Moving large boulders

[crudolph]

Hi folks,

I have a Kubota M59 TLB and am clearing brush, trees, and rocks from my property. I have some really large boulders that my backhoe and/or loader cannot lift out of the ground. Some are in holes that prevent me from being able to push them around.

I'm looking for ideas or tips on moving them.

Thanks,
Chris.

 

[bcp]

I've had good luck with boulders I can't lift that are in holes by rolling them out. Some I can lift one side while moving forward and they roll out of the hole. Others I roll out by chaining around them for a high or over-the-top pull, then rolling them out with a pull. If the tractor doesn't have the traction, I use a winch.

Bruce

 

[Alien]

If they are partly buried you have a big job ahead. Have you thought of digging beside them and burying them deeper?

 

[JerryK]

I have 'lifted' some heavy boulders. If you can get a heavy strap or chain around one end.... or budge it up a little on one end by backing into it, with say, a backblade... then lift it up as much 'as possible' and throw some cribbing under it. Cribbing can be old logs, scrap timber pieces, etc.. just something to sit it back down on a little higher than it was when you started. Keep working at it from different sides, and eventually you will work it up to ground level. Then you can maybe roll it onto a sled [ opened up old fuel oil tanks make good ones ] and drag it where you want it. Unless, of course, your tractor is not heavy enough to move said rock.... then you need a bigger tractor... You might find that the ground is so worked up by the time you get it out of the hole that you can't get enough traction to move it... so just wait a year for the ground to settle back in then have at it.... [ been there, done that ]

 

[Localmotion]

I'm with Alien - if you really can't lift or even roll them, then dig down alongside and bury them, or use a breaker to reduce the size...

If of course you're wanting to use the boulders, then you still need to dig down on the side you want to roll it, and form a gentle incline from the base of the rock - you should then be able to push / drag / roll it out of the hole.

We moved some very large (upto 5 tonne) boulders with our 20hp Siromer a few years ago. Obviously the tractor is too small to lift or even roll such a heavy rock - instead we used the loader to push metal scaffold poles under the boulder (we had exposed three sides by digging around it), and lay a few more poles on the ground in the direction of travel. The tractor then easily pushed the boulder over the scaffold poles - like a set of rollerskates! As one pole appeared from the back of the rock, it was moved to the front and so on to make a continual rolling road. It was a slow job, but we managed to get the boulders into position moving them across grass and concrete and even gravel...

It makes you realise just how much effort went into building Stonehenge :laughing:

 

[crudolph]

Thanks for the tips folks. I think I'll try the cribbing and sled route . I'll post pictures!

Cheers,
Chris.

 

[jenkinsph]

If you have several of these to move you might leave these largest ones exposed as best you can and then have a larger machine come in and pluck them out. Might be the best way to go as raising and cribbing these boulders can be dangerous and is a lot of work. A full size backhoe with a hammer to break them up is another way to go as Localmotion suggested. The cost of bringing in a large hoe for a couple of hours work would be far better than a visit to the emergency room or worse.

 

[JerryK]

If you have several of these to move you might leave these largest ones exposed as best you can and then have a larger machine come in and pluck them out. Might be the best way to go as raising and cribbing these boulders can be dangerous and is a lot of work. A full size backhoe with a hammer to break them up is another way to go as Localmotion suggested. The cost of bringing in a large hoe for a couple of hours work would be far better than a visit to the emergency room or worse.

Yes, BUT, you loose the shear joy of doing it by yourself.... no matter what the cost... in time, sweat, and medical assistance.... [ actually the cribbing process is pretty safe, if the 'cribbie' uses some common sense.. ] [ disclaimer: your results may vary, professional driver on closed course, etc... ]

 

[Tollster]

Getting them out is harder than getting them in. You may be able to split it.
I made a rock garden years ago and used a skid to shuttle them in the yard,the biggest was 1 ton. Here you see me creeping them backwards and using fence post to steer them into place, using gravity. It was above a stone wall so we had to come in from the top to prevent them from rolling thru the wall and into a pond.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/102305-pennsylvania-stone-wall-project.html

 

[crudolph]

Nice skid! My large boulders are probably in the 2-3 ton range (though I suck at estimating size!). I'll probably try and trench them out. Dig a path going downhill (as much downhill slope as I can make) and roll them.

Stay tuned .

Cheers,
Chris.