How to move boulders?

[studor]

Here is an interesting gadget made up to transport rocks on the three point

Jinma 224

 

[zmoz]

But the hard lesson I learned on my property is that often those rocks are just the "tip of the iceberg"!!!

Hmmm....I have a few pounds of black powder. My uncle used to blow through the rocks with dynomite, back when they let you do that sort of thing without calling you a terrorist. LOL

Another thing I was thinking about is the possibility of drilling some of the rocks out for fountains. I've seen some REALLY absurd prices on those at rock places!

 

[schmism]

rock sled

the redneck version was a car hood upside down with a chain run through some holes punched in the front end.

skid to location and use an A frame to load onto a trailer.

 

[JohninCT]

Here is an interesting gadget made up to transport rocks on the three point

Jinma 224

Hey that is a cool gadget. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Here is an interesting gadget made up to transport rocks on the three point

Jinma 224

Now I know what to build this winter.

Lloyd

 

[brin]

My (great)uncle owns almost a square mile out in the middle of freakin' nowhere, including like half a mountain. There are nice granite boulders scattered around his property that would be worth tons of $$$$ installed in people's yards back where I live. He's getting very old and is now living in an assisted living facility, so he could use a little extra income. As such an old timer, I think he'd be amazed at the idea that I could actually sell his rocks for top dollar. LOL

Anyway, as a bit of a tractor newbie, what would it take to move say 3-4 foot around boulders, like you'd use for landscaping? What sort of impliment would you use to avoid making scars in the rock?

Landscapers don't necessarily want gigantic boulders...keep it simple and stick to boulders that are a reasonable size..break them on site with a skid steer and you can load them into a dump truck..a used skid steer and dump single axel dump truck is all you would need..My JD 3020 with FEL handled the boulders we used around our house for landscaping just fine..don't try to move mountains..just make big rocks into manageable ones and the equipment would not be that expensive..If you just had a used 60 + hp tractor with a front end loader and loaded the big rocks for the landscapers..most of their trailers would hold what they need..Go for it !

 

[J_J]

Even if you had to split a large boulder, when the boulder is set on the ground, no one knows that it has a flat bottom. Take one large boulder, split , and sell as two.
Same size diameter at base

Someone makes a products that you bore several holes into the stone/boulder, and add some compound, and let it sit, and the chemical action causes the material to expand, and the stone/boulder is split.

 

[brin]

Exactly JJ...I remember seeing that product, plus as I recalll yu can just drill some holes and hammer a wedge and it will split...Big rocks into small ones..easy as that. You nailed it too !

 

[J_J]

Here is the stuff I am talking about.

Western Blasting Technologies

http://www.demolitiontechnologies.com/


Betonamit, or S-Mite, Bristar

 

[GPintheMitten]

I've done a lot of moving heavy stuff with levers and other tools that spread work over longer distances and over time. That's the whole principle behind levers, ramps, screws, chain falls etc.

I like the car hood ideas and have done similar things but not with a car hood. Good idea.

I bet I could place those rocks on a trailer for you safely with a medium sized tractor. Having a loader would be a plus but not necessary.

I loaded 1000 pound steel beams on on a pickup from the ground without any more than hand tools.