Rocks in the Bucket

[Arcane]

Newbie's dumb question:

How do I get 1-2 bushel-sized field rocks into the FEL? I mean, without getting out of the seat.

So far, I'm either lifting the front of the tractor by the front edge of the FEL and not getting the rock, or I'm pushing the rock all over the field until I run it into something else (the immovable object). Its like trying to pick up a single green pea with a spoon: helps to have a chunk of bread.

I'm not averse to getting out of the seat, but the rocks I want to pick are buried deep in poison ivy and briars (I'm trying to get them out so I can run the bush hog through them).

Is there a technique to this? I'm sure a rockpicking attachment would be helpful, but I can't afford one.

Thanks in advance.

 

[nasdaqsam]

Thats a tough thing to do even for the very experienced.

Several things that have worked for me. YMMV.

-If I can find another rock to push up against then I push up against the other rock and slide under it.

-You can dig a little in front of the rock and attack it from underneath. Once you have the hole you can slide under and just work the bucket to get the rock moving. It should just slide right into the bucket or so the theory goes.

-I have also used a pinch bar and driven it behind the rock to hold it and slide under it.

Now I have a grapple that eleviates a lot of chasing. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[HomeBrew2]

I have a few comments for you:
1. My neighbor and I bothe haxe BX23's. He has had past experience with FEL's and is very good with one. I am not. We have the same prob as you with rocks. He can use a combination of bucket curl and lift and blade position to scoop them up. I can do it once in 50 tries. BTW, it's obviously easier if you are pointed up hill.

2. You seem to have a BH. My neighbor is able to manuver the rock into the BH bucket then jam it into the dipper stick for transport. Note: I have found that driving around on uneven groun with a big load on the tail can require a lot of Malox. You did not specify a safe method /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif If you have a garden cart or trailer, it might be best to load the rocks into one.

2a. Again, I am not as talented as my neighbor but I am cheap and reasonably resourceful. Here is a link to the el cheapo thumb I made for my BH. Works great. Umm, still prob not very safe but very effective on rocks and logs.

Cheers!

 

[RonMar]

A fork bucket really helps a lot with this. You need to force some part of the bucket under the rock, past it's CG so that when you roll the bucket back, the rock rolls into the bucket and not away from the bucket. It is much easier to force the tines on a fork bucket into this position than the cutting edge of a regular bucket. If you don't have plans on getting a fork bucket, I would look into a bolt on fork assembly. Rankin equipment co. http://www.rankineqco.com/
makes a pretty nice one(look under farm, forks, trash on their site) that was a fairly reasonable price when I looked it over getting ideas for the fork bucket I built.

 

[DMF]

This has been a PITA for me for many years as well. Now I have a rock bucket (see attachment) which is the cat's a$$ for this type of work, but they are pricey. The trick is you need to get something under the rock (which was stated elsewhere on the thread), the forks on my rock bucket do just that.

That being said, I think that a toothbar may help in about 80% of the situations and can be used for other purposes. I do not have one myself (yet) so I can't really compare the effectiveness, but it's a guess that it would work much better than the cutting edge on the bucket alone.

Good luck!

 

[LBrown59]

<font color="red">Here is one way I have done it. </font>
Pushed the thing into the FEL bucket with The front blade on my Bolens tractor.

 

[Syncro]

<font color="blue"> How do I get 1-2 bushel-sized field rocks into the FEL? I mean, without getting out of the seat. </font>

This is how I do it, not high tech but it sure works and I never leave the seat. (See attached pic)

 

[Boomerang1]

Here is how I have it before. With the bucket tilted down a little more than level, lower the bucket just in front of the rock until the bucket just touches the ground. Do not have bucket in float position. Do not drive up to rock with the bucket on the ground because you will push a bunch dirt in front of the rock. Drive under the rock quickly. You should be able to get under the rock a few inches. Curl the bucket up a little, this should pull the rock in a little farther. Tilt the bucket back down quickly and try driving under the rock at the same time. This will help the rock fall in a little farther. Repeat driving under the rock and curling bucket. With a litttle practice, it will get easier.

 

[RonR]

Syncro, your rock picking attachment looks like it might be high maintenance. I have one like that, but it doesn't function too well in rocks. Mine is very expensive to maintain, but well worth it! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Ron

 

[DougM]

Syncro
You are the man I just love it /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I try to get my wife to do out side work and she seems to
always have some thing else to do ....

DougM

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Drive under the rock quickly. You should be able to get under the rock a few inches. Curl the bucket up a little, this should pull the rock in a little farther. Tilt the bucket back down quickly and try driving under the rock at the same time. This will help the rock fall in a little farther. Repeat driving under the rock and curling bucket. )</font>

Yep, move the rock into the bucket in several progressive steps. That's exactly the process I used before getting my rock bucket. On football sized rocks, that method doesn't work, but on bushel sized rocks, that's the best way to do it IMHO. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif