Clearing rocks off surface... recommendations?

[PatasColo]

Hi Team ,
I'm wanting to clear a lot of rocks off the surface of our field. I know there will be more surfacing each year, so I'm looking for a way to do this from time to time without getting a rockbox (too expensive, one use item).

One option that sounded neat come from this post: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/230045-72-inch-rachet-rake-sale-41.html#post2785224 Also, I'm thinking this tool could be useful for reseeding areas, smoothing clods and dirt, and even getting a smoother (and less rocky) driveway, used in combination with either the boxblade (as in the post) or the FEL (for clearing simple brush). I like a multi-purpose tool, and this one is quite inexpensive.

From what I've read, a landscape rake will not help me much with this kind of rock. Please chime in if your experience is otherwise. I'm looking for any advise, help, or suggestions, based on experience. You know my goal, and keep the budget low. :thumbsup:

See attached pictures for variation in the rock size on our property. If the tool can't handle the biggest ones seen in the middle picture, that's OK, as they are fewer and fairly easy to run around and collect in the FEL or wheelbarrow.
-Mitch
P.S. No one is under the hat... it's just there for size comparison! :laughing:

 

[greasemonkeyok]

In addition to the RR, looks like you might need a rock bucket. There are many different manufacturers, but the Haala Barracuda Utility Rock Bucket at Northern Tool is an example of one.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Sounds like that RR on the boxblade would do your rocks for you, at least get them in large piles that you could pick up with the FEL.
According to all the posters it does everything but churn butter.

 

[PatasColo]

In addition to the RR, looks like you might need a rock bucket. There are many different manufacturers, but the Haala Barracuda Utility Rock Bucket at Northern Tool is an example of one.

Sorry, but I should have said "rock bucket" rather than "rock box" in my original posting.... Sure, I'd like to have one , but the cost is something I'd like to avoid, and not sure that there's other uses for it that would justify that cost. Additionally, I don't have a Quick-attach bucket, so getting one to pin on, or adding QA to my FEL arms is either a lot of work (former) or more money (latter).

Keep those ideas coming! :thumbsup:
-Mitch

 

[PatasColo]

Sounds like that RR on the boxblade would do your rocks for you, at least get them in large piles that you could pick up with the FEL.
According to all the posters it does everything but churn butter.

The challenge has been laid down... Try to churn butter with your Ratchet Rake!

(Thanks for the laugh Gary! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing
-Mitch

 

[schmism]

If you dont want to get one of these tools built specifically for the task you want to do.

Then the only other item i know of that will make quick work of them and is not a single use item and comes free are these.

Id suggest a harley rake but if you dont like the idea of a rock bucket, then a harley rake is way out of the question.

 

[riptides]

How much land?

We did two acres by hand and bucket brigade. Our issue was quartz rocks. Very jagged, shard stuff all over. Ranging in size about the size of your hat, to "rock" sized pebbles. Took about a year. Just used the york "landscaping rake" to expose them.

 

[BarryinMN]

You need a rock rake to windrow the rocks & then find a way to pick them up without the dirt.

 

[PatasColo]

How much land?

We did two acres by hand and bucket brigade. Our issue was quartz rocks. Very jagged, shard stuff all over. Ranging in size about the size of your hat, to "rock" sized pebbles. Took about a year. Just used the york "landscaping rake" to expose them.

Ours is about an acre.
We did a lot last year by hand, and it really was a lot of fun with the family. They even took a lot of rock home to make an outdoor turtle enclosure. :laughing:

But given the nature of our land, we will have rock arising every year. I like the "idea" of a rock bucket or harley rake, but the idea is "free". Plus, I like the challenge of applying a bit of good ol' farmer ingenuity to solve an ongoing task... it feels so much more rewarding to me!
-Mitch

P.S. Along those lines, here's a brainstorm that just occurred to me: What would happen if I put the rippers down 1-inch in my boxblade, with the teeth facing backwards. Then, lower it to the ground (let it float on ground) and drive forward. Seems like if should float on top of the rippers (not digging in; about a half inch space or so between blade and ground). I wonder if this would manage to collect the rocks that are greater in size and loose on top of the soil (there are plenty of those)? If I needed more space, drop the rippers to 2 inches down...

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Wouldn't hurt to try, but reversed rippers will just roll over the rocks and not collect anything.

I know what you mean about the cost of a rock bucket, even for cleaning more than one acre.

 

[KPark]

Small rocks will make the box blade roll over them, and then roll over the larger ones. You need something that will dig in and lift them while smoothing the ground left behind. If you were to build a rock rake attachment to attach to the ripper teeth on the box blade, you could accomplish this while allowing the soil to be left behind. With a little ingenuity, you could even make the spaces between tines adjustable for the desired granularity of clean-up. Just imagine a min-rock bucket instead of just the ripper teeth in the box blade.

 

[IndyIan]

I think a heavy box blade would help alot, 1000lb 7'er with 8 rippers and careful hand on the position control won't ride up very often. Of course that costs more than a rock bucket and won't work nearly as well but its multi purpose I guess.

 

[DieselMonk]

I have a Horst rock fork for that purpose.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

According to what I see next to your hat............... I got a feeling for at least your first pass over this field you will need something like in this link...........

Haybuster Rock Pickers

Then some passes over the ground with some good sturdy tillage equipment until it is time to run the powered rock picker again.

Good luck

 

[IndyIan]

According to what I see next to your hat............... I got a feeling for at least your first pass over this field you will need something like in this link...........

Haybuster Rock Pickers

Then some passes over the ground with some good sturdy tillage equipment until it is time to run the powered rock picker again.

Good luck

Wow, suddenly a horst rock fork looks really really cheap! Neat machine though, and maybe someone in your area does custom work with one.

 

[gwdixon]

Here in California just about every town has a street corner where daily or 1/2 day helpers can be hired for $10 - $12 / hour. Just have to find out where they are. It helps to speak Spanish.

We hire them to stack slash from trees, pick up rocks and pieces of shattered wood, even stuff slash into a chipper. Most of the guys are hard workers.

 

[jenkinsph]

Ours is about an acre.
We did a lot last year by hand, and it really was a lot of fun with the family. They even took a lot of rock home to make an outdoor turtle enclosure. :laughing:

But given the nature of our land, we will have rock arising every year. I like the "idea" of a rock bucket or harley rake, but the idea is "free". Plus, I like the challenge of applying a bit of good ol' farmer ingenuity to solve an ongoing task... it feels so much more rewarding to me!
-Mitch

P.S. Along those lines, here's a brainstorm that just occurred to me: What would happen if I put the rippers down 1-inch in my boxblade, with the teeth facing backwards. Then, lower it to the ground (let it float on ground) and drive forward. Seems like if should float on top of the rippers (not digging in; about a half inch space or so between blade and ground). I wonder if this would manage to collect the rocks that are greater in size and loose on top of the soil (there are plenty of those)? If I needed more space, drop the rippers to 2 inches down...

Mitch,
It is good that you like to do this by hand with the family as it is probably your best bet.:laughing:

I do a lot of this in my landscape work and use a rockbucket for the big stuff followed by raking with a garden rake into small piles. We then drive the bucket around and pick up the piles of small rocks with a flat shovel. I have found that I can till the ground about 6 to 8 inches deep then remove as much rock as posssible then roll the ground and push the small rocks below the surface. You will never get them all out but you can get them out of the way for a lawn grass to cover them.

Most rock buckets with 3 inch spacings will only work on the larger stuff they still allow alot of rock to fall through the spaces between the tine bars. If you buy a bucket with closer spacing it is hard to get the dirt to fall through, kind of a catch 22. I would like to build a landscape rake with round tines about 1/2" diameter on 2" spacings that would gather most of the rocks larger than 1 1/2" in size yet still allow most of the dirt to pass through. The tines need to be spring steel though and I haven't found a suitable source yet.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Jenkinsph, have you looked at this rock bucket?

Rock Buckets and Grapple Forks

I haven't called to get a price yet, but your criteria is close to what I want and this is the best I've found.

 

[PatasColo]

According to what I see next to your hat............... I got a feeling for at least your first pass over this field you will need something like in this link...........

Haybuster Rock Pickers

Then some passes over the ground with some good sturdy tillage equipment until it is time to run the powered rock picker again.

Good luck

YEAH Baybee!!!! That thing "rocks!" :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

That would certainly do the job! Fun to see all the ideas folks have. I do speak Spanish, and there is a large Spanish-speaking community in my area... It'd be fun to see what could be done in a day by a few fellas. I know that when we have "all hands on deck" with the extended family here, the work goes very fast.. after all, it's just an acre. (That's our field... the rest of our acreage is sloping mossrock-covered foothils with bushes, trees, etc... really nice).

If I had any of the pieces of equipment that have shown up in this thread, I'd use it between one and three hours per year. Guess I gotta' find a neighbor who has one! :laughing:
-Mitch

 

[TheKid]

A while back when my brother was a boy scout leader someone made a donation to the troop, and in return the troop came out and cleared a field of rocks. Doesn't take long when 20 or 30 kids are working on it. Plus most troops are usually looking for funds for camping or what ever.