How do I get this boulder out of this hole?

[future_vision]

A few years ago I wanted to transplant a cherry tree (a bit different from a bolder, but...)...

Anyway, once I had the hole dug to the depth I wanted, I put a choker cable around the tree, and winched it under. That cut any tap roots, and gave me more less a free rootball to work with.

Ok, so a tree and a bolder are different, but you could use a similar concept of pulling a choker under the bolder. One of two things happens. Either it pulls through, or you have a choker cable permanently left behind in your hole for the next century till it rots away.

Anyway, that may help you get your bolder wiggling, moving, rolling.

When you're pulling on on the boulder with your 12K winch, run it through a single/double/triple/quadruple pulley. Whatever you can find. Ultimately you can multiply your pulling force by several times. Of course you still have to anchor it to something. Like attach it to your house and either the boulder moves, or your house moves.

Be careful of weak links in your system, stand back, and stay safe. 4 times 12K pulling power gives you 48K pulling power... make sure everything can handle that.

Based on an estimated weight of 40-50K lbs the system I would end up with, using parts readily available on Amazon or local stores, would be a 5:1 pulley system(5 snatch blocks, 18 ton WWL), 100ft of 32K rated winch line, 2 25 ton WWL D ring shackles, 2 20ft lengths of 80 or 100 grade chain, and I will need something to attach to a deadman anchor or two. Now that the excavator is gone i am looking at either attaching the 12k winch to the tractor and attaching the tractor to a second deadman or I will use a 5 ton come along attached to the second deadman. I don't think the winch is rated for continuous use so I'll probably not use that.

 

[future_vision]

Build a sled for it, sleds slide much easier. Tip it back, tip it forward. Do like Archimedes.

A sled from what?

 

[future_vision]

Quote was around $1700 for a one day rental. That is a bit steep and more than double buying all the pulleys, ropes etc and using machinery i already have. Plus I will own all the equipment when I am done for the next insane boulder i decide to pull out of the ground. Lol! That or resell the stuff.

 

[future_vision]

Have to be quite the hoe to get that out of there whole, especially if he wants it to go anywhere else in the yard. He mentioned using it as a "focal piece in landscaping. That rock probably weighs a good 10+ tons. Biggest excavator I've run was a 40 ton machine and it would have struggled with that, even if there was a good way to grab it. It's possible, with the right machines, but it very likely is going to be really expensive. Gonna depend how badly he wants that particular "focal piece".

Probably need a 30-40 ton machine from what i am told. Looking at $1700/day to rent.

 

[future_vision]

I would think the first order of business would be to actually get it to move just a little to make sure that isn't just the tip of the iceberg.

It starts curing under if you look at the picture. The change in color at the bottom is the dirt that is still stuck. I couldn't quite get the bucket under to knock it off. Of course mother nature had to go ahead and start raining in drought-ridden NH making climbing in there all the more difficult and dangerous.

 

[fatjay]

A sled from what?

I had to move a small house once, and I created a sled from steel 4" pipes in the shape of a runner sled, but there were 6 runners to distribute the weight.

 

[civilian]

A sled could be a car hood. Jon

 

[sd455dan]

I'll need to climb in there at some point and measure. AI used the oak leaves floating in the water to estimate the size. Looking at your picture i would say your boulder is probably 1/5th 1/6th the size of this one.

A sled could be a car hood. Jon

Well if it is that large, imo time for "heavier" equipment engagement as LouNY said in post #2 post 114 sounds like a way to get er done

 

[SPYDERLK]

Based on an estimated weight of 40-50K lbs the system I would end up with, using parts readily available on Amazon or local stores, would be a 5:1 pulley system(5 snatch blocks, 18 ton WWL), 100ft of 32K rated winch line, 2 25 ton WWL D ring shackles, 2 20ft lengths of 80 or 100 grade chain, and I will need something to attach to a deadman anchor or two. Now that the excavator is gone i am looking at either attaching the 12k winch to the tractor and attaching the tractor to a second deadman or I will use a 5 ton come along attached to the second deadman. I don't think the winch is rated for continuous use so I'll probably not use that.

Are you planning on digging a ramp with your Kioti?

 

[CliffordK]

Any neighbors have some heavy equipment in their barns?

If you were just a little closer, it might be fun to try to snag it out of the hole with my skid steer.