Moving rocks/boulders

[Richard]

Setup: Lumbermen are selectivly clearing woods off farm. Near where they are working with their skid machines and tree pick'er upper (to load on flatbed) we have found the rock "quarry" Upshot is, there are some big rocks, bigger ones up to maybe 7 feet or so long, several feet wide maybe couple feet deep. I am sure they each weigh more than a Yugo. (unless it is a turbo diesel Yugo previously owned by Mr. Chalkley and is all souped up with tires/engine and chassis enhancements) /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Problem: We are finishing house nearby and my better half (the same better half that is against me getting a tractor) wants these rocks moved to the house for our outside landscaping. "Nearby" as used above is probably defined as maybe 200 to possibly 300 yards (only a guess).

I'm trying to show her that this is "yet another" example of what/how/where we could use a TLB. So far, no luck.

Ok, that is the boat I'm sitting in. My goal is to aquire rocks anyway. Uncle in law next door has old ~35 hp International Harvestor 2wd with wide fronts. (we are on hills also) I'm looking for ideas of how maybe we can use this machine to move/transport the rocks. We have no loader nor backhoe. I'm wondering if there is any danger (or stupidity) of trying to build some kind of sled, say, buy 7 6x6 posts, drill hole through them, thread chain or cable through hole such that they are all dragged behind tractor and somehow mount rock onto 6x6 sled and "simply" drag rocks to my house.

I'd prefer not to hire dozer if I could safely do the job with tools at hand, even if it takes more time. I get enjoyment out of the challenge of it as long as it is only just a challenge and not genuinely a dangerous or stupid thing to do.

Thanks for any thoughts or wisdom.
Richard

 

[Von]

Richard'
I have moved large rocks (but not as big as you describe) with my B8200 w/FEL and a stone boat. The largest one was about 4 ft. in diameter, used the loader to move it onto the stone boat and then just pulled it to where the wife wanted it. I was on a slight incline and I had one roll off the stone boat and down the front yard. No harm done, just hade to move it on the boat again and up to what is hopefully its final resting place. (the wife sometimes changes her mind) If the slope is not to bad and you can get them up on the sled you should be alright.

Von

 

[Bird]

I don't guess I know what a "stone boat" is, but it sounds good anyway./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[Von]

Sorry, Guess I thought it was common. ( we have a lot of rock around here) A stone boat is just two or three oak planks attached to a metal front that is curved up (like a boat, hence the name) with a chain attched for pulling. The bottom is flat and quite smooth from all that dragging it thru all the dirt. The farmers use them around here to remove the large stones from the fields after plowing. I guess the frost pushs up a new crop every spring. I borrowed the farmers down the road and used it over my grass and it didn't even leave a mark!

Von

 

[Bird]

Yeah, Von, that's kind of what I was guessing. I'm a little ignorant in that area; there ain't a rock on my property that wasn't hauled in, and while there are some rocky areas within several miles, I don't know how far you'd have to go to find one big enough I couldn't pick it up in my hands (and I ain't very strong). And we don't have "stones" in Texas ('cept in the dictionary). I spent the '71-72 school year at Northwestern University and my two year old stuck a "rock" up one nostril and I couldn't get it out and took her to the emergency room of the local hospital and when I told them she'd put a "rock" up her nose, the nurses thought that was hilarious. Seems they only have "pebbles" that small in Illinois./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[Mike H]

Big old car hoods are sometimes used for same. (and for my two year old it was a shelled Peanut in the nostril!)

 

[Bird]

Ain't raisin' kids fun?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[ejb]

I say hire a dozer...your example rock 7X3X2 = 42 cubic feet which weighs approx 7000 pounds. I don't think you could do it safely, if at all, with the equipment you mentioned.

 

[MChalkley]

Yep, I'd agree: I think that by far the fastest, safest, and in the long run, probably cheapest, thing to do is hire a bulldozer.

Say, Richard, do you know what the rear window defrosters are most often used for on a Yugo? To keep your hands warm when you're pushin' 'em. (Hmmm. A souped-up Yugo, eh? Sounds like they would cancel one another out. A contradiction in terms. An oxymoron. Or is that a moron that would be better of with an ox? Um, apologies to all the Yugo owners out there...)

