Rock Jaws

3RRL · Mar 30, 2006

Mark,
That's true, however it would be true of any device that picks up large rocks. Rarely would you pick up a rock in exactly the right orientation for placing? Either way, if you were using a backhoe or fel with thumb, it would require putting the rock down, turning it to orient it for placing in correct position. So I think you're stuck with that regardless?

BX2230Dude · Mar 30, 2006

I'm flattered that you guys bookmarked my rock grapple post from 2004 /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. This new RockJaw product appears to be a much larger and well-thought-out version of my simple home-made version. I did a patent search on the web to learn more about the RockJaw and how it's made. Here's the link to the U.S. Patent Application drawings. It wouldn't be too hard to build a scaled down version for ones own personal use.

JimMorrissey · Mar 30, 2006

Dude.....cool, so you're the mastermind.

Do you have any other pictures of your lifter. It's perfect for what I have to move and wish I want to build one.

Thanks!

BX2230Dude · Mar 30, 2006

Jim, these are the only two pictures I took of the rock grapple. Some detail was lost since I had to shrink them down to under 100K to post on TBN. PM me with your email address and I'll send you clearer versions (about 350K each). If it doesn't rain this weekend I could take some closeup photos and post them with the dimensions.

The enclosed photo shows a portion of the rock wall I built in 2004. It's about waist high at this point and tapers off to the left up hill till it's about 18" high. 31,000 lbs of rock.

JimMorrissey · Mar 31, 2006

Will do.

What a fine stone wall. Excellent work. That would have been big money to have built back East here.....thousands.

BX2230Dude · Mar 31, 2006

Got your PM, pictures are on their way.

I bought 15 tons of rock, $23/ton, at a local rock quarry. It's that gray rip-rap type of rock that's commonly used around here to repair landslides along the highway. Total cost including shipping was about $500. This was one of the first projects I attempted with my new BX. A few of the rocks were so big they barely fit into the bucket. I was impressed that the BX was capable of lifting them enough to move them into position at the base of the wall. Imagine what you could do with an L39. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

ccdck20hst · Mar 31, 2006

That rockjaw sure looks handy. I never used one but I have a use for one because I have a stone wall to be moved. I requested the DVD from the web site. I wonder how much it weighs? If it is too heavy (200lbs+) it could eat up the lifting capacity on my CK20. If anyone on buys one I hope we hear how they like it.

JimMorrissey · Apr 1, 2006

The 39 can move some massive stuff. It can't lift them all, but like you said it can skid them along to where they need to go....rocks the size of a small kitchen table.

The rock you had delivered would cost double or more on this side. Good deal for sure. Not even sure you could get something like that without a lot of phone calls and patients.

mike69440 · Apr 1, 2006

( The 39 can move some massive stuff. It can't lift them all, but like you said it can skid them along to where they need to go....rocks the size of a small kitchen table.

The rock you had delivered would cost double or more on this side. Good deal for sure. Not even sure you could get something like that without a lot of phone calls and patients. )

Being from the "Granite State" it is not conceivable to me that one would purchase rocks to build a wall. Jim are you saying $23/ton is a good deal in Vermont?

I get sick at the thought of buying 1,000 or more tons of road aggregate & crushed stone for the top layer of my road and parking area.

I will build a small rock grapple for stones up to 30" diameter or so to place with the L39 hoe. The mechanical thumb can pick up and place, but the grapple will work better for positioning. I need to be careful not to crush the wife.

The Borford Grapple on the loader will be used to pick and transport the small kitchen table sized rocks, and the BH will be used to place and pretty up.

I have to elevate the road at least 24" and in order to minimize the wetland impact, the road edge will be of boulders to save fill and keep a 2:1 steep drop off. the 230 wetland section will be hired out to a track excavator, but the rest of the road, I will do as much as I can with the little L39.

JimMorrissey · Apr 1, 2006

Mike,

I'm talking about rocks for wall building that are square or have flat sides for stacking. We have plenty of rocks here, but they mostly round and a real pain to stack cleanly.

mike69440 · Apr 1, 2006

Ball bearing round rock are a pain, fortunately there are some sort of square rocks on my land along with the round rocks.

davidseaquist · Apr 10, 2006

I called today to get a quote on the Rock Jaws. I was quoted 1,250.oo plus $130.oo dollars to ship to California. David.

BX2230Dude · Apr 10, 2006

They quoted me $950 plus shipping when this thread started. Now it's $1250? I thought $950 was a rip off. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Anyone with welding skills could whip up something similar for a lot less than $950, much less $1250. They said it was "patent pending" so I looked up the patent application drawings on the web and posted a link. Looks like my link has expired. Here's what you do: go to the U.S. Patent Application Search page. Search for application number 20050230986. Click on the "Images" button to view 10 pages of detailed drawings/descriptions of how this thing is built. Build yourself a scaled down version suitable for use with a compact tractor. (the original Rock Jaw is built from 3/4" steel, opens to about 50", and can lift a 4,500 lb rock. That's at least twice the capacity of your average tractor) I'm considering building one. Naturally I'll post pictures of the finished product. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

davidseaquist · Apr 11, 2006

I called the factory they would not sell me a pair. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif they said they support their dealers. The dealer in California is selling the rock jaws for $1295.- plus shipping and tax. I will look at the paton than maby have a local welder fab a pair for me David.

davidseaquist · Apr 11, 2006

I would be interested in buying a set if someone could whip up a a pair. I haven't developed the welding skill.I looked at the patent it was all greek to me. My tractor has the lift capacity of 3100 lbs so I could use the full size pair. Any takers thanks David

davidseaquist · Apr 13, 2006

I did a search on google for lifting tongs. I found a lot of differient types and styles of tongs. David.

KiotiJohn · Apr 13, 2006

I would think that you could purchase a large set of timber tongs and modify the biting tips to be like the rock jaw and you'd have a rock jaw.

If you're not familiar with the tongs, they're similar to the old ice tongs for hand moving blocks of ice, and look very much like the Rock Jaws.

John

jim_wilson · Apr 15, 2006

I can't honestly see how these guy are going to get a patent for these rock tongs - they too much like logging tongs with a slightly different end on them. Their extremely high price is probably to cover the cost of the patent application.

Here are some logging tongs that look almost just like those so called rock tongs:

http://www.peaveymfg.com/loggingtools.htm

(scroll down the page a little)

KiotiJohn · Apr 15, 2006

( they too much like logging tongs with a slightly different end on them. Their extremely high price is probably to cover the cost of the patent application. )
That was my thought exactly!
John