Breaking up boulder

[nesbit]

Hi,

I have a large boulder that i want removed from my garden. This thing is pretty big about 1100x700 and is buried a fair way into the ground. Could i use a jackhammer from Kennards to break this thing up to smaller chunks? Or do you guys have any other suggestions on moving this thing?


Thanks,

Jamie

[woodsprite]

Depends largely on type of rock, and I can;t recall the rock type around Mornington. It the rock has anything resembling layers in it, it should break up with some effort. Otherwise, a quick call to your local back-hoe operator will see it hoisted out of the ground. When we had the sewerage line put in earlier this year the guy found a HUGE rock - part of a reef. He couldn;t break it with a compressor type jack hammer so got his back-hoe under it and lifted it out of the ground easy as.. then stood it half up for us and we built a big garden bed around it. About 2.5 metres long and about 1.2 through...
Reckon a machine might be th ego - cost maybe $80 to $100.

My dear departed mum would have nagged it out of the ground for you....

Sounds like a bit of work even with a hammer.

Good chipping....
Jeff

[silentC]

Haven't you seen that ad on TV? Get yourself a Holden ute and drag it out!

I'd make a feature of it but if you really don't want it there, belt it a few times with a sledgehammer and see what happens. If that doesn't leave a mark, you might need a machine as per Jeff's suggestion ;)

[Auld Bassoon]

Err, let's see,

2000ml concentrated nitric acid, 1800ml concentrated hydrochloric acid, 2000ml glyecrine and...

Hmmm, perhaps not :eek:

[woodsprite]

Was thinking along similar lines... a few minutes with a star drill and hammer, a small bottle of black powder, coupla feet of fuse, some ear muffs and bye bye rock!

Wonder if you can hire a few members of the local penitetentiary for the afternoon and their traditional equipment??;)
Jeff

[DavidG]

Try (http://www.archerusa.com/Product_Dexpan_En1.html):)

[China]

DavidG, Auld Bassoon's method would be much more fun

[old_picker]

you'll need a hammer drill, kango or even a jackhammer, some steel wedges, a sledge, 2 bully boys, a couple of slabs of beer and a saturday with a view to a tidy up on sunday.

Drill holes in a line, about 6" in from 1 edge about 4" apart.
When you get em down a foot to 18" drive in yer wedges with the sledge.

Just keep drivin holes and bangin in wedges It will crack up into small bits.

Gelegnite is a lot more fun but neighbours usually get grumpy at the chunks of rock that go flyiing round the neighbourhood. Besides one might hit you or the good lady.

[Brengun]

Hey, It wouldn't be worth something to someone else as a garden feature? I have seen rocks for sale at Sunday markets and they aren't cheap. The dearest ones have lichen growing on them.

Maybe an ad in the local newspaper like 'you want it, you remove it'.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Once again it depends as Jeff said about the type of rock if its- granite or worse basalt, you wont make a hole in it with hand tools. I would also suggest using it as a feature. It still is going to be hard to move it without machinery, unless youve been watching those strange shows on Discovery channel about how the pyramids etc were built.

[Gra]

Al's son is looking for work.......:D:D

I liked the idea of blowing it up, sounds like a lot of fun..

[corbs]

The explosive assistance used to be the normal way of removing tree stumps where I grew up on the farm. Heard one story where a few limbs were left on the tree, appropriate holes dug underneath and explosives laid. The fuse was lit and cover sought. The charge blew and tree flew straight up, turned 180 degrees and landed back in the same hole in one piece upside down with all branches in the ground and roots in the air. They had to use a chainsaw to finish the job after that.

Have some fun and blow the rock up:D

Corbs

[Ivan in Oz]

G'day Nesbit,
You might try some local Landscapers.
They will now be doing the "DRY" Desert look and will require rocks.

Make some $$$$
and let them do the work:D

[Barry_White]

The trouble with buried boulders they can be like Icebergs 10% showing 90% buried.

[Kerry Blue]

It should only take a good Kanga or Dingo operator less than half an hour to dig out a rock this size and load it in your trailer or theirs to take away or move it to another part of your garden as a feature. I live in a REALLY rocky area and have tried and given up on all the manual DIY methods. Cost here is about $60 and hour for a machine and operator.

[Tools]

It might be $60 per hour, but I bet they have a minimum charge of 4 or 5 hours.

Tools

[Kerry Blue]

No minimum hours charged here at Tweed Heads. It's cheaper for me to hire the machine and the operator and pay about 20mins travelling time than it is to hire a machine and try and do it myself. By the time you organise the hire, drive to pick up tha machine, collect the machine, drive home and then spend an avo trying to operate it SKILLFULLY, it's well worth every penny to pay someone who can hit the ground running!!!!!

[Stuart]

Yeah, but its much more fun driving it around yourself :D

[Bleedin Thumb]

Reminds me of a time I hired a large rotary hoe. The loading it back on the ute by driving up a plank. Tricky proceedure. The hoe got to the top and as the angle changed the clutch/throtle sticks open and the hoe goes flying over the other side with me holding on for dear life with the thought of those spinning blades going through my head as I land with the machine in a heap. wounded ego little else.

[procureit]

Hi Guys, not trying the hard sell but we have a new product out that is a non explosive demolition agent, may not get the same excitement from the neighbours as Gelegnite but what the hey, check out Bristar at http://www.procureit.com.au/bristar.html:eek: