Picking up lots of big-ish rocks

[ning]

I have many many medium to large rocks, ranging from "I can pick this up possibly without getting a hernia" to "I can't possibly budge this", as in 100-500# (I did say "rocks" not "boulders", though some of these may be boulders depending on the definition), that I need to move, and then later place nicely.
Basically, I'm excavating a small pond near our garden, and after I'm done excavating and setting up the pond just right (shaping, then placing a liner) I'd like to arrange these rocks which I've already dug up nicely around the rim of the pond.

Current tools: tractor with backhoe. has mechanical thumb.

I've used the mechanical thumb some, but honestly so far I've found it difficult to use. More often than not, the rocks I'm trying to grab just slip out of the jaws, and it seems like every rock needs the opening set to a different point, and if I choose a different grab angle on the rock, once again I need to change the opening.

Two things I'm considering:
1) cheaper - log/rock tongs. I'm guessing that these most likely will require a helper to use both in picking up the rocks and for precise placement. Log tongs appear to be as cheap as $130 (tsc), but I'm not sure if the 4-pointed version is going to be that useful on irregular rocks or if the points will grab ok on rocks (vs trees where they obviously bite into the bark).
2) more complex - convert my thumb to hydraulic
There's a couple nice threads here about the actual conversion (

BX hydraulic thumb

I will be posting how I did the project soon, but first here is a teaser. It is a modified Wallenstein thumb which had annoyed me with getting on and off the tractor to set it.

www.tractorbynet.com

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/mechanical-thumb-conversion-to-hydraulic.287591/).

I think in the long run I'd really like having the hydraulic thumb, but it may be more work than I'm able to do before I want to get the rocks moved.

So for my actual questions:
- any have any hints for using the mechanical thumb more effectively?
- anyone have experience using tongs for picking up big rocks?
- to be really specific, has anyone with a branson BH76 backhoe w/ thumb converted it to hydraulic?

 

[2manyrocks]

I haven't tried it myself yet, but I've watched some youtube videos of landscape companies explaining how they use wide lifting straps to move large rocks around. Part of it is putting the straps on the rock so it can be lifted, but also making sure to not trap the straps under the rock when they set it in place.

edit: Now that I think about it more, I once reset a family member's tombstone using a lifting strap and a car engine hoist. The strap worked fine for lifting the tombstone without marring it.

 

[Tomtint]

Id use forks on the loader.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I had a mechanical thumb on my BH92 hoe and converted it to hydraulic. I found it only slightly more useful for moving rock and regretted spending the money.

This of course depends on what type of job you're doing and I'm sure others will disagree. In my case, I was piling +-200# rocks to make a wall. Picking up the rock is one thing but then you have to transport and get it into place. After wasting a couple of days climbing on and off the tractor & backhoe, I decided to do what the pro's do and rented a mini ex. The reach and lift ability are far superior to a CUT backhoe and the whole operation can be done from the same seat. I did the whole wall in less than a day with the mini ex. It would have taken a week with the hoe.

Unless you have other jobs that require a hyd. thumb, I'd spend the money on a rental instead.

 

[ning]

I had a mechanical thumb on my BH92 hoe and converted it to hydraulic. I found it only slightly more useful for moving rock and regretted spending the money.

This of course depends on what type of job you're doing and I'm sure others will disagree. In my case, I was piling +-200# rocks to make a wall. Picking up the rock is one thing but then you have to transport and get it into place. After wasting a couple of days climbing on and off the tractor & backhoe, I decided to do what the pro's do and rented a mini ex. The reach and lift ability are far superior to a CUT backhoe and the whole operation can be done from the same seat. I did the whole wall in less than a day with the mini ex. It would have taken a week with the hoe.

Unless you have other jobs that require a hyd. thumb, I'd spend the money on a rental instead.

How stable are those? The area where I'm doing the rock work is, unsurprisingly, rocky and not particularly flat.

 

[bcp]

I would buy or make one of the 2+1 tongs to use with a loader or boom pole. Don't have a backhoe. Might work well with that. too.

rock boulder tongs - Google Search

Bruce

 

[ctgoldwing]

I've moved a lot of rocks in a cleared area in the woods with my grapple. They ranged in size from 6" to small boulders that tested the lifting capacity of the fel.

 

[ning]

I've moved a lot of rocks in a cleared area in the woods with my grapple. They ranged in size from 6" to small boulders that tested the lifting capacity of the fel.

A grapple would be lovely, but definitely is pricey and likely not the best thing for precise placement of rocks around a pond (basically a rock wall).
I suspect I'll get a grapple at my next land which will have a bit more acreage; I still have a couple acres left to clear here but my forks do a decent enough job of hauling brush and wood that I manage for now.

 

[oosik]

Believe me - even with a grapple. Moving "lots" of rocks is a slow - PITA. I moved a few in the 2500# range with my grapple - line the edge of my driveway around the septic drainfield. I find it quicker using my HD rear blade. Lift the blade over and behind the rock. Lower the blade and drag the rock to wherever.

I had to go off property to find most of the large rocks I wanted. Most of mine are the size of a softball or smaller.

 

[ning]

Believe me - even with a grapple. Moving "lots" of rocks is a slow - PITA. I moved a few in the 2500# range with my grapple - line the edge of my driveway around the septic drainfield. I find it quicker using my HD rear blade. Lift the blade over and behind the rock. Lower the blade and drag the rock to wherever.

