2016 - Volume #40, Issue #4, Page #29
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Rock Claw Lifts Rocks Into Place
“People used to ask me to build rock retaining walls,” recalls Allpress. “I would do it, although I didn’t care for the job. