Ideas for sled to move heavy rocks.

[arakboss]

I have some rocks I want to move about 300ft. They each weigh several hundred pounds. The ground that I need to move them across consist of dirt, grass and cinder rock. I may also encounter short stumps and partially buried rocks partially above ground.

I am looking for some type of sled that I could drag behind my car to move them.

The front of the sled should be slightly rounded to prevent it from digging into the ground or snagging on small hang ups along the way.

The cargo area should be very strong with low or no sides so I can roll or slide the rocks on to it.

I thought about cutting down a 55gal plastic drum lengthwise and trying to flatten out the backside by bolting a piece of angle iron to it. I would be open to buying something if the price isn't too high. Any suggestions?

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[Hop Sing]

Could you go to a junk yard and find an old hood from a car/truck that is made of real metal? We used to use one of those from a 49 Chevy when I was a kid. Sadly, I doubt if there is any stout hoods around any more though.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Some heavy duty corrugated metal roofing would work.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

A like the metal sled like an old hood idea. Also maybe a thick rubber mat or similar? You could tie mat around back to keep rock on it. Only issue would be rope pulling through the mat at wherever it is attached but if attached in two places
it may be ok. Scrap plywood would probably be my first choice due to easy to work with/drill holes etc and it would slide well. Maybe screw a piece of 2x4 above the rope attachment point (2x4 should be longer than rope attachment area and screwed in in several places) to keep rope
from pulling through.

 

[arakboss]

Some heavy duty corrugated metal roofing would work.

I do have some of that down there. I will give that a try. If I hammer the corrugations flat I might be able to round the front edge a bit over a log. Good idea thanks.

 

[arakboss]

Could you go to a junk yard and find an old hood from a car/truck that is made of real metal? We used to use one of those from a 49 Chevy when I was a kid. Sadly, I doubt if there is any stout hoods around any more though.

That is another great idea. Thanks.

 

[The Heretic]

A section of chain link fence? Tough and you can attach rope or chain to it. You can probably find a section of scrap fence somewhere.

If thinking of corrugated sheet metal, use steel instead of AL, and I am not sure how you would attach to drag it.

There are sleds made from fabric for this purpose, I just do not know how well they work.

 

[arakboss]

A section of chain link fence? Tough and you can attach rope or chain to it. You can probably find a section of scrap fence somewhere.

If thinking of corrugated sheet metal, use steel instead of AL, and I am not sure how you would attach to drag it.

There are sleds made from fabric for this purpose, I just do not know how well they work.

Chain link is another good idea. I think I'll try the heavy duty steel corrugated roofing idea first. If that fails I will search for some chain link. I have some various types of field fence down there. I might be able to make that work in place of chain link.

 

[The Heretic]

I am pretty sure chain link would work. I see people using chain link fence sections with weights on it to drag around on fields to smooth them out. I have some myself, but I use my drag harrow instead.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Chain link is another good idea. I think I'll try the heavy duty steel corrugated roofing idea first. If that fails I will search for some chain link. I have some various types of field fence down there. I might be able to make that work in place of chain link.

Steel is stronger than wood.. with that said, this guy used some rotten old OSB to drag a big lunk..

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Steel is stronger than wood.. with that said, this guy used some rotten old OSB to drag a big lunk..

One potential problem with chain link is if a corner or sharp edge of the big rock digs into the ground/rock on ground etc. it may catch the big rock through the fence, which could rotate the rock or worst case "snag" the rock and bend the fencing/break the rope. I would go with something without holes personally.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Even a carpet would work for a while. The dirt and gravel will act like little bearings. For a while. Lol

 

[The Heretic]

One potential problem with chain link is if a corner or sharp edge of the big rock digs into the ground/rock on ground etc. it may catch the big rock through the fence, which could rotate the rock or worst case "snag" the rock and bend the fencing/break the rope. I would go with something without holes personally.

Snagging on something is indeed a possibility, if what you snag on is something like a stump or large sharp edge of a buried root or rock. But a discarded section of fence is often cheap or free, and if you are careful it can work. The same things can actually penetrate sheet metal too - especially if it is something like thin AL siding (another thing I have laying around) - indeed, that siding may tear easier than the chain link fence would as the latter is steel. A metal car hood would be better.

 

[L84Cabo]

Might this work?

 

[pharmseller]

Just pick 'em up, ya pansy.

 

[LuckyMan]

Yard Glider (Drag Mat, Stone Boat, Yard Sled)

Yard Glider loads easier, hauls more, dumps faster and stores easier than carts, tarps and wheel barrows. Built to last. USA Yard Glider The Cart Without Wheels

yardglider.com

Take a look, there's a video included

 

[arakboss]

Yard Glider (Drag Mat, Stone Boat, Yard Sled)

Yard Glider loads easier, hauls more, dumps faster and stores easier than carts, tarps and wheel barrows. Built to last. USA Yard Glider The Cart Without Wheels

yardglider.com

Take a look, there's a video included

That is exactly what I need but the price, ouch! I am still going to give this some serious thought. That thing is awesome.

 

[LuckyMan]

That is exactly what I need but the price, ouch! I am still going to give this some serious thought. That thing is awesome.

A friend here in Salem bought one. They're made of UHMW, super thought and slippery for low drag coefficient against the ground. I added up the price of the materials to build one....it was cheaper to just buy it pre-made.
Good luck on what ever you choose to do.

 

[arakboss]

A friend here in Salem bought one. They're made of UHMW, super thought and slippery for low drag coefficient against the ground. I added up the price of the materials to build one....it was cheaper to just buy it pre-made.
Good luck on what ever you choose to do.

It looks like a really great product. Thanks for the link.

 

[CountryGent]

Yard Glider (Drag Mat, Stone Boat, Yard Sled)

Yard Glider loads easier, hauls more, dumps faster and stores easier than carts, tarps and wheel barrows. Built to last. USA Yard Glider The Cart Without Wheels

yardglider.com

Take a look, there's a video included

That is pretty neat-o.