Back-Saving "Drop Down" Rock Box

Back-Saving "Drop Down" Rock Box ROCK PICKERS Rock Pickers 21-5-20 Picking up rocks and other trash in fields has never been easier than with this "drop down" rock box built by Ardell Johnson, Lake Lillian, Minn. "There's nothing on the market like it," says Johnson, who mounts the box permanently on front of his field tractor so it's al-ways in place when he comes across a rock or other object. "I use it all the time when I'm planting, cultivating, spraying, or doing other fieldwork. You don't break your back lifting heavier rocks up into the box." An ingenious hinged bracket allows the box to drop down to the ground, flat on its side, so you can roll a rock right into it. A single hydraulic cylinder along one side provides the power. It simply drops the box onto the ground, then you drive forward a couple feet. To pick it up you just back up and lift. To dump a load, you fasten a short length of chain to the side of the box. It causes the box to dump when you lower it down. In order to tell when the rock box is down and when it's all the way back up into the upright position, he rigged up a small flag that he can see from the cab. It rotates back and forth as the box raises and lowers. "It's simple and reliable and it's always there when you need it. You don't end up leaving heavier rocks in the field and forgetting about them," says Johnson. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ardell W. Johnson, 18511 45th St. E., Lake Lillian, Minn. 56253 (ph 320 995-6574).

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