Generic stone boat pics

sixdogs · Sep 7, 2020

Over the years, I've seen many thread questions on how to build a stone boat and what they look like. That's how you get rocks out of fields the easy way. These are off the 'net and if you don't know how a stone boat looks, here they are. I'm no expert but picked lots in the glacial till of northern New England. No more.

Above is a picture of the front half a stone boat. Note the turned up steel end to slide better and keep from digging in. Heavy steel with holes to bolt 2" planks to. Hardwood best and note the cross bracing. It's usually 2" planks and hardwood like maple or oak preferred. Use carriage bolts or the bolt heads dig in and catch on things.

Above is a closeup of that turned up front that's commercially made. It better be rugged with a strong point to hook up the chain. Ir's easy to make one if you have a shop bend the steel plate. Just do it right or fail under hard use.

Here's a beautifully made commercial version and looks the same as the one above. At this length no cross piece is needed but a six or seven footer would need a 2X piece of wood for bracing support and to keep rocks from sliding off. Also put a 2X at the tail end. I can't recall a stone boat longer than maybe 7 or 8 foot and most were maybe 6 foot. Rocks are heavy and really offer sliding resistance when pulling.

I've seen a couple like these over the years but mostly for lesser use and smaller rocks since you have to lift them on. For just a few rocks, old car hoods work as does anything that pulls and slides. We finally switched to loader, a dump truck and four boys to pick.

Big Barn · Sep 7, 2020

Here is mine

sixdogs · Sep 7, 2020

Big Barn said:
Here is mine

Maybe with some outriggers?

JethroB · Sep 7, 2020

Big Barn said:
Here is mine

View attachment 668929

I think I would test it in the shallow end of the pond first.

Thomas · Sep 7, 2020

First pics brings back memories when I was tad pole,load the boat steer par oxen add to stonewall...stone boat also good for hauling BIG chunks of wood.

2LaneCruzer · Sep 18, 2020

JethroB said:
I think I would test it in the shallow end of the pond first.

You sure that's not a submarine that you use once and throw away?

MossRoad · Sep 18, 2020

When my brother-in-law was maybe 12 years old, he and all of his friends got a job "picking rocks" at a local farm. Farmer would drive them out in the field on the back of a trailer, and stop when they saw rocks. They'd jump off, pick them up, put them on the trailer, hop back on and on to the next. Had about half a dozen kids the first couple days. They all quit by the end of the week, except my brother-in-law. He worked on that farm many summers through high school.

jmc · Sep 18, 2020

MossRoad said:
When my brother-in-law was maybe 12 years old, he and all of his friends got a job "picking rocks" at a local farm. Farmer would drive them out in the field on the back of a trailer, and stop when they saw rocks. They'd jump off, pick them up, put them on the trailer, hop back on and on to the next. Had about half a dozen kids the first couple days. They all quit by the end of the week, except my brother-in-law. He worked on that farm many summers through high school.

At least they could avoid doing it in the summer, the rocks don't slough off chaff, and you don't have to stack em in a barn. Do kids even bale hay any more?

MossRoad · Sep 18, 2020

jmc said:
At least they could avoid doing it in the summer, the rocks don't slough off chaff, and you don't have to stack em in a barn. Do kids even bale hay any more?

Not around here. One person on a machine with a round baler and that's that. Truck comes to field with bobcat and loads it up.

I have a friend that still does good old "normal" hay bales. Just him and his wife. She drives. He stacks.

JethroB · Sep 18, 2020

Peanut (dried vine) hay was the worst, like loading briars. Throw in a baled-in fire ant bed for good measure.

Big Barn · Sep 18, 2020

2LaneCruzer said:
You sure that's not a submarine that you use once and throw away?

Worlds first disposable submarine. One time use only. Commissioned for the Royal Canadian Navy*. Ready for shipping.

*if you are Canadian you would know this is not much of a stretch.

2LaneCruzer · Sep 18, 2020

Big Barn said:
View attachment 670036

Worlds first disposable submarine. One time use only. Commissioned for the Royal Canadian Navy*. Ready for shipping.

