OT- Moving Rocks

scotty

scotty

Remember, no matter how you approach this there is going to be some brute strength, manual lifting. Get a bottle of linament for the mussles, antiseptic for the wounds and a bottle of good sprits for you and your friends. True friends are the ones that show up for these type of events.

To move a rock: Position your “skid” next to the rock and oriented so your tractor can be hooked to the end with the 4x4. Use your FEL to roll the rock onto the skid so it’s more or less centered on the metal. Now run a log chain around the 4x4 then thru the punched hole and hook it back onto itself. Then hook the free end of the chain to the tractor drawbar. The shorter the chain between the drawbar and skid the better – you want it to lift the front of the skid a bit as the tractor pulls. You can now skid the rock easily wherever you want it.

This works best in tall weeds, on wet grass etc. and will hardly leave a mark. But it also works fine on tilled soil or hard ground – the metal will just wear out faster. I've used it to move rocks in excess of 1,000 lb with ease.

Have fun, and work safe!

The trucks chains will get tangled

Truck chains are heavy.

All you need is 10-12 feet of 3/8 chain with slip hooks (large opening and throat). Lever the flat stones with a bar and slide chain underneath. Roll round stones onto chain.

Thanks
scotty

I never do this work with help. That is the quickest way to injure someone or get injured. I have never squashed a finger or toe. When you bar a stone, you are only lifting half the weight of the stone. By using a lever with a fulcrum spaced to yield a 15 to 1 advantage, you can theoretically lift one end of a 4000 lb stone.

Of course you are not lifting anything. You are using your weight to apply force. Once the stone is up several inches, slide a 2x4 under it.