Does anyone have any suggestions on how to move small boulders manually. We need to move some rocks that we can’t lift and we can’t get the truck in to drag them. Just wondered if anyone had any idea’s on how to move them with out lifting them.
Look forward to your responses, thanks
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Replies
Use a 5-6 foot pry bar with a block to give some leverage. Work slow and focus on what your doing so you don't get hurt.
We have the crow bar, but what do you mean "with a block"?
A come-along is what I always use. It may help to rig an overhead line (if you have some trees or something to attach it to) and attach the come-along to it with a pully. You can then rig the rocks with a sling, lift them with the come-along and move them along the line fairly easily. I've use this method doing trailwork & building stone steps in some pretty rugged terrain and it works well.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Dig around with a shovel to losen, stick a pry bar under with a 2x4 block as the fulcrum. Lever onto a stone boat and drag away. Old automobile hoods make great stone boats as the boulder can be rolled onto it without lifting. Borrow one from your truck, or pay a few bucks for one at a auto junkyard; harness up as many men, women or children as you need.
O.K. now I got the idea, whatelse could we use other than a car hood?
The hood or tank half will float on top of the ground as it's pulled - like a sled. Even with a ton of boulders on it.
What else do you have at your disposal that will serve the same function? A sled? (That won't break under the load.) Something with a flat bottom and curled up front lip.
But if you can't get your truck back in there now due to the snow, what'da you fooling around now with the stones for? Gotta wait for the thaw...
We are building a cottage and went up to check the conditions, we noticed that the run off is erroding the walkout pad and sliding down the hill. It's soft enough to move some of these rocks so were were thinking of putting them in the hill to stop the run of the sand. I just didn't want all these small rocks, I wanted some of the bigger rocks included in this and wondered how to move them. I will see about getting a car hood for the future, makes sense.
O.K., this is what you NEED to do:
Go buy a nice 24 HP or smaller Kubota tractor. Consider it part of the cottage expenses. Get a nice front loader to go with it.
Well, we have already bought a few"cottage expenses" and we don't have the c ottage yet, so I think we need to hold off on the tractor for this year,
He's got his truck, that should move something other than the generator and the saw. I like the car hood idea. chained to the back of the truck. perfect. He's gonna flip when I tell him this one. Very practical. Matter of fact, I think I will go get the hood and if he doesn't like the idea then he can take the hood back.
Sounds like you have a truck you can pull with, but you can't get it close to the rocks?One idea that comes to mind is to get the truck as close as you can, and use a whole bunch of chains (or a long cable) to hook to the rocks.If you need a change of direction on the chain/cable, a snatch block hooked to a tree can provide that.Some pics of what you need to move and where they are would help a great deal.
You Say Neanderthal like It's A Bad Thing.
We will be going up north tomorrow and I will take some pics.
thanks
< flat bottom and curled up front lip.>
Yeah; people like that deserve to feel bitter.
Forrest
Take either an old 250 gallon oil tank, cut in half - longwise, or a old car hood.
Hook a logging chain up to someplace on the hood or tank and attach it to your tractor. (Don't use a JD, the green paint will come off on the rocks!) Better an orange tractor.
Drag the thing over to your pile of stones and roll the rocks onto the now christened, "Stone Boat." You may need something longer than a crowbar - like McPlumb said, a 5-6' long pry bar.
A block is simply a fulcrum which will serve as a leverage point for the bar to gain a bigger hold and for you to be able to increase the moving force.
Then, your tractor will drag the load anyplace you need...
I would love to have a tractor but its not possible. We might be able to do that with our truck once the snow is gone. But irght now we can't get any vehicles on the property.
thanks for the suggestion .
Has anybody mentioned just dig a hole next to it and roll it in? OK - have read further and see this is not trying to hide or get rid of rock, but move it where you want it.For that, study up on artilery. West Point has a school for that. Then you can set a charge under the unsuspecting rock, set it off, and have it land right where you want it......more or less
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Edited 3/31/2007 7:51 am ET by Piffin
You are dead on...an axle from like a wagon gear with BIG wheels, and a long pole lashed and latched to it. It is a called a "drug", used for logging, a log is "slung" below and the axel becomes the fulcrum..one man can haul a ton easily, dependant on the wheel diameter, the larger the better.
Making the "Tongue" end of the pole 5x the behind axle length, one can lift quite a bit, and balance..do not go down hill tho', unless one implements a drop anchor technique..else one could feaseably be run over.Parolee # 40835
Think she is in for a rocky relationship with her husband?
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Nah..that type of team work, gets them bonding. We did it here. It polishes your commo skills, right quick.
When you barely can squalk out " HONEY, LIFT IT UP"...while you are pinned under the weight...you have her attn.Parolee # 40835
This is the guy who is lifting a 600K generator in and out of the truck alone, so I guess he has the stones to keep up with a rock gurl
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I quit using the term crowbar because it means different things to different people so much.Out west, it was a steel bar about 3' long with a hook at the end for pulling nails - what some call a wrecking bar.Around here, if you ask for the crow bar, they will hand you a piece a steel about 5' long made for digging, breaking up hard soil for the fence post, or levering rocks etc - or they will ask, which one do you want, the 5', the 8' or the real man's crowbar - the ten footer. LOLI ended up with one of those tens from a yard sale when another contractor sold out and left the state. It is still in barely used condition! It is all I can do to lift it, let alone use it.
;)
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"Hook a logging chain up to someplace on the hood or tank and attach it to your tractor. (Don't use a JD, the green paint will come off on the rocks!) Better an orange tractor."
This 110 is older than I am but she's doing OK with an 800 lb boulder. Granted, the front tires spend most of the time off the ground. For a bigger tug I can use the 112.
I guess it depends on how heavy and big you are talking about. Right now my wife is moving some heavy rocks around the yard and she uses a box cart. One of those 2 wheeled things you buy really cheap for moving stacked boxes around. Some parcel delivery guys use them. The bottom lip sticks out about 10 inches and you can lever a good size rock onto that and the inflatable tires are good for a few hundred pounds.
She has moved quite a few rocks around and asks for help sometimes either to lever a big rock onto to the lip and maybe stand the rock up (which is a lot easier than lifting one up) or sometimes a help pulling the cart over a big lump..
She wants the rocks, she has to move them.
roger
I was wondering why your sitting in on the computer while your wife is out moving boulders.....is there somthing wrong with this picture???
Well... as you can see its not my husband inquirying about moving rocks, as a matter of fact he doesn't even know yet that he has to move them. I wanted to have some good suggestions ready before I told him they needed to be moved.
We have one of the 2 wheeled dollies and i was moving a few last year but I wanted something bigger moved. I think I will get some straps, maybe I could sneek a car hood into the back of his truck without him knowing it . Good idea.
As long as you have us involved in conspiring against other members of our sex, let me suggest this - it will save alot of time and space - just use the hood off his truck when you get up there. That way all you have to pack is a wrench. Then you can put the hood back on before driving home if you don't lose the bolts.Momma always said I was a jeanious
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Too funny, I am now back in the landof forums, building all summer. Didn't get to move any rocks or , boulders. When I wneto home and told him we needed to get a car hood, I thought he was going to loose it. " Don't you think I have anything better to do than move rocks???. Did you forget what I'm building here.??
So..... no rock moving this year, maybe next year.
I sorta knew he would say that. Us men think that way, ya know.
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I second the use of the "hand truck". We have one on hand all the time.
I precast some concrete 2' x 2' x1' with post bases set in. Moved them from the front of lot to back of home. Needed two people; one to push and hold them onto carriier, other to pull. No problem; and those hand trucks will hold from 500 to 800 pounds depending on constructiion of them. Roll and tip rock etc. to get onto the carrier.
Be sure to get one with the big inflatable wheels.
You can manuver them through some narrow places that would be difficult with plywood sled, or car hood half; as those things may hang up on rough rocky ground.
Plus you don't have down time; as they are instantly ready.
.... and when you drop the rock onto the hand cart plate, make sure your head is away from the handle end **clang**
Jeff
Drill two holes into a 3/4" sheet of plywood about a foot in from one end (1 ft back & 1 ft in on each side.
Tie a big rope through the holes. It should be long enough so you can get a couple of people on the rope comfortably, like in a tug-of-war, but not too close to the plywood.
Now use the crowbar and the block to get the boulder on the plywood.
Drag the "sled" to where you want the rock, have some water, and do it again.
I came home one day with these big rocks in the back of his truck, when the guy put them in the truck with the forklift they didn't appear to be that heavy . (Dah) I asked my husband to come out and place them in the front garden. Couldn't budge them once they were pushed off the truck and onto the lawn. He did just that with the plywood, by now there are 3 guys trying to pull these rocks. I never get to buy rocks again.
The plywood is flat and doesn't slide, the car hood idea would be better.
Once upon a time digging out a basement by hand at the south end of a former glacer, came upon 3 good sized rocks.
1st was about 22 inches in diameter, was able to get it a a hand cart.
2nd wa a little bigger, also got it on a hand cart, but bent the hand carts. Had the wheels infalted to 80 psi.
3rd one would not fit out thru the double doors, about 40 inches across. One way would have been to drill and split it with wedges, but finally just dug a deeper hole in the basement floor and rolled it in with the aid of a 3 ton and 6 ton roller chain come-along.
You can dig a hole somewhere on the far side of where yu want to move the rocks, bury an old car tire 2 feet deep for an anchor, and winch or come-along the rocks to where you want them to be.
PS: it is nice to have a full sized backhoe with a thumb to move big rocks.
Yeh, a backhoe, crew, dumptruck,and lots of money would be nice. But what fun would that be, we have a friend that bought a small bobcat so we will ask him to come over this summer and move a few, problem is in order for him to get to some of the really nice boulders we would have to cut down some trees, and we don't want to do that, so the boulders either have to stay there or we split them up.
These rocks must be bigger than I thought. Just to keep things inexpensive, if you cannot pull they plywood over the snow, you could get a few round fence posts and place them under the plywood. Once it is up on four or five posts, you can pull forward while moving each pole to the front as they are left behind. I used to do this each season back in '66 to move my boat a quarter mile down to the beach.
Otherwise, I can only suggest levitation.
PS
This might inspire you.
http://www.coralcastle.com/home.asp
If I gave them water, I would never get anything done.
you scare me
Recruit some helpers from the local Home Depot parking lot. - lol
You could do as the Romans and Greeks did, and build a treadmill-powered crane. ;-)
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That'll lift 'em but won't move 'em. For that you want a trebuchet. (Of course, it's best to not be real fussy about where they end up.)
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
I have done lots of work with rocks/boulders over the years and the very best way I have found to move stones that are too heavy for people to lift is to use a tree cart (also called ball carts). I bought one many years ago for this very purpose. These carts are used by landscapers and nurseries to move trees around. Without any real trouble I can, by myself, move rocks that are several hundred pounds.
If you dont want to buy one, perhaps a local landscaper or nursery would rent one to you.
Is that the real name for this cart? It looks similar to the 2 wheeled dolly with a cage on it so the rock won't go anywhere.
Yes they are called "tree carts" or "ball carts" (as in a tree root ball). It is a very heavy duty 2 wheeled dolly which have a cradle shape which is perfect for moving stones. Just do a google search for tree cart or ball cart and you will find them. When I bought mine 10 years ago, I paid about $750 Cdn. for the heaviest duty one that I could find. The one in the image I uploaded has a carrying capacity of 1600 pounds so I would imagine that would more than suit your purposes.
I think we need one of these, possibly a used one.
Lacking a car hood a couple of sheets of used metal roofing work .
http://www.micro-blaster.com
;o)Jeff
If you don't want to save them whole, rent a Bosch Bulldog ,drill 3/4 in holes in them; then drive in splitting wedges to get them down to a size you can handle. Not nearly a hard as it sounds. I have been cutting up stones in the 2-3 ton range so I can move the parts.
