Stone Picker

nh8260 · May 8, 2020

i'm in the market for a rock picker, been looking at them on tractorhouse. I noticed they have at least 2 different kinds, one with a reel and one
with just bars that the rocks go up and into the dump bin. First of all, what is a good brand name of rock pickers? Second, i have a few fields
right by the creek and rocks are very plentiful!! With the reel type pickers, can i go up and down the field with it going? Most videos i see show
someone driving up to the rock and flipping it in then going to the next one, i have so many rocks its not even funny!!

If anyone knows of one for sale please let me know. i have a 107 hp tractor to pull it with.

caterpillar guy · May 8, 2020

Our stone pickers all grew up and moved away. As for the reel type I don't see why you couldn't leave it run if you are that busy with it filling. I would want one I could dump into something to haul them away with. The picker bins are not that big. You will spend a lot of time hauling instead of picking if you have that many stones. They will also have a lot of dirt in the stones when you pick with any of them. The clods will need to be pounded down to powder almost to not get a lot of dirt. look at the tine spacing then look at your field or try it and see.
I used a haybuster for a guy 30 years ago and it hauled half the field away in dirt with the stones I thought. Just my opinion of them.

showcrop · May 8, 2020

My friend has the type with the tines. It is great for maintenance. They have it on a tractor that pulls a disc. Two jobs in one pass. If the ground has not been worked for some time you would do way better with the reel type.

jon f mn · May 8, 2020

The reel type work better for smaller rocks and the ones with no real will pick big rocks. As for getting dirt in it takes some practice to get it right but you can get so you can snatch the rocks without a lot of dirt. It's a real skill tho. You don't just set it down and pull it along, you drive with it up and just drop it to pick the rock or rocks you want. They work best in nicely worked and level ground. Quite a few of both kinds around here.

jon f mn · May 8, 2020

If you have a lot of small stones a rock rake and drum type picker will definitely be best.

fastfarmall · May 8, 2020

Have you ever heard of a Harley Rock picker,or a Haybuster,they both made by farmers from North Dakota, the Harley was very good made in the 60's but made the soil pretty fine on top because it touched every inch of soil, to make a windrow of rocks so they could be elevated to the trailer, being pulled behind. i don't think they even make them, new anymore, But the Haybuster they do, in Jamestown, N.D.

fastfarmall · May 8, 2020

Yeah, you can leave it run, you don't want to be starting and stoping that big reel!

Majorman · May 8, 2020

Do not know if this is of use but it is the type of machine we use here in England.
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db4600 · May 8, 2020

Harley was a Clarissa Mn company. History is sketchy as the Harley name got shuffled. I?ve got a Minneapolis Tribune article on said man from I believe ?74. You are correct in that they were good in their day. There were 2 in the neighborhood. Pa had a Schulte and neighbor Leander had a Haybuster. If I were to look at a brand today I think Degelman or Rock-O-Matic are appealing.

Bob Bancroft · May 8, 2020

The reel type is more effective, but hopefully your tractor is new/big enough it has a closed center hydraulic system. With an open center system, [AC 190-200] one spool [function] always takes priority over the other. So you can't be running a reel, and raising/lowering the tines at the same time.
There are plenty of reel type rock pickers around here. I have used some, and find them so unhandy, that I bought a small track loader and put a tine bucket on it. Now I use it for many jobs around here, and wonder how I got along without it!

Traditional Farmer · May 8, 2020

Get one of those big wheel hay rakes they'll pull more rocks out the ground than any thing I know of.

jon f mn · May 8, 2020

My brother's is pto drive.

MikeJM · May 8, 2020

We have the small gallenburg rock picker with the one yard bin. Previous to that one we had an Anderson real style, which I disliked. Seemed like you ended up with more dirt than rocks.

The gallenburg is a shaker chain type, like a potato digger which we use ours as too, just pick the bin up a bit.

As with any rock picker soil conditions are critical, must be dry and loose soil otherwise you get a bin of dirt. And technique, I find that a first pass through on a small field with the bin up will bring the rocks to the top and reduce the amount of dirt clods in the bin. And on any sort of side hill all the rocks go to the down hill side and overfill the bin on that side. It has its quirks, but with a good operator you can pick a lot of rocks very quickly.

Geo-TH,In · May 8, 2020

I have no clue about stone pickers.

I have seen potato diggers in my area.

Would rocks ruin a potato digger?

Just wondering. I'm blessed, I have no rocks in my soil.
geo.

nh8260 · May 8, 2020

Here are a couple photos of the rocks, some are so large rolling them out of the field or in a loader bucket is the only choice, sure can't pick them up!

fastfarmall · May 8, 2020

You have to raise spuds on rock free land, because it will pick up every piece of old horse harness,bones, or piece of metal out there !

Bruce from Can. · May 8, 2020

I just use a stone fork on the loader for the big ones

And for the smaller stones, I bring out the best stone picker a fella could ask for.

And she makes good pie too, can?t get that with every stone picker

Geo-TH,In · May 8, 2020

So what if you plowed ground as deep as possible before using a potato digger?

fastfarmall · May 8, 2020

I dont think they spring plow for spuds,there seeded real early,!! I am not a spud grower , just watch the guys around me,!!

rusty6 · May 8, 2020

Thanks to our rocky soil I think the best rock pickers were all invented here in Sask. near me. Degelman is king of the hill far as I'm concerned. Reel type is best for the biggest percentage. A simple fork type for those that are too big to fit under the reel is good to have on hand. I've got an imitation of the Degelman. Its a Crown and not as strong as the Degelman. I've bent a lot of the tines over the years. Its a hydraulic drive which is better than ground drive for the reel. Its variable speed from your tractor hydraulics and can also be turned off when not needed by pushing tractor lever into "float" position.
I pulled a Degelman picker with the Cockshutt 40 years ago but its really too light and small in less than ideal conditions. I've got some video of mine at work behind the 2090 Case.
Crown Rock Picker

Stone Picker

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