Are rocks heavy or what ?

[First one]

Earlier this fall I went down back to get some big rocks out of my blueberry field.I only have my FEL to work with ,but still was very impressed with what I could pry out of the ground.I was dissapointed that I couldn't pick them up though. Most of the rocks where about 2' -3' in size. After cranking up the HP had no problems rolling them over by rolling my FEL , but still would not pick them up. Yesterday I went down [after the ground froze ] and pushed them over to the rock walls that border my field. I guess the weight of rocks can be deceiving. I know that when my flail mower came I picked it up, and that was around 700lbs. It lifted that like nothing. So what was that saying "How much does a hen weigh?"

 

[gerard]

So far I've found that if it fits in my bucket without falling out, I can lift it. If's it's too big to even fit, I probably can't lift it anyway. A 3 foot rock can easily go 1000lbs depending on configuration. I, like you, just push them away when too big to lift!! When too big to push I get my neighbor with his 65hp white 4wd and let HIM push it

 

[Reg]

Earlier this fall I went down back to get some big rocks out of my blueberry field.I only have my FEL to work with ,but still was very impressed with what I could pry out of the ground.I was dissapointed that I couldn't pick them up though. Most of the rocks where about 2' -3' in size. After cranking up the HP had no problems rolling them over by rolling my FEL , but still would not pick them up. Yesterday I went down [after the ground froze ] and pushed them over to the rock walls that border my field. I guess the weight of rocks can be deceiving. I know that when my flail mower came I picked it up, and that was around 700lbs. It lifted that like nothing. So what was that saying "How much does a hen weigh?"

If you have a hoe on the back there is a little trick;
Get the rock (stump, or whatever) into the bucket.
Put the hoe stabilizers down all the way.
Then try to lift the FEL.
Lift the hoe's stabilizer arms.
You may not have MUCH clearance under the bucket, but if you are careful that couple of inches might be enough to let you get where you need to go to dump it.
Probably safer to go backwards if there are bumps and dips, less likely to dig in and stop you.
Another trick is to travel with the hoe's boom extended as far back and straight out as you can - every little bit can help.

 

[markct]

easiest and least stress on machine option is build a stone boat. its just a wood platform with a metal plate on the front to hook to and act like a ski to keep the front edge from digging in. then you can roll on almost as big of rock as you can imagine, and hook it to the 3 pt and away ya go. i have moved a few rocks so big my gradall couldnt lift them, and that has just over 8000lbs lift at the bucket. i rolled them onto the stone boat with our IH td9b dozer and dragged them away. if your cheap and frugal an old car hood makes a dandy stone boat! i have a hood from a wrecked 95 ford pickup that i use

 

[First one]

A stone boat sounds like the ticket. Would like to make one out of wood ,but have never seen one . As far as the size and what to use -like 2x10s or what? I'll have to find a pic. of one to see how to do it, thanks!

 

[Matt_Jr]

Oooh, good trick there Reg. Thanks for posting. I bet it's hard as heck on hydraulic hoses when you hit a bump.

 

[Luremaker]

Here's a quick and simple stone boat design.

 

[First one]

Luremaker!
I was just scratching my head thinking "now where am I going to find a pic. of one" You're a mind reader!! Thanks

 

[markct]

thats an interesting design, around here all the stoneboats i ever saw were flat, just a 1/4 thick plate beveled up on the front, about a foot wide bent at maybe 20 degrees, usualy a hole torched in the center to pull it, and flat wide like 2 by 10s bolted to it, kept the weight spread out over the whole width so didnt make ruts dragging like the one in the pictures would, and is alot lower to roll a rock onto since its just the thickness of the boards. for fast and easy and cheap i would just get a car hood, they slide alot easier than anything wood, and are usualy free or i suppose you could ask at a salvage yard or body shop, i imagine they would give or sell for next to nothing a damaged one since they cant do much else with it. they are virtualy unbreakable too, they flex and wrinkle some but still work great

 

[First one]

markct,
The car hood seems to be the faster way of getting the job done!
Now the question is Ford or Chevy?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Get a pre 1973 hood. Doesn't matter make, the metal in body parts was a lot thicker back them.

 

[2720wes]

Here's a stoneboat my father built about 15 years ago. Simple and very effective. We hooked it to the lawn tractor and pulled many big sawed logs out of the woods and a few big rocks into the woods.

 

[Mace Canute]

Here's a good weight calculator... Material Weight Calculator Marble Weight Granite Travertine Online Stone Weight Calculation

markct,
The car hood seems to be the faster way of getting the job done!
Now the question is Ford or Chevy?

Hmmmm...wouldn't you pick the one that is used to being dragged around?

 

[gerard]

I like the car hood idea. I grew up in NYC and we used to use car hoods sleighriding down hills. You could fit about 15 kids on one (but it was better to get on last and be on top!)

 

[gonegreen]

Hey guys, I don't mean to butt in, but does anyone have any good ideas on how to unload barn stone from a trailer? I have a JD 2320 with FEL and after looking at Mace's nice little web site, I don't think I will be able to pick them off the trailer. Maybe put them individually on pallets and skid them off? I probably have 12 or so coming and don't want to buy that many hoods. Also, this would not be my trailer so I don't want to scratch, dent, or damage it in any way.

Thanks,
Green

 

[jinman]

My "stoneboat" is very expensive, but effective. Even so, I've sure had some rocks that humiliated me and my tractor. Here are some photos of one of the largest I've moved any great distance, from the woods to my rock garden. It was 6' wide and over a foot thick.

Also, in the last two pictures, I show how I tried to lift one rock with a chain from my rock bucket. In the first picture, I had the chain wrapped around the front of the bucket tines and my loader couldn't lift the stone. In the second picture, I moved the chain back toward my QA adapter and that made the stone managable. My rock bucket and grapple weigh about 750 lb, so I could easily have lifted the rock if I had removed the grapple, but I like a challenge.

 

[markct]

markct,
The car hood seems to be the faster way of getting the job done!
Now the question is Ford or Chevy?

yea i have found i cant help but occasionaly look at some brand new cars and trucks and go hmm, that hood has a great shape for use as a stoneboat!

 

[Diamondpilot]

The farmer who owns the field across the street had a pile of rock they had dug out. He told me and my neighbor we could have any we wanted. I took 2 that were about the size of a large beach ball, 2' in diameter, and put them on the corners of my drive to keep everyone from cutting the corners.

There was one large one about the size of a washing machine. My neighbors son came over and ask if there was anyway I could load it? I said I would try and fired up my Jinma 28 HP tractor and to my amazement it pushed it right along the ground in 4x4 using the creeper gear. I pushed it about 20 yards out to the edge of the road and he said he would be back with a trailer. He showed back up a hour later with a Dodge 2500 and a tandem pintle equipment trailer. He pulled it in the road and dropped the ramps and pushed them together. I started pushing it up the ramps and about the time it got to the top the trailer went down in-turn lifting the rear of the truck a good 4-5 feet in the air. I wrapped a chain around it and pulled it off. We put the trailer in the ditch which put the rear of the trailer nearly on the road and I pushed it back on. I got it over the axles and off he went. I begged him to strap it down but like any good redneck he said it would be fine. I could only imagine it in a wreck.

I ran into him a few days later and he said they put jack stands under the trailer and pulled it off with a Jeep at his house where he wanted it. He works at a fab/machine shop so he built me my forks for free so it was a win win. I cannot guess what that rock weighed but we guess 4-5 tons?

 

[EarPlug]

easiest and least stress on machine option is build a stone boat. its just a wood platform with a metal plate on the front to hook to and act like a ski to keep the front edge from digging in. then you can roll on almost as big of rock as you can imagine, and hook it to the 3 pt and away ya go. i have moved a few rocks so big my gradall couldnt lift them, and that has just over 8000lbs lift at the bucket. i rolled them onto the stone boat with our IH td9b dozer and dragged them away. if your cheap and frugal an old car hood makes a dandy stone boat! i have a hood from a wrecked 95 ford pickup that i use

I don't think it would be a good idea to hook to the 3 point! Use the drawbar for safety.


Jack

 

[First one]

jinman,
Very impressed with your set up !
Not having a tractor of my own till now,I still have alot to lean. I wouldn't have thought that hooking the chains up closer to the Qs would make that much of a diff. in how much you could lift. I thought about removing my bucket to get alittle more ,but thought that if the bucket wouldn't do it ,it was just to much weight for the tractor to lift and I'd stand to break something . Thanks for the advice and pic's