Rock Puller

3 Sisters Ranch · May 26, 2013

Ok have 5 horse paddocks I want to clean up. The L/S rake will get what I'll call the ash and trash picked up well. My concern is the rock and from looking at the surface lots of them. What are the thoughts on using a form of tool bar then mounting a ripper shank or two with shear bolt on each shank, drop them in about 14-18 inches and roll the rock to the surface. I'll go behind and p/u with my FEL. Anyone had much experience or success with a set-up like that ?? I'll be pulling it with a MF 1635 MFWD 12X12 P/S. I've looked at the manufactured subsoilers and ripper shank set ups and for me they seem to ride awfully close to the rear tires for my comfort. This is a crap shoot in rock size, but think they are less than a bushel basket size based upon what I run into traditionally when digging fence posts, probably 90% less than the size of a 5 gallon bucket. Really hate to snag something to big and get it wedged between puller and tractor tires. Also am aware gound speed is little less than a creep in an operation of this sort.

I'm open to thoughts/suggestions. We're talking about 5 acres total of horse paddock surface area - it can be done as time warrants.

Thanks
Mike

jenkinsph · May 26, 2013

I would use a narrow rock bucket for this and would get the ones that are surfacing only. This will get most of the softball sized and larger rocks out but will definately take some time to do. My concern is whether you have enough tractor for the task.

MBTRAC · May 26, 2013

Here's an ancient 3PL rock rake my family built many years age & long before rock pickers/pin rakes were readily available.
The extended lower linkage arms provide the clearance you required, with the implement workingpreviously pightly cutlivated paddocks on the principle of rake/lift/dump into rows for later bulk clearing by a FEL - this basic design could be scaled to match your tractor HP (& fabricated cheaply if you're handy with a welder & have access to scrap)

JimRB · May 26, 2013

If I cannot pick up the rock by hand or with a hand pick it stays. I have rocks thrusting out of the ground slowly at one end of the pasture. I have no idea how big they are but hand tools cause no wiggling so they stay. I might take a hammer drill to them to drill some winter freeze holes that might split them. But they will stay in place. Maybe all your rocks are tiny but bushel basket is a pretty heavy rock and a big hole to backfill.

JimRB · May 26, 2013

By the way my little JD 870 which weighs 3,000 pounds without the loader can bog out or spin out pulling a single shank root hog.

Dakota_male · May 26, 2013

I have used my sub soiler /ripper without a plow as you suggested to flip rocks out and it works great for boulders to around a foot in diameter,

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...167665-subsoiler-worth-img-20110503-00024.jpg

3 Sisters Ranch · May 28, 2013

Thanks all - gives me some food for thought here. Interesting implement there MBTRAC looks a bit like root rake set-up.
Probably continue to toss around the single or double shank ripper concept. Have the appropriate shop tools to mfg something.
JimRB you could be right I just may run out of traction. But figure if I do it with slow multiple passes and creep down in depth I might actually have some success.

Thanks again and let you know how it goes once I get something built.

Take care
Mike

3 Sisters Ranch · May 28, 2013

MBTRAC - the threaded rod above the steel wheels ?? Do you think that was used to control wheel height. After studying it for a while I actually am starting to like the idea and concept. Especially the roller set-up and the tooth bar spacing which can catch some of the smaller rocks.
I'm thinking now a guy could make this a pull type rig and hooking up to the drawbar, then controlling rake depth with a 2 way cylinder off the rear hydraulics. I better save these pics.

Thanks for the pictures
Mike

Dr_Zinj · May 28, 2013

Get a vibrating road roller and pound them into dust. Then plow & rake to loosen the soil back up.

MBTRAC · May 28, 2013

3 Sisters Ranch said:
MBTRAC - the threaded rod above the steel wheels ?? Do you think that was used to control wheel height. After studying it for a while I actually am starting to like the idea and concept. Especially the roller set-up and the tooth bar spacing which can catch some of the smaller rocks.
I'm thinking now a guy could make this a pull type rig and hooking up to the drawbar, then controlling rake depth with a 2 way cylinder off the rear hydraulics. I better save these pics.

Thanks for the pictures
Mike

No there's no wheel adjustment - the threaded rod serves no purpose it's just something carried over from whatever scrap was salvaged to build it originally, this old rake has been sitting on a scrap pile one of our farms unloved for c.20+years now.

If you're going down the "pull type" rig/depth control path my post on a drag scraper I built on the following thread may prove of interest:-
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/266836-diy-home-built-scraper-pan.html

3 Sisters Ranch · May 29, 2013

MBTRAC said:
No there's no wheel adjustment - the threaded rod serves no purpose it's just something carried over from whatever scrap was salvaged to build it originally, this old rake has been sitting on a scrap pile one of our farms unloved for c.20+years now.

If you're going down the "pull type" rig/depth control path my post on a drag scraper I built on the following thread may prove of interest:-
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/266836-diy-home-built-scraper-pan.html

MBTRAC - checked out your link to the pull type drag scraper - yup I like it. Really has my nerve endings arcing here. You have no heart burn if I was to pattern my rock puller as a similar design ??? I really like the pull type concept. During the build process I may have to consider some type of interchangeable ground contacting tool where a guy could swap out the rock rake for a drag scraper to some type of angle blade. In other words mfg a multipurpose implement.

Thanks for the input
Mike

MBTRAC · May 29, 2013

3 Sisters Ranch said:
MBTRAC - checked out your link to the pull type drag scraper - yup I like it. Really has my nerve endings arcing here. You have no heart burn if I was to pattern my rock puller as a similar design ??? I really like the pull type concept. During the build process I may have to consider some type of interchangeable ground contacting tool where a guy could swap out the rock rake for a drag scraper to some type of angle blade. In other words mfg a multipurpose implement.

Thanks for the input
Mike

You're more than welcome to use/copy the design (it's just a multiitude of things/ideas I've used/seen on implements over the years farming).
Interesting your concept of "interchangeability" is what I originally wanted to incorporate into the carry frame but as I have ready access to other equipment on our farms dismissed the idea as (for my application) too much added compexity, though I can see how it would be real handy on small acreages.

You might want to consider "beefing" the unit up a size or so, to use use behind say an SUV, we use ours at times behind a quad bike for spreading driveway gravel & topdessing soil on the farm house lawn........we just replace the hyd ram with a ratcheting adjustable 3PL top link in these applications.

Good luck & I look forward to seeing photo's of how your projects progresses, in the meantime here's a photo better detailing the wheel/adjustment on our scraper-

3 Sisters Ranch · May 30, 2013

MBTRAC -
Nice shot of the lift set-up, thanks good food for thought, since I really like pull type design the first thing that came to mind was a pan scraper and your pull drag scraper has some similiarties. Yes the perfect world says interchangable ground contact tools and I also like that concept - now if I can get it to fruitation well... we'll just have to work at it. One thing I may look at differently is solid steel wheels like old wagon steel running gear wheels.
In regards to pulling unit as previously mentioned I have a MF 1635 MFWD, so based upon bite size/depth and ground speed will dictate traction. I do see a lot of people take implements and sink them in deep and as fast as they can go, only then to lose power/traction and ultimately break something.
Again appreciate your time and photos, this will take me some time as I kind of a scrounger when it comes to this stuff, so I'll hit a could of farm auctions, scrap yards etc for part and pieces. I always heard half the fun is getting there.

Take care
Mike

MIKE7639 · Jul 26, 2013

Our place is on the top of a ridge line and we have lots of sandstone on the surface that can't be easily dislodged. Sometimes I think this place grows rocks. I bought a poorly designed (in my opinion) stump bucket to use for picking rocks. It was only $250 and looked like it would work for rock picking. It works great for rocks from basketball-size to some 4 or 5 times that large. Occasionally I find some in the pasture that are who knows how large under the surface. I use a breaker hammer and cut the tops off of them low enough that I can safely use the brush hog. It's slow work but I've greatly improved a pasture of 8-10 acres.