Rake Picking rocks vs sifting

[powerpace]

Having had a landscape business, I can tell you that you will always have rocks. Removal with a rock picker which is similar to a potato harvester would be best. Probably not available in your area.

Sorry.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Volcanic Island = volcanic rock base, means you are always going to have rocks. I'm guessing powerpace is correct.

Not if that is just intolerable for you, I'll consider trading you for sandstone outcrop of a surface fault in SE Oklahoma. Plus, you don't have the monotony of constant temperatures and predictable weather here.

 

[jenkinsph]

I did this same thing two summers ago while turning a 3/4 acre gravel pit into a lawn. Your best bet is a garden rake, a garden hoe, and a wife. Even better is a couple of garden hoes and a couple of kids (and a wife with rake to supervise). Get them picking and raking into piles, then drive around and gather with your loader. They'll get it knocked out in a day. Seriously.

JayC

I have used the garden rake method quite frequently and it is still one of the best methods.

 

[jenkinsph]

kubotanewbie,
When I am planting new lawns I usually till the whole area about 6 " deep. Next I use a landplane and boxblade to smooth and contour as needed.
When smooth I broadcast the seed and use a 3PH harrow to cover the seed.
Last pass is with a heavy roller to get good contact with the seeds.

After seeding and rolling and the area is smooth it is easy to see any rocks that are sticking up. I rake these with a garden rake and or hand pick. Recognize that with the softer tilled ground the roller will push these small rocks below the surface and out of your way. You can't get all of the rocks out but you can get them out of the way.

 

[blunosr]

I agree with Powerpace on the potato picker. When I was a kid, we used to use one with the conveyor that picked up the rocks and put them in a small hand dump trailer. We picked a lot of rocks that way!

Oddly, there are still a lot of rocks in those fields... Hmm...

I now own the place next door, and I'm kinda nervous about turning over the fields. I'm pretty sure I know what I'll find, and the potato harvester is long gone...

Good luck with your field. Bye for now,

Troy

 

[rambler]

For such a small area, a couple hours one afternoon should get that cleaned up real slick, just pick them up.

I spent much of my youth spring days picking rocks off this farm, 8.7 million square feet. Wife & I now drive around a couple days with the Polaris and get 10-12 loads with it each spring.

Not a big deal.

As mentioned, they won't ever 'end', you won't finish. For a grass crop, you just want the surface cleaned up, a roller hwlps to push the missed/ late ones go back down to the surface so that aren't trouble. The landscape rake will help pull some to a pile; but it will also dig more of them up. Sorta 2 steps forward, one step back....

--->Paul

 

[jbrumberg]

There is a never ending supply in many of the hilltown gardens of New England. I get a brand new rock crop every Spring . I spend a lot of "hands on" time harvesting the crops .

 

[jenkinsph]

There is a never ending supply in many of the hilltown gardens of New England. I get a brand new rock crop every Spring . I spend a lot of "hands on" time harvesting the crops .

While you may have frost heave issues in New England with a fresh crop of rocks each year I doubt that would be the case in Florida. Certainly not any where near as many, in the deep south rocks can be rather scarce to find while other areas such as where I live now they are hard to get rid of.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

There is a never ending supply in many of the hilltown gardens of New England. I get a brand new rock crop every Spring . I spend a lot of "hands on" time harvesting the crops .

Reading some of these posts I don't think other people have rocks like we have rocks. A couple of hours with a rake? People have been at it for almost 400 years with oxen, horses, tractors and dynamite and we're still not done. To me, a "small" rock is one a tractor will move, a "big" rock is one you can see from space. I'll admit I haven't tried it, but I don't think a roller is going to help with a rock the size of desk.

 

[art]

It really depends on how much you are willing to spend. York style rakes like you asked about I don't normally recomend as once they are full of dirt as well as rocks they leave it when the rake becomes to light to pull the load.

I do like rock buckets which depending on there purpose have spacings from 11/2 inch to 3 inches and they can dig down! Harley rock rakes work very well on the surface and with a full complement of teeth in front of the rolls will get many of those below the surface.