*if you are Canadian you would know this is not much of a stretch.

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

oosik · Sep 19, 2020

All the land around here was homesteaded in the 1880's. The homestead abutting my north property and my big upper meadow were cleared of stone. There are stone walls, everywhere, on the north property. The word on this north property - the homesteader had five sons. Based upon all the meadows cleared and all the stone walls - there must have been five young men who were all stooped over and crippled for life.

I've found one stone boat in all my searching of this adjoining property. It looks a whole lot like the very bottom picture that sixdogs posted. More for transport and not designed to loosen or collect. My upper meadow has one "stone" that was never collected. About the exact size of a VW Beetle. All the land cleared was used for open grazing. A big stone here or there made no difference.

A picture of one stone wall. View attachment 670088

Frankenkubota · Sep 19, 2020

I

just built mine from stuff the framers were gonna burn. I told the guys, Im in charge of all material disposal.

sixdogs · Sep 19, 2020

oosik said:
All the land around here was homesteaded in the 1880's. The homestead abutting my north property and my big upper meadow were cleared of stone. There are stone walls, everywhere, on the north property. The word on this north property - the homesteader had five sons. Based upon all the meadows cleared and all the stone walls - there must have been five young men who were all stooped over and crippled for life.

I've found one stone boat in all my searching of this adjoining property. It looks a whole lot like the very bottom picture that sixdogs posted. More for transport and not designed to loosen or collect. My upper meadow has one "stone" that was never collected. About the exact size of a VW Beetle. All the land cleared was used for open grazing. A big stone here or there made no difference.

A picture of one stone wall. View attachment 670088

I had one huge rock in a (Maine) field that always bothered me since I had to plow around it and work everything else around it. I put word out that if anyone was ever driving by hauling a D9 to just push it into the woods and stop at the house for payment. No one ever stopped. So, a neighbor was blasting some ledge out for a new basement and I told the guy to crack that rock into a few pieces so I could move it. He said OK and asked the size of it. I said about the size of 3/4 of a Volkswagen. Maybe 4000 lbs.

Anyway, he stopped to get paid and mentioned he mighty have used a little too much dynamite. That rock turned out to have been an "iceberg" rock buried somewhat and I hauled off maybe 20,000 lbs of rock and a countless number of pieces. Even the last piece took a 100 HP tractor and all the traction I had to skid that partial rock into the woods. Now I know why no D9's stopped. Rocks are always bigger and heavier that you would think.

JethroB · Sep 19, 2020

oosik said:
All the land around here was homesteaded in the 1880's. The homestead abutting my north property and my big upper meadow were cleared of stone. There are stone walls, everywhere, on the north property. The word on this north property - the homesteader had five sons. Based upon all the meadows cleared and all the stone walls - there must have been five young men who were all stooped over and crippled for life.

I've found one stone boat in all my searching of this adjoining property. It looks a whole lot like the very bottom picture that sixdogs posted. More for transport and not designed to loosen or collect. My upper meadow has one "stone" that was never collected. About the exact size of a VW Beetle. All the land cleared was used for open grazing. A big stone here or there made no difference.

A picture of one stone wall. View attachment 670088

That makes me appreciate the stone walls seen throughout Europe and around the world for that matter. Centuries old. Our country is such a youngster.

2LaneCruzer · Sep 21, 2020

oosik said:
All the land around here was homesteaded in the 1880's. The homestead abutting my north property and my big upper meadow were cleared of stone. There are stone walls, everywhere, on the north property. The word on this north property - the homesteader had five sons. Based upon all the meadows cleared and all the stone walls - there must have been five young men who were all stooped over and crippled for life.

I've found one stone boat in all my searching of this adjoining property. It looks a whole lot like the very bottom picture that sixdogs posted. More for transport and not designed to loosen or collect. My upper meadow has one "stone" that was never collected. About the exact size of a VW Beetle. All the land cleared was used for open grazing. A big stone here or there made no difference.

A picture of one stone wall. View attachment 670088

They sure didn't build them very high in those days!