rocks everywhere - simple solution?

[andrewj]

I am clearing several fields right now, all total less than 15 acres...filled with quartz rocks. Ranging from fist sized, to canteloupe sized. Someone suggested that Ineed to have more kids and then send them out into the field to pick up rocks. haha.

OK, funds are limited, maybe even non existant. I have a 6 foot root rake for my tractor. It has proven to not work well to gather rocks, since it gathers brush, dirt, and everything in between.

Assuming there is some old sage advice, or secret to adjusting the angle of the root rake....

is it even worth while to pick up rocks because every time I plow more will be turned up?

 

[TomKioti]

Andrew,

I saw this online thought it might interest you.

Iowa Farm Equipment bradco_rock_bucket.html

It looks expensive and may require a QA loader. Some kind of rock bucket
may help but with no budget it's a tough call. Mabye try posting in attachements. Good luck with the rocks!

Tom K.

 

[bcarwell]

Andrew,
Glad I ran across your post as I have the same problem, same size rocks, and was going to BUY a "rock rake", thinking that would do it. Now I'm rethinking it and awaiting any more sage advice to you from the forum.
One thing I had wondered is the rock rakes I've seen swivel in the middle so you can adjust their angle from perpendicular to direction of travel to maybe 30 degrees. With an angled setting, I gathered it causes the pile of rocks (and other stuff you're gathering) to kinda roll off the rake tines off the end of the rake to create a pile/line of debris on one side of the tractor in the direction of travel. I assumed you then go back with the FEL and collect the line of rocks or push them into a pile.
I assume none of this adjusting of the rake like I just described helps ?
Some of my rocks are probably too big for the rock rake which creates another problem of getting them out of there before I break the rock rake. That seems to be a pain too, since the only way I see to do this is to loosen them with my FEL, and then probably frequently get off the tractor and push the dislodged rocks into the FEL bucket. (I've seen thumbs attaching to the bucket to serve as a claw but they look too expensive.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Sorry I'm of no help, but at least you were (making me rethink buying a rock rake). I might try my hand at making one of those rock buckets like the other reader pointed you to. I might be able to fashion a bunch of teeth to attach to the leading edge of the FEL bucket to simulate the device they cited (which I agree looks like it costs alot).

Bob

 

[N80]

I've got the same problem but with less acreage, probably no more than 4 acres. I can't afford an attachment right now...so kids it is. Seriously, I only have two kids but we do periodic rock walks and toss or carry the rocks out of the fields. Fifteen acres is probably too big for that sort of approach, and yes, the more you plow the more you'll get.

If I had it to do over, I'd have fewer kids and more implements. Implements are much cheaper and much less trouble. And if implement doesn't do what I want it to I can beat the tar out of it without the risk of getting DSS involved.

 

[turnkey4099]

I've got the same problem but with less acreage, probably no more than 4 acres. I can't afford an attachment right now...so kids it is. Seriously, I only have two kids but we do periodic rock walks and toss or carry the rocks out of the fields. Fifteen acres is probably too big for that sort of approach, and yes, the more you plow the more you'll get.

If I had it to do over, I'd have fewer kids and more implements. Implements are much cheaper and much less trouble. And if implement doesn't do what I want it to I can beat the tar out of it without the risk of getting DSS involved.

Ah, but is getting an implement as much fun as getting a kid? Okay, so it's a one time shot on the kid...


Harry K

 

[N80]

Getting the kids was awful, making the kids was fun though. I've only made one implement, a homemade drag harrow, it was not fun and doesn't work any better than my kids.

 

[TomKioti]

Getting the kids was awful, making the kids was fun though. I've only made one implement, a homemade drag harrow, it was not fun and doesn't work any better than my kids.

Omigosh your kids actually work? How the heck did you pull that off?

 

[randy41]

you're clearing the fields for what ultimate use?

 

[OldMcDonald]

There is a fairly simple solution. You need two pieces of equipment. First, windrow the rocks. I have done it over the past two and a half years or so with excellent results, and made several passes over some ground. Total land area treated 16 acres, most rocks in your fist to melon sized description, a few a wee bit bigger, and best moved aside. After clearing I have ripped up to about 12" deep and subsoiled up to about 2 feet at close spacings. I have beaten the problem on ground that had a minimum 50% cover, and, no joking, 100% cover in places. Some of this had never previously been cultivated.

Please excuse lack of ability to explain engineering type things - I am a peasant in inland Portugal, previously far N of Scotland, Australia and the wilds of Northumberland. I have very limited welding and design skills, but my equipment for this problem works, and that is all that matters.

The windrower I made is (metric because I am in Portugal) 3 metres wide at front half a metre wide at back. V shaped, tpl mounted. 45hp NH to pull it. Nothing less has enough oomph, if smaller tractor, scale down. L angle and inverted T framework, sides sheeted and about 15" high. Angle iron on bottom act as skids. Concrete re-inforcement bar 25mm dia welded to framework to be 10cms below skids and at 25cms spacings. These wear quite quickly. Vee angle of implement when towed forward is about 60º. The re-bar acts like a harrow below ground and is working at about 4" spacings because of angle. The width of the rake means it projects outside the tractor wheels and rakes into a narrow band, actually about 2 feet or more depending upon quantity of stone. There is an enormous amount of sideways thrust on the rake, and it is difficult to keep it down without a lot of extra weight - I used concrete fence posts laid on top, but rams that force down would be better, like the old Belarus tractors had. With the projection you can drive alongside small windrows and keep moving them until it is big enough to warrant picking up.

I have no front tpl so made a rear mounted bucket, just like a link box but with re-bar floor at 2" spacings so small stuff and some soil falls back through if the soil is dry. I was not bothered about some soil because I had a hole to fill about 2000 sq metres and a yard and a half deep. It was part of an area I planted to olive trees earlier this year. I have also made a lot of new roads.

Sorry no photos. I have partially redesigned the rake, because the job is finished and I only have very small stuff still to clear so it is now single sided and used to move a bigger area's stones into a row by starting wide and drawing to the centre. Also demolished the bucket and transformed it into a subsoiler. If absolutely essential I could have the redesigned rake photographed by my son at Xmas.

I will try to answer questions.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I am clearing several fields right now, all total less than 15 acres...filled with quartz rocks. Ranging from fist sized, to canteloupe sized. Someone suggested that Ineed to have more kids and then send them out into the field to pick up rocks. haha.

OK, funds are limited, maybe even non existant. I have a 6 foot root rake for my tractor. It has proven to not work well to gather rocks, since it gathers brush, dirt, and everything in between.

Assuming there is some old sage advice, or secret to adjusting the angle of the root rake....

is it even worth while to pick up rocks because every time I plow more will be turned up?

I rented a RockHound for 3 days that got the vast majority of the rocks off an acre. I then spent about two weeks repeatedly going over the same area with a landscape rake set at an angle. Now, this was my yard, not a field, so I was going for a level of cleanness and grade that you probably won't need. The landscape rake works, but it is slow, dusty work. Good luck.