Top soil screen

[GreatWhitehunter]

Has anyone made or seen a nonmotorized topsoil screen? I was thinking of making one. Are there and nonmotorized screens already available? Has anyone here made one? I'd really like to get/make one since I've been clearing in my yard I now have two large piles of mixed dirt/rock/brush. Are there any companys renting motorized screens that would work for a homeowner?

Thanks
Matt Traficante

 

[gordon21]

A low tech version is a wooden frame of 2x4's with hardware cloth stapled to the top. You can pick the screen size of the cloth. 1/4" 1/2" etc. You dump the dirt mixture on the top and spread it around by hand. Wear gloves!!! I did this with all the dirt from digging up trenches for sprinklers. What falls through is good sifted dirt. What stays on tops gets discarded. It is a mini version of a rock plant sifting screen. The cost will be under $20 including the gloves.

 

[Defective]

Even better...

Tilt the screen and dump the soil on from the high side. Scoop the screened soil out from under on the same side. Stuff too big for the screen rolls down & off the low side.

You are using a FEL, right? It'll work with a shovel too, but not quite so easy.

I'm pretty certain I've seen a few threads here (or somewhere...) with details AND pictures...I'll hunt around & post a link or two if I find them.

Here's a good example (just had to figure out the right search terms...) The really good stuff is on page 2.

 

[LBrown59]

Has anyone made or seen a nonmotorized topsoil screen? I was thinking of making one. Are there and nonmotorized screens already available? Has anyone here made one? I'd really like to get/make one since I've been clearing in my yard I now have two large piles of mixed dirt/rock/brush. Are there any companys renting motorized screens that would work for a homeowner?

Thanks
Matt Traficante

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/search.php?searchid=177058

 

[LBrown59]

Has anyone made or seen a nonmotorized topsoil screen? I was thinking of making one. Are there and nonmotorized screens already available? Has anyone here made one? I'd really like to get/make one since I've been clearing in my yard I now have two large piles of mixed dirt/rock/brush. Are there any companys renting motorized screens that would work for a homeowner?

Thanks
Matt Traficante

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...deas-rock-screen-filter-709790-soilscreen.jpg

 

[LBrown59]

Has anyone made or seen a nonmotorized topsoil screen? Thanks
Matt Traficante

Lots of people have:
Here are my 2 Favorite ones.

First Choice > www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/build-yourself/42689d1123475569-need-ideas-rock-screen-filter-70956

2Nd.Choice. >> www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/kubota-owning-operating/43888d1125251871-building-dirt-sreen-bx-23-

Do a search : Just type in Soil Screeners and You should come up with the treads on both of these SCREENERS _ I DID !

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I'm not to keen on using wood. I've got some sizable rocks and the wood is going to break. I have designed one at work,I'm still in the process of collecting materials to build it. The frame will be made of 3" square tube. The screen itself will be grating used in ariel walkways. (It's like an 1-1/2" thick)
And I will be using 1-1/2" angle iron to hold the four screens in place. I've draw up a crude sketch if anyone's interested. I should note that it is extremly overbuilt but I need to use the materials I had. I went with a 30 degree pitch and it's 6' high on the top side and 6' long (screen length) by 4' wide. I plan on share this unit with a friend who has a massey gc2300 so that's why I built it kind of small. But I think that the screen is going to work perfect for my needs.

Matt

 

[LBrown59]

I'm not to keen on using wood. I've got some sizable rocks and the wood is going to break. I have designed one at work,I'm still in the process of collecting materials to build it. The frame will be made of 3" square tube. The screen itself will be grating used in ariel walkways. (It's like an 1-1/2" thick)
And I will be using 1-1/2" angle iron to hold the four screens in place. I've draw up a crude sketch if anyone's interested. I should note that it is extremly overbuilt but I need to use the materials I had. I went with a 30 degree pitch and it's 6' high on the top side and 6' long (screen length) by 4' wide. I plan on share this unit with a friend who has a massey gc2300 so that's why I built it kind of small. But I think that the screen is going to work perfect for my needs.

Matt

If the rocks are that big and you know they are there then why would you be putting them on the screener?

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

The rocks are in a large pile and I'm not going to waste time digging through a pile when I can simply screen them out. It's not going to damage the steel screen I'm building but it will surely wreck a wooden one. The screen I'm making is more a separating screen than a soil screen although it will be able to work for soil. When I'm done I should have a pile of fill, a pile of rocks and a pile of brush. The rock will go into the wall, the fill will be to back fill the wall ( behind the crushed stone) and the brush will be going threw my new chipper for mulch.

Matt Traficante

 

[bluetc30]

i took a piece of chaIN LINK FENCE an 8 foot piece of gate a lot stronger set up blocks and put rollers on top and what i do is put a small scoop of dirt and shake it with my bucket a lot cheaper than renting one works slow but it works then i grab the fence and tip it over and set it back down works good but slow

 

[gemini5362]

I would like to run this idea by some of the fabricators that read these articles and get their opinions.

I was thinking about taking some angle iron and making a rock screen. I wanted to make a frame that would bolt on to the bottom of my box blade. I was going to take a piece of flat steel and weld to the front of the frame. Then take some chain link fence ( I read that in another link and it sounds good) and attatch it to the bottom my frame. I figure I can lift the box blade a short distance off of the ground with my 3PH and use the top link to angle it so that the flat stock on the front is touching the ground. My intent is pull that behind my tractor and pick up rocks out of the pasture that way. Has anyone ever tried this or have any suggestions

 

[deerhunterf350]

I would like to run this idea by some of the fabricators that read these articles and get their opinions.

I will be building a Soil Screen over the winter. And have obtained for FREE some old Gates that have some OLD chain link. I say it is old becuase the Wire that the fence is woven from is almost 1/4" diameter. I plan on putting some support bars to keep the fence from strecthing / elongating under the weight of Heavy Clay / Rocks.

With your idea it sounds that it Should work, but I have a few questions.

Unless you have plans of putting a Support Frame under the Fence, I am afraid that after a few rocks are picked up in the "Basket" that the Fencing will quickly Elongate and Stretch, from the Weight and bouncing of the rocks.


Did you have an idea of some way to Dump the collected rocks quickly?

or

Are you going to Empty the "Basket" by hand?

Just a few thoughts, please post pics once completed.

 

[gemini5362]

I will probably be working on this project over winter also. My wife has pretty well informed me that I have to have the new garage finished before I do anything else that does not involve being employed for money. I.E. my job.

I am in the process of getting a hydraulic top link for my tractor. I had intended to see if I have enough travel with that to be able to lift the box blade and then use the top link to angle the box blade for dumping. I intended to make a frame out of angle for the fencing to set on so that stretching would not be a problem. Right now I am in the planning stages and that was why I posted this to see what problems some of the people on this forum would anticipate so maybe I can make it right the first time. I have noticed some extremely talented individuals that post here.

 

[MossRoad]

Several years ago somone posted a thread about a soil screener they built. They used a recycled lawn mower engine and an excentric cam on an arm to shake the screen. I think the screen was horizontal and suspened on each corner by chains hung from posts.