Mangled my subsoiler pulling rocks

[ning]

I had my subsoiler on from using it to bury some radio fence wire, and so I decided to have it *ahem* "assist" me in removing some rocks from a newly reclaimed area, making a "road" more passable for my tractor to get through.

Kinda mangled it; didn't realize the main frame was bent until I realized that the point was busted off.
I'm not broken up about it or surprised, given that it was expected to do a job a few years ago and did that and more and was bought from TSC (ie - I knew it was light duty, was happy that it did what I asked it to already, got more than that out of it etc).

So my question is, is pulling rocks out of the ground something that people use these for? It worked fairly well at it without me having to backhoe a crater around the thing, and if a heavier duty one can be put to this task I may get one, as I expect to need a subsoiler for its proper use at some point anyways. The rocks in question were probably 300-500# and not entirely buried (or I'd've left them well alone, happily ignorant of their existence in my pathway), but the mechanics of this use obviously put a lot of strain on the implement overall. The tractor didn't care much one way or another (now THAT would've gotten me in tears).

 

[BukitCase]

Might wanna be careful how far you take this - I'm pretty sure that THIS time, the subsoiler died to save your TRACTOR - case in point; I have a friend that discovered a rock maybe 6" below surface, wanted it gone because that was his chosen garden area - has a JD with hoe attachment (small by my standards, my smallest tractor(s) are 45 horse, his is 22 IIRC) - by the time he was done, he'd hired a local gravel pit guy with a full size excavator - ended up just digging a big hole BESIDE the rock, which turned out to be the size of a VW bug, then rolling the "bug" over into the deeper hole, and smoothing things out... Steve

 

[ning]

Might wanna be careful how far you take this - I'm pretty sure that THIS time, the subsoiler died to save your TRACTOR - case in point; I have a friend that discovered a rock maybe 6" below surface, wanted it gone because that was his chosen garden area - has a JD with hoe attachment (small by my standards, my smallest tractor(s) are 45 horse, his is 22 IIRC) - by the time he was done, he'd hired a local gravel pit guy with a full size excavator - ended up just digging a big hole BESIDE the rock, which turned out to be the size of a VW bug, then rolling the "bug" over into the deeper hole, and smoothing things out... Steve

No doubt; I was only going to pull rocks that showed some potential in being pulled. Farther up the same path there's something that looks like a small ridge of an obviously larger rock that's a couple feet further to the side; I investigated it but decide it was probably going to be a boulder you'd be proud to climb and could stay were it is, I'll just be careful if I have to drive the tractor over it or dump some dirt on it to round things out a bit

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

I had that problem once.. Kept scalping a rock about the size of my palm with the MMM deck..
Decided to dig it up.. Used bucket, shovel, sub soil shank where I could..

Rock ended up the size of a wash tub... Luckily didn't break or bend anything..

 

[RSR]

I've found subsoilers very effective at loosening up ground around rocks, and helping pull them out. But, make sure you get one of sufficient heft to not, er, mangle it. Okay, too late on that advice.

I opted for a heavy duty one from EA attachments last year, paired with a 45hp tractor, and have been very happy with what I've been able to do with it. Of course, we all have similar stories of "Oh, I think I'll take out this small rock" which turns into a much larger job.

My experience started with about a 1 ft x 1ft exposed area of an annoying rock poking up at the edge of my driveway. It ended with a rock that was too heavy for my loader to lift (2700 lb capacity at the pins, at max height), that I had to take a sledge hammer to in order to reduce it in size by about 20%. Finally I was able to get some chains around it to pull it out.

 

[spruce Deere]

Yep, if they don't unearth with the sub-soiler working at it a little, beware.

I had found one of those hidden and forgotten jems sub-soiling. It would stop the 790 as the tires spun down... I ended up working up the buried boulder, roughly five foot long by three foot wide, with my 1150 case. A 20,000 lb. Dozer.

As I started working it with the dozer I remembered my grandfather telling me of a 'house' size rock he more or less just pushed more dirt over to be able to farm over it in this area of the field....luckily it was not that big.

 

[jmc]

I managed to twist a box blade scarfier once. I was probably in a turn when it snagged a root. Not surprised about a subsoiler.

 

[RSR]

I think old time farmers are much smarter than us weekend warriors that think, "I'll just go grab my tractor and get this out in no time."

This is the progression of mine.

1) I'll just loosen it up with a shovel and pop it out with my grapple. No dice.

2) Maybe I can pull it out. Another fail.

3 and 4) Desperation - Take a sledgehammer to it and try to break down the size.

5) Finally! I still couldn't come close to lifting it with the loader, but was able to drag it out.

6) Of course, now I have a huge rock sitting in the middle of my driveway that I can't move. I guess I push it to the bottom and try to make it a landscape feature? Yeah, I should have just left well enough alone.

 

[ning]

I think old time farmers are much smarter than us weekend warriors that think, "I'll just go grab my tractor and get this out in no time."

This is the progression of mine.

1) I'll just loosen it up with a shovel and pop it out with my grapple. No dice.

2) Maybe I can pull it out. Another fail.

3 and 4) Desperation - Take a sledgehammer to it and try to break down the size.

5) Finally! I still couldn't come close to lifting it with the loader, but was able to drag it out.

6) Of course, now I have a huge rock sitting in the middle of my driveway that I can't move. I guess I push it to the bottom and try to make it a landscape feature? Yeah, I should have just left well enough alone.View attachment 693156View attachment 693157View attachment 693158View attachment 693159View attachment 693160View attachment 693161

I've got a bunch of rock piles, but I'm ok with that; better a monolithic pile than a tractor road with a big bump in it to upset your load.

 

[fried1765]

Might wanna be careful how far you take this - I'm pretty sure that THIS time, the subsoiler died to save your TRACTOR - case in point; I have a friend that discovered a rock maybe 6" below surface, wanted it gone because that was his chosen garden area - has a JD with hoe attachment (small by my standards, my smallest tractor(s) are 45 horse, his is 22 IIRC) - by the time he was done, he'd hired a local gravel pit guy with a full size excavator - ended up just digging a big hole BESIDE the rock, which turned out to be the size of a VW bug, then rolling the "bug" over into the deeper hole, and smoothing things out... Steve

Even with a small backhoe, the easiest way to deal with rocks too large for the machine to handle, is often to dig a deep hole alongside, and roll the rock in.

 

[ArlyA]

I had my subsoiler on from using it to bury some radio fence wire, and so I decided to have it *ahem* "assist" me in removing some rocks from a newly reclaimed area, making a "road" more passable for my tractor to get through.

Kinda mangled it; didn't realize the main frame was bent until I realized that the point was busted off.
I'm not broken up about it or surprised, given that it was expected to do a job a few years ago and did that and more and was bought from TSC (ie - I knew it was light duty, was happy that it did what I asked it to already, got more than that out of it etc).

So my question is, is pulling rocks out of the ground something that people use these for? It worked fairly well at it without me having to backhoe a crater around the thing, and if a heavier duty one can be put to this task I may get one, as I expect to need a subsoiler for its proper use at some point anyways. The rocks in question were probably 300-500# and not entirely buried (or I'd've left them well alone, happily ignorant of their existence in my pathway), but the mechanics of this use obviously put a lot of strain on the implement overall. The tractor didn't care much one way or another (now THAT would've gotten me in tears).

Please post pics.

 

[bcp]

I want a compact tractor version of this:

Rock Digger « Degelman Rock Diggers, Stone Diggers

The Degelman RD320 is a trouble-free and versatile machine that has been used for years by professional landscapers, contractors and farmers. The RD320 is designed to dig out submerged rocks and grab, lift, and transport boulders.

degelman.com

Bruce

 

[spruce Deere]

I want a compact tractor version of this:

Rock Digger « Degelman Rock Diggers, Stone Diggers

The Degelman RD320 is a trouble-free and versatile machine that has been used for years by professional landscapers, contractors and farmers. The RD320 is designed to dig out submerged rocks and grab, lift, and transport boulders.

degelman.com

Oh, now that's just cheating
View attachment 693166


Bruce

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I think old time farmers are much smarter than us weekend warriors that think, "I'll just go grab my tractor and get this out in no time."

This is the progression of mine.

1) I'll just loosen it up with a shovel and pop it out with my grapple. No dice.

2) Maybe I can pull it out. Another fail.

3 and 4) Desperation - Take a sledgehammer to it and try to break down the size.

5) Finally! I still couldn't come close to lifting it with the loader, but was able to drag it out.

