Need ideas to build a "stone boat"

[oosik]

I could post a picture of the stone boat from the homestead adjoining my property on the north. However - it's very old and was set up to be pulled by a mule or team of mules. The homesteader had five sons. So loading/unloading probably wasn't much of a problem. They built MANY stone "fences" clearing their large fields. Some are over a mile long. They are about 2 1/2' feet high and around six feet wide. The largest stones form the outside walls of these fences.

I've seen a children's saucer sled used to move stones. Worked pretty slick - didn't do the saucer sled much good.

BCP - that stone boat is genius - pure genius.

I have just ONE rock I would like to move. It's dead, smack in the center of my high meadow. Estimated weight - 14,000 to 16,000 pounds. More than I could even hope to drag with the M6040. One of these days I'll have my neighbor come over with his compressor driven jack hammer. 4 or 6 pieces would be nice.

 

[Big Barn]

I could post a picture of the stone boat from the homestead adjoining my property on the north. However - it's very old and was set up to be pulled by a mule or team of mules. The homesteader had five sons. So loading/unloading probably wasn't much of a problem. They built MANY stone "fences" clearing their large fields. Some are over a mile long. They are about 2 1/2' feet high and around six feet wide. The largest stones form the outside walls of these fences.

I've seen a children's saucer sled used to move stones. Worked pretty slick - didn't do the saucer sled much good.

BCP - that stone boat is genius - pure genius.

I have just ONE rock I would like to move. It's dead, smack in the center of my high meadow. Estimated weight - 14,000 to 16,000 pounds. More than I could even hope to drag with the M6040. One of these days I'll have my neighbor come over with his compressor driven jack hammer. 4 or 6 pieces would be nice.

How about a pic of one of the stone FENCES?

 

[oosik]

"How about a pic of one of those stone FENCES?" OK - if it's a nice day tomorrow. I'll take the camera over and get some pics. The closest one is about a half mile NW of my house here.

 

[BBHomestead]

This is one of the safest ways to love heavy objects with your tractor because it takes away a lot of balance issues!

 

[oosik]

Well - what a surprise. The weather man got it right - it's raining this morning. If it doesn't clear by this PM, so I can go over in the ATV and take pics - I'll fire up the Taco Wagon and make the trip.

I have not forgotten Big Barn. I WILL get some pics.

 

[Big Barn]

Awesome. Thanks,oosik. I’m certain there will be others interested also.

 

[oosik]

No problem - the rocks being wet should stand out better against the fields of dry, tan grass also.

 

[oosik]

OK - still raining and I'm just not overly excited about rainy wx adventures. SO........ here, I hope, is a Google Earth shot of one of the stone walls. It's roughly 1200 feet long. If you look closely - lower left hand area. Straight path leading to tiny black dot. That's the neighbors cows - following my barbed wire fence to the black dot - my NW property corner. OK - here goes........


View attachment 613168 . By golly - it worked. There are several "fences/walls" on this old homestead. They really aren't fences nor walls. Just a place to put the rock from cleared fields. This is the most obvious one.

 

[oosik]

OK - photos of the "wall/fence". I don't remember so many being so small. One would hope they had some form of rock rake along with the stone boat.

View attachment 613175View attachment 613176View attachment 613177View attachment 613178View attachment 613179View attachment 613180View attachment 613181View attachment 613182

The final picture is the cleared high meadow. On the extreme right - upper corner - black dot - my NW property corner.

 

[LouNY]

They will sink into the ground over the course of many years,
some of the rock piles where we pick and unloaded for years had been 4 feet or higher tall,
in the last 50 years they have subsided into the ground in many places,
where we had piled up on ledges they have spread themselves out from animals and weather.