A skid-steer loader—the generic name for the small, multipurpose vehicles like Bobcats that landscapers use—is the fastest, easiest way to move a back-breaking rock from point A to point B. But if the terrain or your budget preclude mechanized methods, there are some simpler, albeit slower, ways to get stones rolling.
1. Pry it. With a scrap piece of 6×6 or a small, flat-sided rock as a fulcrum, a 4-foot pry bar can roll or push a big stone little by little over level terrain—as long as your arms and patience hold out.
2. Roll it. Lay a plank across several short lengths of iron pipe placed parallel to each other on the ground. A rock loaded onto the plank will slide forward as smoothly as if it were on a conveyor, as long as you move the rear pipe to the front as the plank advances.
3. Pull it. By exerting up to 4,000 pounds of pulling force, a ratcheting lever hoist, or “come along,” can persuade many previously stuck-in-the-mud stones to, well, come along. Harness its cable end to the stone with 4-inch nylon straps, which grip the irregular surface better than chain or rope. Attach the other end to an immovable object, such as a tree or a trailer hitch on a car or truck. Then start cranking.
TOH Tip: To reduce the friction between stones and the ground, load them on a sheet of plywood, then pull or pry this makeshift “skid.”
When the rocks are truly massive, even seasoned pros need to bring in heavy equipment. In one This Old House project in Massachusetts, stonemason Roger Hopkins needed to move a three-part boulder—the largest piece weighing about 4 tons—from the woods to the front of a house. His dozer could lift only 2½-ton rocks, so he called in an excavator. With plywood laid down to protect the lawn, the excavator operator positioned the machine as close as possible, then Hopkins used a simple chain sling wrapped around each stone piece to hoist them into place one at a time.
Pro Tip: Roger Hopkins, a stonemason featured in This Old House Magazine, studies rocks for clues about how they should be placed once moved: “The glacial striations indicate the rock was laying horizontally, and that’s how it needs to be reset. The dark line of the soil showed me how deeply I wanted to set it. I wanted only the top of the rock to show—like a skullcap, with the rest buried. Even if you can’t see the entire stone, you want to give the impression of a great mass of stone underground, like the tip of an iceberg. It gives a very settled feeling.”
Where to Find It
Come-along and nylon straps:
Lug-All
Morgantown, PA
877-658-4255
