He Built His Own SP Rock Picker

He Built His Own SP Rock Picker ROCK PICKERS Rock Pickers 23-4-10 "It's much more convenient to use than pull-type rock pickers because it's so maneuverable and gives me a great view in front," says Eugene Weimerskirch, Coulee City, Wash., who mounted a rock-picking bucket on the chassis of a Case self-propelled combine. The 5-ft., 8-in. wide hydraulic-powered bucket tilts up and back to dump rocks into a box off an old gravel truck. The box is mounted "sideways" and tilts hydraulically to the side to unload rocks off the tailgate, which opens automatically during the lifting process. He stripped the combine down to the frame and then reinforced the frame with steel tubing. The wheels and front drive axle came off a Deere 95 Hillside combine while the rear axle is off a Deere H combine. He built his own cab. The rock-picking bucket is built in two sections - a 30-in. flat section in front and a 6-ft. long section behind that slopes up toward the back and has sides that angle inward. Both sections are made of steel pipes spaced 4 in. apart. To use the machine, Weimerskirch runs the front edge of the bucket just under the ground surface to scoop up rocks. Dirt falls out as the bucket is tilted back. "I've used it to pick up tons of rocks with no problems," says Weimerskirch. "A lot of the rocks I scoop up have been pulled up on top of the ground by tillage implements. It's amazing how big the rocks are that it can dig out. I've rooted out rocks as big as a 50-gal. drum. Some were so heavy that they almost raised the rear steering wheels off the ground. "A hydrostatic pump on the V-8 gas engine powers an orbit motor that drives the combine transmission. I use a floor-mounted pedal to change speeds and direction. I used the wheels and front drive axle off the Deere Hillside combine because they're much heavier than the ones on regular combines." The bucket is operated by three hydraulic cylinders and pivots on a 3-in. dia. solid steel shaft. The pipes on the horizontal section are made from solid cold rolled steel while the pipes on the 6-ft. long section are made from double strength steel tubing. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eugene Weimerskirch, 11031 SR 17N, Coulee City, Wash. 99115 (ph 509 632-5525).

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