Mark

 

[RickyB]

Richard...........
Them rocks is big...Here in New hampshire we run into to them on a fairly regular basis. Im a building contractor and sub out all of our site work. I have some boys with big cats do all of our site work and I can tell you that if we run into a 7' rock, Im on the phone to the other boys with the firecrackers. It just isnt worth the womping you would put on your equipment to get them to where you would want them to be. If they are up on the level you would like them to be, then sure, hire a big old dozer to roll them around to where you would like em...any TLB though is going to take it hard trying to tow them things around. Take a look at the posting from ejb.. as I say them rocks is big, a whole lot heavier than that Yugo you talk about..Not only is it not safe, but it realy doesnt sound practicle...Good luck with what ever you decide.. Tell your wife that the 2' to 4' rocks are "all the rage" and that if you had that new TLB, she could have all she wanted wherever and whenever....until then then though, its just a log landing....If that dont work move on to plan B..whatever that may be. If your wife is anything like the one god gave me, you will never realy get an "approvall" so to speak for anything, only a hard earned acceptance for what youve done!!!!!!! brrrrrrrrrrrrr............I get shivers just thinking about her hearing about me trading my 2910 for the L35..That just may move some 7" footers. I wonder if she needs any of those in the garden?????

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by RickyB on 6/23/00 08:44 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[ejb]

>>Tell your wife that the 2' to 4' rocks are "all the rage"
Thats a good one...lol.

I have a JD5410, 4WD, loader etc, much bigger machine than your friends massy, I also have piles of rocks just as you describe, scattered all along the edges of my fields (fortunately removed by a previous owner of the propery). I wouldn't even try to do it with my machine...and I am told the machine that actually did put them there was *quite* impressive about 30 years ago. (Imagine not just pushing them on level ground, but also digging them out and removing them from the ground in the first place)

Good luck.

>>If your wife is anything like the one god gave me, you will never realy get an "approvall" so to speak for anything, only a hard earned acceptance for what youve done!!!!!!!

My wife must be a true angel, not only did she encourage me to buy my first, and second tractors, just the other day she asked if she could buy me another one that I was eyeing (true, it was only a semi-antique farmall, but how many wifes would buy there husband their 3rd tractor?...on the other hand, maybe she has a really guily concious about something....hmmm.....)

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ejb on 6/23/00 08:57 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[Alan W.]

I've tried pushing rocks that size with a 580 case and its about impossible. Yes I moved it about 100 feet to where I wanted it but not without abusing the 580, and don't even think about trying to lift it with a the loader. If you want them moved get someone who has or rent a dozer or a large track loader to position them for you.

 

[Thomas]

Richard,
Like Alan wrote you might want to consider a bulldozer,but if the rock are lose enough you might want to consider someone with a cherry picker.
The cherry picker can make your job easier also safer./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

The IH could have enough power but I won't try it on the larger stones.

Have a fine weekend and stay /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[Billc]

Richard, I live on a hill top and we have rocks everywhere. Many are 3 to 4 feet in diameter...and yes I dug some of them up. Funny, I'll see this small rock sticking out of the ground and decide to dig it up....after all I've got 5 minutes with nothing to do. So I get a shovel and start. Then I go back for the pick. Then I go back for the pry bar. Then I go back for several more implements of distruction. Finally I crank up the tractor, put the tooth bar on the loader bucket and start digging. After about 2 hours doing a "5 minute job" the rock is free. Then I feel like the dog who is chasing a bus and then catches it...what to do now? Anyway, I move boulders one of two ways: 1) I push the rock with my loader bucket to the edge of the property or to a centeral pile (which I am sure will be worth big money one day....uh-huh, right). 2) I rap a logging chain around the rock, attach the other end of the chain to my draw bar, and drag it to the "worth big money one day" pile.

Be careful dragging one of those big moster rocks on any type of slope. I rapped a chain around one about a month ago making sure the rock wouldn't come loose from the chain. Then I took out my brain and laid it on the ground. Then started dragging the 4 or 5 thousand pound monster across a slope to the rock pile. As I started to move the boulder it decided to obey the law of gravity and began to roll down the hill....very attached to the chain which was very attached to my draw bar. This is about the time my brain, which was left on the ground, jumped back into my head and brought along its good friends fear and panick! Now several things I learned in physics class popped into my head: 1) gravity is measured at 32 feet per second squared...i.e. this monster rock was quickly picking up speed. 2) A body in motion (the boulder) tends to stay in motion (keeps rolling down the hill) until acted upon by an outside force (my tractor). 3) E=MC2...don't know what this has to do with anything but by using it I want to prove that I are smart. Actually it does mean something...when the boulder rolling down the hill made the chain taut, one of us...me and my tractor or the boulder was in for a big surprise! 4) If you drop a feather and a hammer from the same height (in a vacuum) they would hit the ground at the same time. I sure was wishing that logging chain was attached to a feather!

Well there is one other saying I hadn't considered, a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link! THANK GOD!!!!!

So be careful pulling a moster rock across a slope unless you have Mark's 4310 hst which is a first cousin to Speed Racer's car....you know, whenever you are in trouble press one of the control pannels 73 button and a special super secret hydrolic gizmo will pop out of the car (tractor) and save your life.

Got to get, there's this little rock sticking up in the back yard that I want to dig up...figure it will take 5 minutes!

 

[W5FL]

What size chain were you using? I have both 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch chains and I can't believe that my tractor is strong enough to break the 3/8 and not sure about the 1/4 inch. I use the 1/4 inch for stretching fences and easily holds 1000#. Glad the chain broke or you might not be here writing this (or at least no longer have a tractor). /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[Richard]

Hi all, thanks for responses.

Sorry I don't respond sooner, but I don't have a PC at home (Sister in law has it). Given some of the responses, it might be good to elaborate just a bit more.

The quarry already has maybe 15 rocks already cut and just laying there for the taking. I was talking to uncle in law last night and he guesses these might have been cut over 100 years ago (wonder how they moved them then?). Seems they bought the farm 40 years ago and it had barn & house that had as foundation more of these same rocks and the buildings were maybe 100 years old then. The rocks have visible drill holes in them where they were split. Most of them are "squarish" I looked at them a bit closer yesterday (lumbermen have laid many trees over this pit so they don't drive their skidder over the hole and have an "oops" so until they are gone and I have a chance to take Mr. Stihl to the mess, I can't be sure) Looks like the rocks might be 10 to 18 inches deep, varying from 5 to 7 feet long and 1 up to 2 feet wide (front to back). The rocks are on a hill, the quarry is cut straight into the hill, sort of like cutting a foundation into a hill, so any loader/dozer can easily drive right up to them, no lifting out of a hole. I'm intrigued on the rock boat idea, are those planks 1 inch thick, 7 inches thick?

Seems to me that if they did this 100 years ago without mechanical power, it shouldn't be THAT hard to do today with mechanical power? (of course, maybe that is why these rocks are still in the quarry!)/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Regards,
Richard

 

[Von]

Richard,
The stone boat that I used had oak planks that were 2" X 12"and 8ft long and there there were at least 3 of them across. They were held together at both ends on the top with metal plates.

Von

 

[ejb]

...well they built the pyramids over 1000 years ago too, but I STILL wouldn't want to try it now, even with my tractor!

 

[polecat]

YOUVE GOT MAIL SLAMFIRE!!!

 

[DIYGuy]

Rocks that size require ancient engineering.

Mount wood cresent shaped skids to the rocks. (Laminated 2x12 cut into crescent shapes with a 3/4" ply blocking in the middle.) The blocking allows then to be mounted to the rock using rope. Essentially creating a huge spool. (Takes 8 crescents). The roll the rock around by winding a section of rope around the center section and pulling it. The mechanical leverage will allow a small ttractor to move a huge stone.

SAFTEY NOTE: DO NOT GET ON THE DOWNHILL SIDE OF SUCH A BLOCKED STONE.