rocks and pasture help

moloss · Sep 10, 2007

I have a small field that is on a slope and it has alot of small rocks (between the size of your fist and a grapefruit)......now this field used to be in cotton but I want to plant fescue and dallas grass but I'm afraid the rocks will hurt the drill I plan to use.....any suggestions to prep the field before I drill.....I'm not above walking and picking them up but I need something to help flip them up out of the ground a little bit.......thanks.

Luremaker · Sep 10, 2007

Hi moloss, I too have lots of rocks in my pasture. This past weekend my two sons and I hand picked more than 15 buckets of stone from one 15 acre pasture. I cut the pasture as short as possible with rc then pulled my chain harrow around to roll the surface stones. Then walk back and forth through the pasture and hand pick all the visible stones. It took the three of us the whole weekend. Lot's of work but the pasture now looks good.

WTA · Sep 10, 2007

Land pride and other companies make rock pickers just for this. Land pride is the only brand I've used. They work really nice on flat ground. I wish I had one on this farm. We have quite a few but they are a really soft rock that the bush hog pulverizes easily. My riding mower is another story though. Blades don't last long on it.
The problem with rocks I've noticed is they seem to grow, especially if you have livestock on the pasture. I can pick them all up one year and the next more have come to the surface. It never ends.

unreconstructed · Sep 10, 2007

First of all--great signature line.

I have read about "rock pickers" for FEL, but have never seen one much less used one. I think the bottom line is rocks=work. I have been clearing a rocky ridge just so I can mow from time to time. Already has native grass on it so i don't want to bust it up and give the grassburrs, hoarhounds, and white weeds an in. I use a pick or the pick end of a grubbing hoe to flip the rocks. I throw them in the loader bucket and go dump them in a pile. Since your place has been tilled, could be removing the top layer of rock will allow you to use your drill without damage. You may just have to give it a go and see. I have not figured out a way other than plain old labor to get rid of rocks.

Highbeam · Sep 10, 2007

As far as an attachment to help flip them to the surface... I have taken a perfectly smooth looking pasture and created a rock garden with my boxblade by lowering the scarifiers and shortening the top link to get maximum tooth penetration. This makes the BB a chisel plow and flipped up all sorts of rocks. After picking the big rocks then either backdrag with the loader bucket or raise the teeth of the BB and extend the top link all the way for a smearing action using the front of the back blade. This will expose the rocks causing trouble or push them deep enough to be out of the way.

I had a big herkin hole dug on my lot to dump the collected rocks since 10 or 15 buckets of stones is not something you want to deal with forever.

BarryinMN · Sep 10, 2007

A spike tooth drag harrow might be enough to scratch the surface & loosen the rocks. I use a cultivator, digs a little deeper & takes out weeds by the roots.

Z-Michigan · Sep 10, 2007

A scarifier (like the Landpride SF77, though I don't recommend that brand having owned one) will pop out rocks very handily. It's a specialized tool and may not be worth buying for only that use. A disk will also bring a number of rocks out if it's heavy enough to cut in. After using either one, a chain harrow can get them all the way out while smoothing the dirt that isn't rock. After that - have fun handpicking! We're still finishing up 7 acres of hand picking. I hear that the specialized rockpicking machines are wonderful, but their price makes them impossible for me.

moloss · Sep 10, 2007

thanks guys.....I'll see what I can do.

N80 · Sep 11, 2007

The problem with a scarifier, at least on my property, is the more you 'scarify' the more rocks you get. I use my boxblade teeth like a plow and it literally looks like it is growing rocks behind it.

My 'fields' are very small. I get the rocks out by hand. Pick 'em up, chunk them to the side. After a while it starts to make a difference. But it is hard work.

unreconstructed · Sep 11, 2007

And that's my problem also--the more the soil is disturbed, the more the rocks "grow".

3RRL · Sep 11, 2007

Yeah, I end up picking up the rocks by hand too. It is a major pain to do this.
I've tried using the boxblade to barely scrape the surface (no rippers down) and collect only those exposed. This works to some degree, but you still have to empty the box or pretty soon it will "jump" over one and spill out all the rest. I wish there was a rock "magnet" for this purpose.

Rara Avis · Sep 16, 2007

If you can rent one of these...
Rock Removal with the RockKing Rock Bucket by Absolute Innovations
on a skidsteer...you will be one happy camper...

jbrumberg · Sep 16, 2007

Paul in VT:

Good Find

! I just checked out their website

. They have some interesting attachments, but I bet they are $$$$$$$

!

Jay

Rowski · Sep 16, 2007

I have had very good luck with my T-8 Harley Rake. It can eaisly pull out a shoe box sized rock sub surface (2" bellow).

Check out the pictures.

Before

During different angle]

closer look]

final

.

jbrumberg · Sep 16, 2007

Derek:

Nice job

! Now what are you going to do with your rock pile? Mine keeps getting larger and larger

. Jay

Rowski · Sep 16, 2007

The job was done for someone. I went by this summer and the pile was still there. The guy didn't want the pile moved.

I know what you mean. I do some rotary cutting too. There were 2 fields this year that I never hit rocks. One field I hit 4. The other field 3. Must be they are growing

. I guess it must have been the wacky winter and ground frost.

On our property we just stock pile them. Sort them, if possible, small medium large.

horse7 · Sep 16, 2007

Need a Roomba like gadget that random walks and picks up a rock, and puts it into a waiting bucket (quick attach, detached). Then just snag the bucket every now and then and move the rocks.

Not like there's a big rush to pick up the rocks.... although might need a mechanical llama to protect the Roombas from human coyotes!