Rock in a Hole

[kday64]

All,

I am looking for the best way to get a 1.5x2x3' granite rock out 2.8' deep hole. The rock is in a tight place (surrounded on trees on 3 sides). Forth side has my lawn

I am guessing the weight of this rock exceeds my FEL capacity so just lifting it out is not an option.

I can wrap a tow strap around the rock and sort of drag;
1) Jinny (My BX) spins her tires
2) My truck (Sara) spun her tires.
3) Tow strap with 10 ton ratchet strap moved the rock nearly 6 inches then the ratchet strap ran out of room.

I just ordered a 30', 3 Ton Come A-Long to pull the rock out. One end of the come along goes to a tree 15' away. The other goes to the tow strap which is around the rock.

This rock needs to be moved so that I can make my lawn less dangerous for Jinny. It looks like I have about 10 of these rocks to move/remove from my lawn.

I am looking for a cheap solution.

~Kevin

 

[JimRB]

Are the trees substantial? If so then lifting straps wrapped around substantial tree and use the come along to move it? When I need to lift something heavy I use my 3 point hitch. I have an old 3 point hitch hay mover frame made of 3" square tubing that I wrap a chain around to lift things up. My rear has an almost 1,900# lift rating. No idea what the breakout rating is of my front loader but it is less, and less safe. Seat belt and roll bar in place of course.

 

[CurlyDave]

Read this entire thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/191735-large-boulder-must-go.html .

Essentially, breaking it up by building a hot fire on it will get it into manageable pieces. For a small rock like you have force a draft with a leaf blower and then quench the rock with water. It will break into smaller, easily removed pieces.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I paid Roy Vice $65 an hour with his rubber tired skid steer to move mine and put them where I wanted them, exactly. Shouldn't take an hour or two to do ten and not tear up the area. Sure you have a Roy Vice near you.
Some jobs need to be hired out same as before you bought a tractor, I know some get tore up over the thought but it's true.

 

[oakwoods]

This might be a good time to try this product:
Dexpan Non-Explosive Controlled Demolition Agent: Dexpan Intro Non-Explosive controlled Demolition, Dexpan Controlled Demolition without Explosives

 

[tawilson]

If you can move the rock at all you can put some smaller rocks or blocks of wood around it, then as you shift the rock these will slide under it, maybe throw in some dirt or sand, and you might be able to get the rock up higher. Then maybe scrape out a bit of a slope down to it, just to make it easier to drag out. This rock kept poking up out of my road a little more each year and that's how I got it out. I've dug out a lot of rocks and stumps, and found that once I can get them to move just a little, they are history.

 

[jbrody44]

This might be a good time to try this product:
Dexpan Non-Explosive Controlled Demolition Agent: Dexpan Intro Non-Explosive controlled Demolition, Dexpan Controlled Demolition without Explosives

I used this stuff to break up a rock the size of a car when excavating for my barn. It took a full day of drilling and a day to crack it, but it did the job. This rock was huge, the full size deere 510 backhoe could not handle it, broke it into 6 pieces, then we were good.

 

[Ductape]

Just dig a larger hole on the open side right next to the rock.......... and roll or drag the rock into it. Then bury it.

 

[jimmyj]

Put a lock and chain on it. By tomorrow it will be stolen.

 

[chopped]

seconds to Ductpe s idea..

 

[kday64]

So this one rock is the beginning of a much larger project. I want to grow my lawn back past the tree/rock line.

Below is a picture of my backyard to quantify the size of the rocks I will be forced to deal with.

 

[nspec]

I once had a rock about 5 foot in diameter that was buried just beneath the surface of my soon to be vegetable garden. My backhoe could shimmy it around by twisting from the sides, but obviously couldn't lift it. I dug all around it, then dug a ramp leading down into the hole. It took a little messing around, but I was able to wiggle it right up the ramp and out of the hole, where I could push/roll it off to the side.

 

[keyman1808]

Like JT said, get a quote to have a larger machine come in and do it. Probably wont be all that much

 

[CT Jay]

Had a big potato last fall that wouldn't budge. Tractor not strong enough. So, I winched it out. Used Warn 3700 winch, and looped the cable back with snatch block, to provide up to 7,400 lbs pull, and then chained up the rock.

Used the BX25 to provide DC power to the 12V winch. I had previously installed a short heavy duty quick connect on the tractor battery, made by Warn, for just things like this.....i.e., using winch out in the field.

I didn't pull against the tractor.....thought tractor would either slide along the ground, or bend something on the tractor if I dug in with toothbar to belay, or both....so instead I used a tree-wrap and tugged from there.

Of course, I first had to do some digging....that's how I found out a little rock was a big one. Dug all around, and undercut it a bit to get the chain into a good position.

As the rock started moving, I threw in small rocks, and some wedges to prevent it from falling back in, in case chain broke or for other reasons had to stop and re-set up.

Only thing I did wrong was I didn't throw a blanket or big branch across the winch cable. Forgot. But the cable held and didn't snap.....and I was standing well away in any case.

Irony is, just 2 weeks later, I hired a guy with an excavator to come in and pull some major stumps and excavate some rocks many times bigger than this one. Oh well, it was fun doing this one, anyway.

 

[CT Jay]

This is what the guy with the excavator did in about the same amount of time that it took me to dig, chain, winch, and pull that one rock in my previous post.

After this guy got finished, I started thinking of excuses to go get an excavator for myself....but way too much $$$ and not enough excuses...

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

This is what the guy with the excavator did in about the same amount of time that it took me to dig, chain, winch, and pull that one rock in my previous post.

After this guy got finished, I started thinking of excuses to go get an excavator for myself....but way too much $$$ and not enough excuses...

That was my point. I've done alot that I can lift, alot. One or maybe two grand, grand ones is OK but when there are multi's get a machine made for it.
I spent weeks cutting down pine and cedar trees (8"s to 14"s and some bigger already down) and left the stumps. Had man come in with dozer to dig my house hole which ended up being on solid rock. While he was here I had him push out/clear a section while leaving larger nice selected trees. He did that in a few hours and knocked down my 30 or so stumps and cleared out all the undergrowth and debris and leveled it out. He did in hours what I hadn't even finished in weeks of dangerous and hard work.

 

[boggen]

never done it myself. but jut remember catching a glance at some DIY show on tv.

they used a masonry / concrete bit. drilled some holes. then used smaller size or maybe it was special wedges kinda like wedges for splitting firewood. to crack rocks, and cut them to shape and like.

it looked fairly easy to do. i guess about only way it would not work. is if you didn't put in enough holes/wedges. or not have enough wedges on hand. i remember basketball size to a few feet in size rocks being done this way on the tv show.

i might suggest a better drill vs a cheapo 1/2" chuck 40 buck drill. say a hammer drill or 3/4 inch chuck size drill. along with a spare bit or 2. if not it will break on ya.

EDIT:

not sure if it would help you or not. but *shrugs*
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/129506-tree-puller-hard-get-trees.html

 

[TonyF]

All,

I am looking for the best way to get a 1.5x2x3' granite rock out 2.8' deep hole. The rock is in a tight place (surrounded on trees on 3 sides). Forth side has my lawn

I am guessing the weight of this rock exceeds my FEL capacity so just lifting it out is not an option.

...

I've had good success cutting a ramp on the side of the hole, not sure of your situation but you may be able to dig a ramp using the FEL or even a shovel. In that way the rock is not lifted, but scooted up the ramp.

 

[keyman1808]

If its not that large just dig a hole next to it and push it in then backfill. Not its not in the way anymore. Problem with pulling it out is you still need to put it somewhere.