I had to go off property to find most of the large rocks I wanted. Most of mine are the size of a softball or smaller.

Yeah these rocks are all in the "reasonable" size range, as I said 100-500#. Easily in the limits of the tractor, just inconveniently slightly outside my range (until I get my powersuit at least).

I don't doubt this job will take a while, but all the rocks are currently right around the future pond - I started placing them in most of circle when I was clearing a garden space, and then realized "hey I could dig that out and make a really cool pond right by the garden" and so I basically need to move the rocks back out of the way a bit (easy - I can just pull on them with the backhoe), finish my dig, line the pond, and then put the rocks back. It's that last part that will be more careful as I'd like to semi-artfully stack them into a decent wall; dropping them out of my bucket won't quite do it, especially with the bigger rocks. Smaller, sure, but I'll likely be trying to place these within an inch or so.

I hadn't considered forks; forks are tough enough to carry rocks anywhere in the first place that while I've used them to pry up rocks out of the ground before (not a great idea tbh but so far so good A+ to the people who built my tractor & forks!), moving rocks with forks on anything but a smooth flat ground is not a fun task and good luck with precisely placing them.

 

[bdhsfz6]

How stable are those? The area where I'm doing the rock work is, unsurprisingly, rocky and not particularly flat.

A mini ex is a track machine and more stable than a CUT. This is especially true when carrying a load in the bucket.

 

[JasperFrank]

Use old tire, link chains or cable chains to wrap and drag the rocks.

 

[Smokeydog]

Wife likes her big rocks, and have many rock structures on the farm. Backhoe thumb was a godsend. Came with the used B26.
Later got a backhoe with thumb for the M59. Though similar didn’t have the dexterity feel of the smaller tractor needed for delicate rock stacking. Maybe my lack of coordination. Modified the foot pedal rest and added a hand control lever option. Improved my ability to precisely operate the thumb better.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Id use forks on the loader.

I've used my pallet forks for hundreds of rocks, big and small, just that way, slide them together and go to work.

Adding a matching grapple just makes them even better!

SR

 

[MH8675309]

I had a mechanical thumb on my BH92 hoe and converted it to hydraulic. I found it only slightly more useful for moving rock and regretted spending the money.

This of course depends on what type of job you're doing and I'm sure others will disagree. In my case, I was piling +-200# rocks to make a wall. Picking up the rock is one thing but then you have to transport and get it into place. After wasting a couple of days climbing on and off the tractor & backhoe, I decided to do what the pro's do and rented a mini ex. The reach and lift ability are far superior to a CUT backhoe and the whole operation can be done from the same seat. I did the whole wall in less than a day with the mini ex. It would have taken a week with the hoe.

Unless you have other jobs that require a hyd. thumb, I'd spend the money on a rental instead.

" I decided to do what the pro's do and rented a mini ex. The reach and lift ability are far superior to a CUT backhoe and the whole operation can be done from the same seat. " There you have it folks - living proof that a man can love a machine. Ive used one of these for picking up rocks and they are simply the tool for the job. Be careful if the machine is inclined forward (toward the rock)about how large of a rock you lift. change angle if possible

 

[dodge man]

I agree with the forks. I know on mine I can narrow them up to pick something like a rock up.

 

[Stonehaller]

I found that transporting rocks with a backhoe and thumb can be difficult unless the rock is small enough that you can curl the buck under the rock to support the rock. The problem with trying to pinch the rock between the thumb and bucket is that you need to keep pressure on it while transporting. Much easier to use pallet forks to transport the rock and then use the backhoe for fine positioning of the rock in it's final resting place.

 

[Jchonline]

Your issue is going to be placement...not really getting them out in my opinion. Getting them out you could use pallet forks, a bucket, maybe even something to push them into a spot. However placing them is going to require more precision.


If you can get them out of the way with what you have you could rent an excavator with a hyd thumb to place them. It would be much faster.

 

[Captain Dirty]

I am in the pallet fork camp (with good company). The FEL has a greater lift capacity than the BH (especially at extension), and one can get the load very close to the pins (where the FEL is rated) as opposed to the lip of a bucket. If the rock is too heavy to lift, one may be able to skid it along on the forks.

In placing rocks I have used wooden blocks and a jack to inch the boulder off the forks when I was afraid that tilting the forks would likely cause the rock to overshoot the intended placement once the rock overcame friction and started sliding. Jacking is slow and cumbersome but not as bad as having to go to the other side of the wall, pick up the stone and try again.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Moved several dozen larger rocks yesterday. Mostly tops showing up to 12" or so above the ground.
I dug them all up to get them in a position that I can move them later with the mechanical thumb.
I adjust the mechanical thumb to the widest setting and go back and move all the rocks that size. Then adjust to the next tighter setting and go move the rocks that fit that setting. Then go back on the tightest setting and pick the rest of the rocks.

Then I hand pick all the small rocks into the loader and place them in a pile for rock cribs for my fences.
This was in an area that is about 75' x 100', preparing for a new chicken run.

The three largest rocks I could not lift with the back hoe, so I partially lift them with the loader bucket to push them to a fence line about 200' away.