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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| May 2 2008, 10:26 PM EDT (current) | apmillard | 28 words added, 1 word deleted |
| Nov 16 2007, 1:14 PM EST | apmillard | 24 words added, 1 word deleted |
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Tips for excavating and moving rocks.
Moving rocks with the loader is recommend instead, but getting a large rock into the loader can take some skill. Rock-wrestling invites injury, whereas chasing it with the bucket tends to chew up the ground, and you may push the rock into an inaccessible location. Tossing it from backhoe to bucket is for circus acts only!
Here are some more effective methods.
Excavating
If the rocks have to be excavated from the ground, this is more easily done with a backhoe,backhoe, and even better if you install a thumb to lift them to ground level. If a FEL bucket is the only implement available, it will be easier to get a grip on a buried rock if you have a tooth bar. With the Bro-Tek Ripper Tooth you can tease some rocks from the ground without causing as much collateral damage as you would with the backhoe.Moving
Driving with a rock held in the backhoe can be hazardous, and may require a counter-balancing weight in the loader bucket. The rock may fall, rolling into your pool/pond/buddy (standing too close).Moving rocks with the loader is recommend instead, but getting a large rock into the loader can take some skill. Rock-wrestling invites injury, whereas chasing it with the bucket tends to chew up the ground, and you may push the rock into an inaccessible location. Tossing it from backhoe to bucket is for circus acts only!
Here are some more effective methods.
- Hammer or (have an accomplice hold) a stake or post in the ground behind the rock to prevent it moving while you scoop it into the bucket. A toothbar may help get enough metal under it to permit tilting it back into the bucket.
- If you have chain hooks on the top of the bucket, you can loop a chain from the hook, over the top of the rock, and back to the hook. Usually when you tip the bucket back the rock will slide into the bucket.
- Using short section of 4x4 fence post.
1- Lift the nearest edge of the rock enough to fit the 4x4 under it just past the center of gravity
2- Let the bucket down gently keeping the nearest edge of the rock in the bucket
3- Move forward until the bucket hits the 4x4 or the COG is in the bucket (which ever comes first)
4- Curl the bucket up to get the rock to slide down into the back of the bucket. - If too large to fit in the bucket, drag the rock using loops of chain.