Well now, thats a different project in it's self, since I would like some flat top rocks to make paths and steps. How long does it take to drill a hole in a boulder, is it hard to do or is this something I could do while he's building the cottage?
I'm thinking about taking a masonry course because I think we need a retaining wall and would like to build it with the rock on the property. My husband has enough work to do so I thought this might be something I could do.(other than pass the drill, get the beer and find the level)
Drilling with a rotary hammer isn't like a jack hammer. A 7/8 Bulldog looks like an slightly elongated 1/2 drill; use good quality 3/4 SDS carbide bits such as Bosch (available at Lowes etc, about $30. It takes steady pressure but not hard. The best wedges are from Trow & Holden you can find them on the web about $5 per set. Plan on 1 set of shims & wedge about every 6-8" accross the face of the stone in the line you want to cleave. Using them is not muscle work you just drill all the holes in the line then set in the shims & wedges in all the holes and slowly go down the line and tap on them. it will supprise you how precisely you can cut. It's kind of fun.
Good luck
As I read along - I think you need to change your handle to rockgurl
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My neighbor moves rocks that weigh 300-800 pounds by using an old tire chain to get a reliable grip on the rock, then using a come-along to pull the rock onto a piece of heavy plywood, then using the come-along to pull the rock and plywood onto a fold-up tilt trailer that he pulls with his ride-on mower. An old car hood would probably work even better.
I need to look in this "come-a-long" I have heard a few people mention these in different forums, .
thanks
"I need to look in this "come-a-long" I have heard a few people mention these in different forums,"
Around here, every farm store sells 'em.
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If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. [Mark Twain]
One trick not yet mentioned - tie a line from the boulder to a tree. Pull on the center of the line perpendicular to the direction of the line. This multiplies your pulling strength tenfold. (vectors)
A few climbers were trying to move a 300+ lb hunk of limestone from under a bouldering cave - they had pulleys for mechanical advantage. They struggled with different methods at least half the day. When we walked by later in the day I asked if they tried the method described above - they didn't understand, so I pulled on their tight doubled up block and tackle system at a 90 degree angle. The rock moved for the first time ever - I really didn't put any effort into it, and I'm a skinny weakling.
They were astonished - we left quickly so we wouldn't laugh too hard in front of them...
pulled on their tight doubled up block and tackle system at a 90 degree angle
Found it is even easier to just sit on the tight rope<G> (or jump on it)
Hire 5 "Manuels."
"rowing" a rock with a shovel is a good technique to know. It's just like it sounds- use the lever of the shovel to move the rock 1-2" at a time, via a fulcrum at the back of the shovel blade. If you have two people doing this in sync, it's easy work to move a rock, though slow. Come-alongs or grip-hoists are great for moving rocks, and tire chains make a good harness for a small rock.
If it's difficult to flip a rock onto a rock sled or into a harness for it, digging under a corner is sometimes the best way to get it started.
I love moving rocks- it's a great exercise in practical physics
zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
Break them into smaller pieces.Depends on the rock, sometimes it is easy to do .
mike
Can you roll the rock on to a piece of ply with maybe 2 to 3 sections of 2" or 3"pipe the same length as the ply is wide under it and push it and as the pipe exit the rear place it in front and repeat as necessary. If the ground is rough put some 1x lumber as your highway, works for me. Billy D.
I remember being real young and my grandfather makeing a big fire and then pouring water on the rocks, then they cracked, Or maybe he was just makeing a fire????? I wonder if anyone did this???
According to legend this is the way Hannibal cleared big rocks from his route when he crossed the Alps to invade the Roman Empire, about 2200 years ago.
For rock splitting I recommend Mary and James Gage's book ''the art of splitting stone''.
One way of moving a large rock is to tie a long pole to it and take advantage of the leverage.
do a search for DEXPAN.
Ask this guy for some ideas.
http://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/posts/moving_big_rocks/