Breaking Rocks/Building Better Soil

In true Permie Style, where the problem becomes the solution, I always said that it was silly for me to go out and pick rocks out of my fields when they have so many benefits being in the soil. Of course there is no way I want to play bumper cars with expensive implements or more expensive tractors, so if I could just reduce them down in size, I would have my solution: better soil and no equipment damage.

Being creative...read that really lazy because one of the worst jobs on a farm is picking rocks...I came up with a low cost rock crusher.

It goes on back of a farm tractor, with its depth control controlled by the three point hitch. As it drives forward, a series of tines spaced a few inches apart, filters out the soil and bigger rocks, and desposits just the rock onto an anvil. In the meantime, the wheels of the unit drive a large shaft via a cam system that is weighted with sand. With a sharp point, with every revolution of the wheel, the hammer is picked up and slammed down. The rock is trapped until it can break into 5-6 inch pieces. In this way, all a person has to do is drive around their fields, and the rock is reduced in size.

I will have to make a scale model out of cardboard and hot glue to show how I envision this machine, but it seems like it would be a good way to keep the rock in the field where it belongs. I do not envision this being an expensive piece of equipment either, or one that is easy to make in a do it yourself setting.

This sort of thing already exists, although design specifics may vary. This is just the first link I found. I have not used one (yet) but have heard good things about them.

http://ffe.co.uk/product-category/showroom/seppi/stone-crushers-and-forestry-tillers/

Great idea Travis!
Not only is it DIY able,  but it doesn't need a PTO.

Chris, I would pay good money to have my soil tilled this way.
It could transform my growing experience.

Just getting the rocks mechanically removed to the edge of field would be enough.

Chris Wang wrote:This sort of thing already exists, although design specifics may vary. This is just the first link I found. I have not used one (yet) but have heard good things about them.

http://ffe.co.uk/product-category/showroom/seppi/stone-crushers-and-forestry-tillers/

I looked at some FAE Forestry Mowers and they looked pretty DIY doable, but would be an expansive DIY even with all the gear boxes and whatnot. My idea at the time was to mount an engine I have kicking around to the front of my bulldozer with a rotating head on it with carbide teeth. That would work, but again, be expensive. The carbide teeth alone are $3000 and last 250 hour. OUCH!

Manually breaking the rock would be DIY and easier on the budget.

William Bronson wrote:Just getting the rocks mechanically removed to the edge of field would be enough.

Oh you need a Rock and Root Rake!

They have massive versions, but using what I saw on YouTube, I built a micro-version for the back of my Kubota. Mine was for removing tons of sticks out of a hayfield when a logger drove ACROSS the field instead of around it. I could have killed him! I was not about to hand-clean-up 2 acres of land, so I devised and built a rake. It was cheap to build, MAYBE $30, and well worth doing.