Rake Picking rocks vs sifting

[kubotanewbie]

I need to pick small & medium sized rocks from about 30,000 sqft of tilled area. I already hand picked all I could see (the size of a fist and bigger).

The reason I'm doing this is to de-rock the area so I can use reel mower on some nice seashore grass without having the rocks dull the blades.

I'm considering buying a rake attachment for my tractor and wanted to ask if there is a better way to accomplish this "de-rocking" task.

Is there a rock sifting attachment that would pick up the soil and sift it, letting it fall back down while keeping all the rocks in some net?

Thanks!

 

[StanR]

Maybe a rock bucket...

 

[Piston]

Have you thought about renting a power rake?

 

[20 20]

power rake or as you mentioned york/landscape rake

 

[jenkinsph]

After tilling I use a rock bucket to gather all the large rock as best I can. I would then agree with others to use a power rake to windrow the smaller rocks. Still leaves a lot of hand work gathering these windrows but is the best way I have found. Power rakes are expensive so you really should consider renting if this is all you need it for. Depending on where you live it may be hard to find one for rent. Where are you located?

 

[kubotanewbie]

Hawaii - no renting of tractor attachments here (as far as I know)

I buy my attachments online and then pay through the roof for shipping. Oh well, not complaining ...

I looked up power rake and found this [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-J2lNhGt2I"]video[/ame]. Nice. I undrestand now this is called "Harley Rake". They are way too expensive though ($4k+)

Someone commented under that video that a weekend rental is $500.

I'm leaning towards buying one of the rake attachments here. The 60" probably.

The tines are 1" apart, so it should pick most of what I need and it looks sturdy enough, so it shouldn't bent easily.

Thoughts?

 

[jenkinsph]

Ted makes some nice attachments such as this landscape rake it looks good. I have a similar landscape rake 7' and a smaller 5' Frontier, these can help but are not nearly as effective as the Harley rake. The Harley rake will be much more effective at windrowing the rock while leaving the fines behind.

With your living in Hawaii I would try to find someone in the landscape business and hire out the rock removal. Reasoning this is a one time need for costly equipment.

 

[Haoleguy]

With your living in Hawaii I would try to find someone in the landscape business and hire out the rock removal. Reasoning this is a one time need for costly equipment.

Bingo ! Totally agree with this suggestion. If you find landscapers are pricey try a CSA farm in Hawai'i that might be willing to do the work.....Aloha, Gary

 

[Piston]

Jenkins,
How good does the rock rake work?

 

[Jay4200]

I need to pick small & medium sized rocks from about 30,000 sqft of tilled area. I already hand picked all I could see (the size of a fist and bigger).

The reason I'm doing this is to de-rock the area so I can use reel mower on some nice seashore grass without having the rocks dull the blades.

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

 

[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.