Pennsylvania stone wall project...:)

[dknarnd]

The amount of rock walls around fields in his area would amaze you. That area is full of small farms and nearly every field has a rock wall around it; actually I would expect that the field you see in the background of his photos has a wall around it. I was raised on one of those small farms and some of our stone rows along fields are 15' wide and 4 or 5' high. I often wonder how they were gathered and how long it took. Those stone rows were there before my grandfather lived there and that was around 1907! Even when I was young after plowing I remember picking stones and loading them on the wagon then adding them to the rows along the fields.

Every year we are asked about selling the stone but as long as I own it that won't happen. It wouldn't be home without those stone rows.

However Tollie I am glad to see that what you have done with the stone fits in with the natural local landscape very well. And it is good to know that at least some of the stone that people are selling stayed local to the area.

 

[Tollster]

Your correct, the fireld is surrounded by stone. You may live very close to me as I see you reised in columbia county. I am on the luzerne columbia line out by cambra. I too use to pick rocks in the summer working for a tomato planting company. I just remember not seeing the other end of the fields when we started because the fields were so long. We would walk behind the dump truck and the only time we got a break is when it stop because the rock was too big for us to handle, so we reached for the sledge hammer.
I often see truck load after truck load of PA stone going somewhere on the interstates, always wondered where. Its sad to see our heritage slipping away just so senors can pay for meds and taxes. I even know some that have had to tear down there 100 year barns just so they would not be taxed on them any longer. Kind of makes ya wonder what it'll be like in the next 20 years.

 

[dknarnd]

I am must be very close to you since I am only about 2 miles from the Luzerne line near Fairmount Springs. You can find my place off of St Gabrial Hill road on Hartman Hollow Road. You must be north of 239 because I know Jerry's Engine Repair is a Stillwater address, probably near Dotyville.

You don't find many good old barns up there any more and they used to be all over. My barn collapased in a snow storm several years ago so it is a pile of rubble now but my brother had the Amish in and repaired his barn, you can see it on the same road I am on. My next implement is a grapple because I am going to start burning the barn a little at a time. I was going to have North Mountain Fire Company come in and do it but thee are some nice Maple and Hickory trees along it that I don't want to die.

 

[Tollster]

You are about 4 miles away. Come up St gabes hill, and got to Tee in Fairmount Springs, trun right then first left past the church. I am about 2 miles down the rooad on right, you can see the walls from the road.
North Mountian would appriciate the drill I am sure, and they should be able to prevent allot of damge. I will look for your place next time I go to Benton for fuel, they are the cheapest around for miles.

 

[tlbuser]

We would like to put a gazebo type structure over the seat and grow some wysteria. Along with some type of japanese garden and trees.

With some minor modification, something like this maybe?

Hard to believe the crew had never done anything like this before. Absolutely awesome job!

 

[dknarnd]

If you are coming from Fairmount just before what is called "five points" you will pass a small christmas tree field and the hardtop road hangs to the left just stay straight and head up the dirt road, my brothers place is about a mile from there and my place is about a quarter mile after his, has a red garage on the opposite side of the road from the house.

Your right about the prices, last weekend I tried to get gas at the uni-mart and they were empty by noon. Had to pay $0.06 more at DR's, people come from all over to buy thier gas there.

 

[Tollster]

Does that road come out on 487 by the trailer court?

 

[dknarnd]

Yes it does, so I guess you have been by there a few times. When I was growing up it was a dirt road and only had 6 homes on it, one was my grandparents and one belonged to my parents. Combined they had about 175 acres but after selling some and dividing it amoung kids it got pretty subdivided up; luckily my two brothers and I have been able to keep about 85 acres of it including most of the open land.

 

[Nuru]

Good pics, nice job.

 

[Tollster]

Its been almost a year now and after completing the backfill just before winter I am now working to build a rock garden above the wall by the pond. I was able to get some large, larger, and largest rocks last fall. I had them set in the yard, then I read and studied as much as I could on rock and Japanese gardens over the winter. I just started to dig in some of the large rocks just behind the mulch line. Its slow going as I do not have my Mexicali workforce any longer. So I am working alone with some help from my neighbor when he has time. The BX 24 is working overtime, and some of the largest rocks are just too much for it, I figure the largest stone I have is about 800 lbs or better.
I was able to skid some of the smaller ones above the wall, using a 3/16 steel plate and chains. I have devised a roller set up to move down the hill from there. I have (4) 2 x 10 s and then I was able to get three 5" diameter by 8' fence post and cut them into six 4 foot sections. I plan on getting the larger rocks onto the plate with the bucket and pry bars, then roll them on the posts across the 4 x 10"s—. Its slow going, each rock has to be set at least 1/3rd into the ground. Then I have 3 different types of geological stones, so that does notreally help the layout process. I only want to move them once, so I study each stone and hopefully will end up with a somewhat natural setting when its done.
I have my camera charging and will try to get some shots of the roller setup for ya'll. It seems to work well and best of all, doesn't tear up the yard.
Heres some picks of the rock garden in progress and the skid configuation to get them down the hill and not into the pond. I use a long chain to hook the skid onto the BH and slowly back down the grade, my neighbor rotates the posts to keep it moving. It can be dangerous, and you have to watch pinch points and not stand behind the load. I use a long chain so I can stay on as much level ground as I can, also I suggest using rocks to wedge under the posts when rotating them to prevent any slipping.
DISREGUARD THE TITLES, as it pick them up from the file hyerachy on my computer.
Toll

 

[Charlesaf3]

good god, $20 a pallet that was the labor bargain of the century! $20 a face square foot here. I'd fly those guys up.

