Moving rocks/boulders

[ejb]

>>Tell your wife that the 2' to 4' rocks are "all the rage"
Thats a good one...lol.

I have a JD5410, 4WD, loader etc, much bigger machine than your friends massy, I also have piles of rocks just as you describe, scattered all along the edges of my fields (fortunately removed by a previous owner of the propery). I wouldn't even try to do it with my machine...and I am told the machine that actually did put them there was *quite* impressive about 30 years ago. (Imagine not just pushing them on level ground, but also digging them out and removing them from the ground in the first place)

Good luck.

>>If your wife is anything like the one god gave me, you will never realy get an "approvall" so to speak for anything, only a hard earned acceptance for what youve done!!!!!!!

My wife must be a true angel, not only did she encourage me to buy my first, and second tractors, just the other day she asked if she could buy me another one that I was eyeing (true, it was only a semi-antique farmall, but how many wifes would buy there husband their 3rd tractor?...on the other hand, maybe she has a really guily concious about something....hmmm.....)

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ejb on 6/23/00 08:57 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[Alan W.]

I've tried pushing rocks that size with a 580 case and its about impossible. Yes I moved it about 100 feet to where I wanted it but not without abusing the 580, and don't even think about trying to lift it with a the loader. If you want them moved get someone who has or rent a dozer or a large track loader to position them for you.

 

[Thomas]

Richard,
Like Alan wrote you might want to consider a bulldozer,but if the rock are lose enough you might want to consider someone with a cherry picker.
The cherry picker can make your job easier also safer./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

The IH could have enough power but I won't try it on the larger stones.

Have a fine weekend and stay /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[Billc]

Richard, I live on a hill top and we have rocks everywhere. Many are 3 to 4 feet in diameter...and yes I dug some of them up. Funny, I'll see this small rock sticking out of the ground and decide to dig it up....after all I've got 5 minutes with nothing to do. So I get a shovel and start. Then I go back for the pick. Then I go back for the pry bar. Then I go back for several more implements of distruction. Finally I crank up the tractor, put the tooth bar on the loader bucket and start digging. After about 2 hours doing a "5 minute job" the rock is free. Then I feel like the dog who is chasing a bus and then catches it...what to do now? Anyway, I move boulders one of two ways: 1) I push the rock with my loader bucket to the edge of the property or to a centeral pile (which I am sure will be worth big money one day....uh-huh, right). 2) I rap a logging chain around the rock, attach the other end of the chain to my draw bar, and drag it to the "worth big money one day" pile.

Be careful dragging one of those big moster rocks on any type of slope. I rapped a chain around one about a month ago making sure the rock wouldn't come loose from the chain. Then I took out my brain and laid it on the ground. Then started dragging the 4 or 5 thousand pound monster across a slope to the rock pile. As I started to move the boulder it decided to obey the law of gravity and began to roll down the hill....very attached to the chain which was very attached to my draw bar. This is about the time my brain, which was left on the ground, jumped back into my head and brought along its good friends fear and panick! Now several things I learned in physics class popped into my head: 1) gravity is measured at 32 feet per second squared...i.e. this monster rock was quickly picking up speed. 2) A body in motion (the boulder) tends to stay in motion (keeps rolling down the hill) until acted upon by an outside force (my tractor). 3) E=MC2...don't know what this has to do with anything but by using it I want to prove that I are smart. Actually it does mean something...when the boulder rolling down the hill made the chain taut, one of us...me and my tractor or the boulder was in for a big surprise! 4) If you drop a feather and a hammer from the same height (in a vacuum) they would hit the ground at the same time. I sure was wishing that logging chain was attached to a feather!

Well there is one other saying I hadn't considered, a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link! THANK GOD!!!!!

So be careful pulling a moster rock across a slope unless you have Mark's 4310 hst which is a first cousin to Speed Racer's car....you know, whenever you are in trouble press one of the control pannels 73 button and a special super secret hydrolic gizmo will pop out of the car (tractor) and save your life.

Got to get, there's this little rock sticking up in the back yard that I want to dig up...figure it will take 5 minutes!

 

[W5FL]

What size chain were you using? I have both 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch chains and I can't believe that my tractor is strong enough to break the 3/8 and not sure about the 1/4 inch. I use the 1/4 inch for stretching fences and easily holds 1000#. Glad the chain broke or you might not be here writing this (or at least no longer have a tractor). /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[Richard]

Hi all, thanks for responses.

Sorry I don't respond sooner, but I don't have a PC at home (Sister in law has it). Given some of the responses, it might be good to elaborate just a bit more.

The quarry already has maybe 15 rocks already cut and just laying there for the taking. I was talking to uncle in law last night and he guesses these might have been cut over 100 years ago (wonder how they moved them then?). Seems they bought the farm 40 years ago and it had barn & house that had as foundation more of these same rocks and the buildings were maybe 100 years old then. The rocks have visible drill holes in them where they were split. Most of them are "squarish" I looked at them a bit closer yesterday (lumbermen have laid many trees over this pit so they don't drive their skidder over the hole and have an "oops" so until they are gone and I have a chance to take Mr. Stihl to the mess, I can't be sure) Looks like the rocks might be 10 to 18 inches deep, varying from 5 to 7 feet long and 1 up to 2 feet wide (front to back). The rocks are on a hill, the quarry is cut straight into the hill, sort of like cutting a foundation into a hill, so any loader/dozer can easily drive right up to them, no lifting out of a hole. I'm intrigued on the rock boat idea, are those planks 1 inch thick, 7 inches thick?

Seems to me that if they did this 100 years ago without mechanical power, it shouldn't be THAT hard to do today with mechanical power? (of course, maybe that is why these rocks are still in the quarry!)/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Regards,
Richard

 

[Von]

Richard,
The stone boat that I used had oak planks that were 2" X 12"and 8ft long and there there were at least 3 of them across. They were held together at both ends on the top with metal plates.

Von

 

[ejb]

...well they built the pyramids over 1000 years ago too, but I STILL wouldn't want to try it now, even with my tractor!

 

[polecat]

YOUVE GOT MAIL SLAMFIRE!!!

 

[DIYGuy]

Rocks that size require ancient engineering.

Mount wood cresent shaped skids to the rocks. (Laminated 2x12 cut into crescent shapes with a 3/4" ply blocking in the middle.) The blocking allows then to be mounted to the rock using rope. Essentially creating a huge spool. (Takes 8 crescents). The roll the rock around by winding a section of rope around the center section and pulling it. The mechanical leverage will allow a small ttractor to move a huge stone.

SAFTEY NOTE: DO NOT GET ON THE DOWNHILL SIDE OF SUCH A BLOCKED STONE.