6) Of course, now I have a huge rock sitting in the middle of my driveway that I can't move. I guess I push it to the bottom and try to make it a landscape feature? Yeah, I should have just left well enough alone.View attachment 693156View attachment 693157View attachment 693158View attachment 693159View attachment 693160View attachment 693161

Those pictures definitely tell a story. However I can't help but think that rock, in its current resting place, is mocking you.

 

[k0ua]

I have some rocks that continue to poke up in my lawn after a few years, I have found the best way to deal with them is just take a sledgehammer to the part that is sticking up and bust it off. These "rocks" are really shelf rock that is part of the earth. There is no "digging them up" to be had.

 

[k0ua]

I think old time farmers are much smarter than us weekend warriors that think, "I'll just go grab my tractor and get this out in no time."

This is the progression of mine.

1) I'll just loosen it up with a shovel and pop it out with my grapple. No dice.

2) Maybe I can pull it out. Another fail.

3 and 4) Desperation - Take a sledgehammer to it and try to break down the size.

5) Finally! I still couldn't come close to lifting it with the loader, but was able to drag it out.

6) Of course, now I have a huge rock sitting in the middle of my driveway that I can't move. I guess I push it to the bottom and try to make it a landscape feature? Yeah, I should have just left well enough alone.View attachment 693156View attachment 693157View attachment 693158View attachment 693159View attachment 693160View attachment 693161

That rock is still giving you the finger. You may have dug him out of his bed, but he won in the end, and is sitting up proud and pretty. .

 

[arrow]

I use my "potato digger" for poking and dislodging rocks as well.
What I find is what I buy from the store such as Tractor Supply, simply serves as a base.
I always add metal. Their "carry all" for instance is rated to 1000 lbs. I built mine up to carry 2000 lbs and it does it.

 

[Jstpssng]

My father got tired of hitting a rock sticking up in the lawn while mowing and decided to dig it out with his 1010 dozer. (7500lb machine) He finally got it out of the hole but it was too big to do anything with it; so he planted flowers around it. He sold that machine 30 years ago but the rock is still there.

Before my field was reclaimed I had started to dig around a rock with my little CadPlan backhoe and quickly realized it was an iceberg. When they pulled the stumps with an excavator that rock disappeared. Now that the stump piles have rotted down and I'm starting to dig into them, I will probably find that rock again.

 

[Jchonline]

I live in rock country! My recommendation is to break up what you need that is sticking up on the surface then cover it with dirt. Pick axe usually does it, air hammer sometimes, jack hammer for the bad ones. I do know you can use explosives also but follow local regs pretty please! Now if it is in a field you need for farming that is another story in which case you ask to borrow your neighbors tractor....
If anyone finds a sub-rocker attachment let us know!

 

[CoyPatton]

I had my subsoiler on from using it to bury some radio fence wire, and so I decided to have it *ahem* "assist" me in removing some rocks from a newly reclaimed area, making a "road" more passable for my tractor to get through.

Kinda mangled it; didn't realize the main frame was bent until I realized that the point was busted off.
I'm not broken up about it or surprised, given that it was expected to do a job a few years ago and did that and more and was bought from TSC (ie - I knew it was light duty, was happy that it did what I asked it to already, got more than that out of it etc).

So my question is, is pulling rocks out of the ground something that people use these for? It worked fairly well at it without me having to backhoe a crater around the thing, and if a heavier duty one can be put to this task I may get one, as I expect to need a subsoiler for its proper use at some point anyways. The rocks in question were probably 300-500# and not entirely buried (or I'd've left them well alone, happily ignorant of their existence in my pathway), but the mechanics of this use obviously put a lot of strain on the implement overall. The tractor didn't care much one way or another (now THAT would've gotten me in tears).

I have used a few different styles of subsoilers but would consider my experience to be very limited.
My personal tractor is low hp—24 engine and my middle buster/subsoiler is rated for low HP tractors. It sounds like what you have is similar to mine although mine came from rural king. I have used a subsoiler on a larger HP tractor Cat 2 unit nit sure of the HP.
That subsoiler had a shear pin design for the ‘digging’ arm and the frame. This design would by design shear this pin instead of twisting the subsoiler.
Again a caution toward buried rocks, is they tend to be like icebergs—you typically only see a small portion of what exist under the surface.