DIY stone boat aka rock sled aka Yard Glider

I used to have a riding mower with a trailer attachment for moving bulk materials, which was great -- but not the easiest to load/unload.  Now I have a zero-turn and no trailer.

I've also manually dragged stuff using a tarp, or loaded/unloaded materials using a wheelbarrow. But the tarps get pretty torn up, aren't good for heavy materials, and I find the wheelbarrow hauls tiring and inefficient

Today I came across an ad for YardGlider, a tool that is flat and moves like a sled led by a chain. It pulls bulk materials, logs, etc., either manually or with a mower. I learned there are some old-fashioned names for this like "stone boat" or "rock sled".  In the comments under the ad, several people complained about YardGlider's $100 - $300 price. In response, YardGlider answered politely with a DIY suggestion to make your own sled with an old truck bed liner. It was super nice of them to offer that suggestion! I'm going to try it out.

Sounded like an interesting tool for permies so I am posting here.

I wonder if anyone has used or made a rock sled, and if you have any suggestions. For example someone on the ad thread mentioned using a discarded polyethylene dumpster lid as a rock sled.

I have to say that is a brilliant idea.
And so practical

We used to go sledding on a car bonnet/hood. That might work well.

Yep, I have an old car hood to pull things around the yard.
Mine is a VW Rabbit hood.
I mentioned it to my buddy the other day and he was reminded of the large GM hood he and his dad used in his childhood.

I secured an old truck bed liner for $20 off facebook marketplace, thanks to my friend with a pickup. We tied it down securely and hauled it to my place.

Now I need to figure out best way to cut off the sides with the wheel wells. If anyone is handy and has suggestions they would be welcome.

Jex Martell wrote:


I secured an old truck bed liner for $20 off facebook marketplace, thanks to my friend with a pickup. We tied it down securely and hauled it to my place.

Now I need to figure out best way to cut off the sides with the wheel wells. If anyone is handy and has suggestions they would be welcome.

A regular grinder with a cutting wheel would take those sides off in no time.  If you don't want the mess the cutting wheel makes, I think you could heat an old knife in a fire until it was red hot and use it to melt through the liner.  You have have to reheat it often, but I have cut plastic that way a number of times.  The fumes are bad though, so do it outside in the open if possible.

Thank you for the suggestion! I don't have a grinder, unfortunately. I looked at my dremel tool and a utility knife but they didn't look up to the task.

I got out my cordless reciprocating saw aka sawzaw aka sawzilla and it made short work of the truck bed liner sides. I was worried it would make a mess but the cuts were pretty clean. Some tiny plastic bits came off the edges.

I used a drill to make a few holes. I didn't find any decent rope on hand so I used thin orange haybale twine and will replace it later. With heavy gloves on it worked fine for now.

So, now I have my own DIY rock sled! I hauled 3 loads of chips and I have to say loading and unloading with a rake was a breeze. Lugging the sled was not the easiest, but when I get my mower out for the season and new rope for the sled I imagine it will go a lot faster for going across the property. But for now... total success. And only cost $20!

I admire how fast you went from considering the idea to execution!
I've used a tarp and a twelve year old,  but I would love to upgrade...

Thank you. I have piles and piles of woodchips to move around, and the ole wheelbarrow thing was getting old.

I made a rock sled out of two pieces of steel rectangular tubes onto which I bolted some 2x6's. Worked very well.
Before that I used the hood of an old car.

Back in the day, that's how we stacked hay into small stacks, 6' to 8' tall, and carried it out of the field to where we built a taller and all around larger stack.  We just called them slips.

By using boards tied together only on one end, we could bury a wrecking bar into the soil and the hay would slide off the SLIP.

I have made sleds from the curved steel sections of trampoline legs. They have great curves  so the sled will go almost anywhere.
I actually collect old trampolines and use the steel for many things.

John C. Daley, Would you please post a pic of one of your sleds/slides using the tubing from trampoline?  Also Michael Dotson who said: I made a rock sled out of two pieces of steel rectangular tubes onto which I bolted some 2x6's. Would you please explain further or post a picture. I am more of a visual learner - a picture is worth a thousand words!  I like the idea of using truck bed liner pieces, but I would use just the tailgate section for the sled. I have a liner that was free on the curbside and I brought it home and put it near the garden and filled it with llama manure I bought to keep it from washing away in the rain until I want to use it. It is set on a slight slope so water won't collect in it and covered with tarp and cardboard for protection from sun and drying out too much.  A little moisture in it won't hurt. If  cutting the bed liner itself to make a sled, why not keep one of the sides intact so it will hold more chips, brush or whatever without them falling off when going around curves, etc.  Or overlap the cut pieces to give 2 sides and load from the open end.  Not sure if rubber washers on short bolts/ screws would work to hold the pieces together without tearing holes or how to do that.  My creativity only got me this far! :__)

I have nt photographed any of my work, I use drawings normally.
But here are some other ideas, the sled has runners very similar to some legs of a trampoline.

Might try this for moving materials up a steep wooded slope with a gand winch possibly. I have some thick rubber conveyor belt that should be durable and light.

Anything with wheels works fine unless you need to stop mid slope haha