Nice walls!

 

[Tollster]

The rock moving is progressing slowly. The rocks are getting bigger and the last one was pullong my BX backwards down the hill...slowly thank god. So far the biggest one I have moved is about 1100 pounds. The bucket or the Bh won't move them, so I have to use low range 4X4, and push or roll them onto the skid plate, then I have my heighbor get in the bucket for counter weight and I drag them up the hill. I have drug the last large ones onto the fence posts, then I slowly back down while my neighbor alternates the posts to keep it moving backwards towards the freshly dug hole. I have buried all the stones about 1/3 or better for a natural look. I have one stone that gonna be the bain of them all, its about 2000 pounds and round to boot. So it'll have to go in over the wall some how. otherwise I am afraid it will get away from my and go into the pond.
I have been taking pictures of my progress, but none yet of the actual moving of the stones, I hope to get some for ya'll. It really works and so far...gravity is my friend.

 

[srs]

Tollster, great job on the wall, just beautiful! Love the ole lab too! One word of caution however is to watch for bees making a nest in the cracks of the stone. I had a tiny stone wall around a few trees at my old house and not realizing it yellowjackets, hornets or wasps, whatever, made a nest in the small places in the stone. I found out the hard way that they were bees. A few shots of hornets spray took care of them but I was pretty cautious after that. Again nice dog and a job well done.

 

[EdC]

Tollster

Wow! Really interested in how this will come out. Moving big stones with small tractors can really get interesting. On the one hand it's amazing how much the little guys can do. On the other hand it takes a bit of original thinking sometimes to get the rock moved.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Tollster, great job on the wall, just beautiful! Love the ole lab too! One word of caution however is to watch for bees making a nest in the cracks of the stone. I had a tiny stone wall around a few trees at my old house and not realizing it yellowjackets, hornets or wasps, whatever, made a nest in the small places in the stone. I found out the hard way that they were bees. A few shots of hornets spray took care of them but I was pretty cautious after that. Again nice dog and a job well done.

I just saw this thread and was going to ask about bees. I would love a stone wall but we have a ton of wasp's around our house as it is. So for now I will skip the field stone look.

Those stone walls look great though. I have thought about trying to build one around one of my small fields but I do not have very many rocks around here.

 

[Tollster]

Some shots on the progress.
Early in the staging, planning and placement

A few more dug in

Here I have added smaller ones toward the very bottom of the hill to compliment the larger stones. Like they broke away from them and rolled there. You can see the staging area up top. I am saving the largest stones for the top. I placed alomost all the stones so they tilt back into the hill side to nurish the rock garden when it rains. Most have been almost perfect placing. If I could suggest one thing for someone who may undertake this, it would be to get all the same type of geological stones. I have an assortment, which makes the placing and planning more complicated.

Another view

Slowly getting there. I maked allot of cubbies for plantings. The hill has a northern exposure with very high drainage, mostly small rocks and shale base, which is why the grass never gets high there. The idea is for the stones to create shade pockets and microclimates, so many alpine and fragile (Maintence Free...I hope) plants can survive.

Here you see the only red stones I had, I thought about intermingling them amounst the rest, but they seem to stand out, so I grouped them and handled them as carefull as I could so I did not damage them with the loader, I also tried to look at the shape and interesting parts of the stone and displayed them towards the viewer. These had some interesting holes and alge. I also tried to keep grain lines and such running in bond.

I am at a stand still now, its been very wet and all my friends don't call anymore......Wonder why?

 

[pycoed]

Nice looking place you've got there!
Lots of dry stone walling done here in UK - check this site for a flavour:
DSWA Picture Gallery Frames

 

[Tollster]

Nice links, I love the walls in Lancashire, and Wales. Looks like a lifetime of work.
Heres the little BX23 in action.
Picture of my neighbor Tim rotating the timbers as I inch the stone backwards into the hole. Notice the spacing of the timbers, we where able to guide or steer the stone to a point by varying the spacing, here we are trying to steer it to the right if you looking from the tractor towards my neighbor.

Tim with some extra effort on a 1400 pounder. This i very close to my dragging limits, none of the hydralics would move this one, it was all low range 4X4 with diff lock to skid this up the hill on the plate.

You can get some idea on the size of this monster, it was 23" thick, 60" long and 45" wide, kind of makes my BX23 look like a toy here.

It was getting late by the time we set that monster, I think its coming out nice and will get some shots tomorrow. 4 more monster stones, 1 is about 2000 pounds, and I think I can handle the other 3 with the BX as I think they are a lighter type of stone and range between 700 and 1200 lbs. I still have some smaller sizes to fill in towards the stairs.

 

[Tollster]

Well, I have completed my spring landscape project. The rock garden came out well. I have 3 large stone left, which will not be part of this area. The only things I still lack are 2 large trees at the top of the graden and some complementry shrubs to isolate it from the rest of the yard. It was more than I had barganed for and not for the faint of heart. I lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks.

Some of the last stones in place:

Cutting the edging between the yard and the rock garden.

Adding the pea gravel, I aimed for 3" base to keep weeds at bay:

And now a drum roll please... The final product...thank god its over.

Now it just has to grow some, yes there are plants in there. Sedum, phlox. small pine bushes, and some arid plantings.

 

[PSDStu]

You did a great job and that's a beautiful looking place ya' got there!

Stu