Looking for advice for choosing a PTO HYDRAULIC PUMP

[aczlan]

On the rock rake, a Harley rake might work for doing what you want to do. It lets you run the rocks into a windrow and keep working the window across the paddock.

Aaron Z

 

[GarlicOfEden]

Aaron,

Darn it. I forgot to mention. Subterranean rock removal down to 10 to 12" depth and screening to 3/8".

 

[RickB]

Aaron,

Darn it. I forgot to mention. Subterranean rock removal down to 10 to 12" depth and screening to 3/8".

Which you expect to accomplish with 40-80 hp?

 

[GarlicOfEden]

Yes, with a 42" cut and 42" belted chain.

Much like a single row potato digger at 30' can be pulled by a 25hp and a two potato digger at 60" can be pulled by a 60hp.

The idea is a dual purpose implement that can be run like a potato digger in the paddocks and the first passes in an arena to pull out anything over an inch. Then with the belt running in reverse and a attachable screen (screen sizes are 1", 1/2") beneath the belt. Both operations pile rocks into a hydraulic dump bucket at the rear of implement. Of course before this process is achieved the soil must be gone over with a ripper and when boulders are found they are excavated and then the soil tilled. I have seen horses and calves come up lame after frolic or being worked because of stones. Folks don't worry as much about the calves because of the intended purpose.

As always, any thoughts are most welcomed.

 

[RickB]

Picking rocks to a depth of 12 inches for the purpose of protecting livestock from injury? The same species that walk around millions of acres of pasture and rangeland every day? OK. I hope it all works out for you. My take is if you go ahead and concede that the operation is necessary and actually has merit, doing it 3.5 feet at a time is not the way to get anything done. Plenty of equipment exists that will get the job done faster, easier and at less cost per square foot (or cubic foot?) than on the scale you are considering.

 

[aczlan]

Picking rocks to a depth of 12 inches for the purpose of protecting livestock from injury? The same species that walk around millions of acres of pasture and rangeland every day? OK. I hope it all works out for you. My take is if you go ahead and concede that the operation is necessary and actually has merit, doing it 3.5 feet at a time is not the way to get anything done. Plenty of equipment exists that will get the job done faster, easier and at less cost per square foot (or cubic foot?) than on the scale you are considering.

Agreed. If you are working them in a ring, around here they just bring in 4-8" of sand to topdress the ring and call it good.

Aaron Z

 

[GarlicOfEden]

Aaron or anyone,

Please educate me. My calculations figuring 100' x 200' arena is 20,000sf. A tandem dump truck carries 18 yards of sand = 162 cubic feet of sand. At 4" depth is 486sf and at 8" is 243sf. What I'm coming up with is 41 tandem truck loads at 4 inches and 82 tandem truck loads for 8 inches for an average arena. Am I making a mistake here. I ask because the price point I'm shooting for is more than 41 but much less than 82 truck loads. Does the Fingerlakes region have issues with rocks being pushed up from ice lens like here in Wisconsin. Y'all have really good wines over there BTW. The rocks being pushed up here average between 1" to 2" vertical a year and rock picking is time/money expensive. To the point of having the ability to go at 12 inch depth is to be a multiple purpose tool also capable of de-rocking crop fields to include root crops. I believe there's a guy they call Arena Rock Doc that gets booked frequently in the Fingerlakes region, when they can get him, and at 6 inches of screening treatment lasts about 7 years when properly groomed on a schedule.

Rick, I realize I started this off looking what people preferred for hydraulic pumps and I have received valuable input. I apologize that it has turned into implement details, do to my own fault. That said, what is the equipment that exists that would do it faster and cheaper. I'm targeting for $9K unit price to be competitive with two arena treatments for loved animals not necessarily considered livestock. And again, thank you for the input!

 

[pmsmechanic]

I see one mistake already. A cubic yard of sand is 27 cubic feet. Therefor a tandem truck of sand is 486 cubic feet of sand. Not 162.

 

[pmsmechanic]

At 4" that would be 1458 square feet and at 6" it would be 972 square feet. 4" = almost 14 loads and 6" = 20.576 loads.

 

[GarlicOfEden]

Nice! You are absolutely right. I'm at hour 64 of a 72 hour fast. That completely slipped past me. Thank you. My machine would be around equal cost of 8" of sand for an arena. Thank you again for the correction.