What's a good way to scoop up large stones?

[Gordon Gould]

For rocks laying on or close to the surface I use my bucket and grapple or the chain method or I pry them into the bucket with a 5' bar. I keep the bar handy in the FEL torque tube. You have to be flexible and use what works. No two rocks are the same. My grapple helps alot to hold the ones that wont actually fit into the bucket.
It is the ones that are half buried that give me trouble. Those I have to swear at.

 

[k0ua]

Practice. thats the most of it. I do pretty much what every one else does. After a while you kinda know where the bucket lip is.. One thing I do is dump the bucket until I can see the lower edge. then I usually work the rock slightly on the left side of center so I can lean out an look around the tractor some. then catch the lower lip, you will get some dirt too. part of the deal. Some rocks you can flip in the bucket with a raise/curl/lower/rapid foward movement, hard to describe, you just have to practice it. But the big boys, you get your chain out after the rock is over the lower lip then you chain them to your hooks on each side of the bucket. and lift a little and then roll them back. I usually get off and tighten the chain if needed. Keep your bucket as low as possible and go slow. moved a million of em. Rocks are all we have in Branson.:laughing: If you want dirt you have to buy it. I probably have bought over 200 ton since I have lived here. maybe more.
James K0UA

 

[kennyd]

A little tip: The top of the bucket is at the same plane as the cutting edge, so if the top is level-so is the front edge of the bucket.

Another way is to get a grapple

 

[Transit]

Try adding a BUCKET LEVEL INDICATOR to your FEL. The indicator will show the bucket angle to the ground and help you load the bucket. :thumbsup:

 

[ctgoldwing]

I am not familiar with the capacity of your fel but a 3' diameter stone would have to weigh about 2000 lbs - way more than my L3400 would stand a chance lifting.

I have 'disposed of' rocks that size (and bigger) by using the bh to dig a hole next them and then nudging them into it

I have seen the old 'car hood' technique for large bolders. Roll the rocks onto it and have a chain attached to the drawbar. Then just drag it away.

 

[radioman]

why not put FEL in float mode to level off the bucket before approaching the rock? When I put mine in float mode and I look at the level indicator and curl/uncurl as needed then creep up to said object to pick up. It seems like with my bota its easier to have fel in little diggin action and take out of float mode as it passes under with object I want to pick up. Its not the curling action that picks up rock, its getting most of the rock surface on the FEL bucket before curling to lift. curl too soon, it will simply fall out.

 

[magicheater]

Went out and scooped this one. The one next to it was a bit too large for the tractor.

 

[pat32rf]

I built a simple rock bucket with an open rear frame and 5 fork tines. Each tine is 1bout 1" round bar and extends 12" in front of a crosspiece so the total tine length is 20". I bend them now and then but a 10 section of 3" pipe helps to straighten them back out. A lot of rocks I can't lift, but I can roll back, then by shoving the bucket up an incline I can hold the rocks up as I back down and proceed to destination (hopefully close-by).
The lift capacity is greater back close to the pins instead of out front at a bucket lip.
The joys of a quick change bucket.....

 

[dave1949]

My NH has an indicator rod showing when the bucket is level to the ground, that's handy. Maybe you could duplicate that in some way, paint marks that line up or whatever.

Some rocks just aren't going to fit deep enough into the bucket to stay there when you curl, the chain method helps with that.

In general, if you can get the rock uphill from the bucket to let gravity help it in a bit, that works to your advantage.

I have trouble with big rocks catching on the bolts and nuts that hold my cutting edge bar on the bucket. This keeps them from sliding in easily.

If you consistently find your bucket is riding up over the rock even when you have the rock backstopped against tree, you are just plain curling too early. The cure for that is practice and getting a better sense of your bucket position Remember a truck driver's most basic training - GOAL. Get Out And Look.

Dave.

 

[Cat_Driver]

The best I did was connect some of those bolt on forks, that worked the best for be as the forks locked in the rock for travel