How to move boulders with a backhoe

[bkuhn]

I was looking for some suggestions on the best way to move boulders with a backhoe.

Background:
I am building a retaining wall out of boulders ranging from about 500 to 1100 pounds each. The backhoe is a JD 448 on a 4410 tractor. The retaining wall is only about 4 feet from the house so I have to be ABSOLUTELY SURE I don't drop one of these accidentally or it will most likely roll down and hit one of the walls (I don't even want to think about the damage I'd be dealing with there).

So...

The smaller rocks are not much trouble since they are small enough that I can pinch them with the bucket against the boom arm, but the larger ones are so big (and their center of gravity is beyond the teeth) that I can't clip them. The obvious choice would probably be a thumb, but I don't have one and wouldn't invest that sort of money for just this project.

I had thought of building a set of clamp on forks for the backhoe bucket, sort of like I might use on a front loader but shorter. Maybe 2 1/2 feet long or so. Just something to give me a platform to push under the boulders and support them. I'd need to keep the forks very level, but as long as I did it would provide a reasonably large area to rest the rock on.

That said, I'm sure I'm not the first one to run into this problem and wondered if anyone had some better (or at least tested) methods that they could recommend.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Brad

P.S. I do have a set of hooks weleded to the backhoe bucket...not sure if that could be utilized somehow here.

 

[CurlyDave]

...The retaining wall is only about 4 feet from the house so I have to be ABSOLUTELY SURE I don't drop one of these accidentally or it will most likely roll down and hit one of the walls (I don't even want to think about the damage I'd be dealing with there).

I wouldn't touch this project without a hydraulic thumb. How much did you think the repair would be if a rock hit your house? How much is a thumb?

After I got the thumb, I would strongly consider getting a large amount of old timbers, dimensional lumber, or even logs in pieces at least 8' long. Set this up as a kind of cribbing to protect the house if & when a rock does get away from you and rolls toward the house. Work on the wall in sections, and when you are certain the wall is stable, move the cribbing to the next section and protect that part of the house. The purpose of the cribbing would both be to absorb the impact of a rock and to distribute the force over a larger area of the house, hopefully preventing damage.

 

[northwoodpower]

Hydraulic thumb should run $3,000.00. but you could use a mechanical thumb, you should be able to have one installed for around $900.00. You will find many uses for the thumb after you are done with your current project. Good luck.

 

[bigballer]

or you could rent a mini-ex with a hyd thumb for a couple hundred $$.. that's what i did and it worked great!

 

[RonMar]

Well if the boulders are within the weight lift limit of your hoe, you might be able to sling them. The type of sling I am thinking of involves a loop of chain or cable that is too small for the boulder to pass thru. To this you attach 3 or 4 pennants. The boulder sets in the loop, and the pennants go up the sides of the boulder to meet at the bucket. If you roll/position the boulder how it is going to set before rigging it, it would probably only be a matter of a little wiggling to get the loop and pennants off once it is in place. This of course is time consuming, and a bit more labor intensive and perhaps hazardous as you will be workign hands-on around the boulder. It of course would be far easier to rent a trackhoe with a large enough bucket and thumb to place the boulders from the operators seat...

 

[mc faulkner]

John Deere has made it very difficult to get a true power beyond source on their tractors to control a hydraulic thumb, and maintain your other controls. As an aftermarket manufacturer of both hydraulic and mechanical thumbs we recommend mechanical only on the John Deere backhoes, and I agree - you should be using a thumb, or renting a machine that has a thumb on it.

 

[IslandTractor]

Thumb or grapple. You could do this with a grapple so long as you can get close to the wall. I have a BH with thumb and a grapple on the FEL. I find the grapple is easier for precision work. You could get a grapple for almost the same price as a mechanical thumb and much less than a hydraulic thumb even counting the extra plumbing for a diverter valve etc.

 

[workinallthetime]

man you cant get much cheeper than than this
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/122644-my-new-backhoe-thumb.html

 

[3RRL]

I too would would recommend a thumb. Doesn't need to be hydraulic at all for what you're wanting to do. But thinking along the lines of a sling is a cheap and safe way to handle rocks and boulders. Or a type of mechanical boom grapple would work great. You can buy or make one pretty easy.
It's sort of like a pallet puller or tongs concept, except for vertical lifting.

 

[irwin]

John Deere has made it very difficult to get a true power beyond source on their tractors to control a hydraulic thumb, and maintain your other controls. As an aftermarket manufacturer of both hydraulic and mechanical thumbs we recommend mechanical only on the John Deere backhoes, and I agree - you should be using a thumb, or renting a machine that has a thumb on it.

This just the job I've been doing for a while, great big heavy, unwieldy, rocks and lots of em. Was looking for a front attachment, much more control over the boulders is my thought.
Lots of pretty grapples out there..I need one

Looks like the closest place to me is McFaulkners&sons, any relation?