Rockpicking or why I don't use my good plow

Kirk-NJ · Apr 14, 2014

Yesterday I was working the garden with the scarifiers and the Dearborn subsoiler when I hit yet another rock. You would think that I would have all the big rocks out but you would be wrong. I pulled this one out with the subsoiler. I tried to load it in the 640 bucket. Too heavy, it lifted the back of the tractor off the ground. So I fired up the HD forklift to get it out. Now you know why I don't use my good ferguson plow.

vtsnowedin · Apr 14, 2014

Yup that's a good sized stone.Make a good end piece for a stone wall.

CobyRupert · Apr 14, 2014

Kirk-NJ said:
You would think that I would have all the big rocks out but you would be wrong.

I always heard that when picking stones, if you miss a few small ones they grow up and become like the one you found. Must be good soil!

TnAndy · Apr 14, 2014

CobyRupert said:
I always heard that when picking stones, if you miss a few small ones they grow up and become like the one you found. Must be good soil!

Must be true. I've been picking them out of my garden for 30 years, and STILL keep finding big ones !

Funny thing, I decided to add a new garden spot, and moved about 100' away, took down a bunch of trees, and there haven't been enough rocks in that spot to fill a sheetrock bucket. Wish I had developed THAT spot 30yrs ago. Amazing how the soil can change that drastically here in such a short distance.

New garden spot is to the left, with fence, old one is to the right just behind the pine tree.

Rocks, on the other hand, CAN come in handy for things.....

Gary Fowler · Apr 14, 2014

Kirk-NJ said:
Yesterday I was working the garden with the scarifiers and the Dearborn subsoiler when I hit yet another rock. You would think that I would have all the big rocks out but you would be wrong. I pulled this one out with the subsoiler. I tried to load it in the 640 bucket. Too heavy, it lifted the back of the tractor off the ground. So I fired up the HD forklift to get it out. Now you know why I don't use my good ferguson plow.
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Looking at your FEL bucket and how bent up it is, is why I don't recommend anyone putting a chain hook in the middle, especially without putting in some sort of stiffener to carry the extra load.

Gary Fowler · Apr 14, 2014

All rocky soil continues to "grow" rocks. Every spring I find more peaking out of the ground. I don't know what force pushes them up from below the frost line but they do continue to migrate to the top even the deeply buried ones. Running sub-soiler and chisel plows will turn most of them up prior to a plow or tiller finding them.

Soundguy · Apr 14, 2014

dang kirk.. howd you miss that all these years!

MikesTractor · Apr 14, 2014

Kirk-NJ said:
Yesterday I was working the garden with the scarifiers and the Dearborn subsoiler when I hit yet another rock. You would think that I would have all the big rocks out but you would be wrong. I pulled this one out with the subsoiler. I tried to load it in the 640 bucket. Too heavy, it lifted the back of the tractor off the ground. So I fired up the HD forklift to get it out. Now you know why I don't use my good ferguson plow.
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Good job. My Dad always said we were "Moving a mountain 1 rock at a time".

I'm jealous!!! If that guy hadn't got so happy with his torch, I would have had me a forklift too

........ LOL.

Mike

Kirk-NJ · Apr 15, 2014

Soundguy said:
dang kirk.. howd you miss that all these years!

I don't know how I missed that one. I guess the subsoiler dug a little deeper and I hooked it. Probably could have left it and worked around it. This piece is only about a 1/2 acre but it seem like there's an acre on rocks in it.

Kirk-NJ · Apr 15, 2014

Gary Fowler said:
Looking at your FEL bucket and how bent up it is, is why I don't recommend anyone putting a chain hook in the middle, especially without putting in some sort of stiffener to carry the extra load.

I can't take credit for the bend in the bucket. Most of it was done by the PO although I'm sure that rock wasn't helping matters. Since the tractor was already there I fingered I'd give it a shot. Should have just gotten the forklift in the first place.

Kirk