year. I really need to cut about half a mile of firebreak in my NW pasture.

These gosh darn wildfires are getting worse every year around here.

Mowing a couple of acres around your buildings will prevent surface fires from spreading and thinning a like area of trees will force crown fires to the ground. Firebreaks are only effective if crews are available to burn out and hold the fire line.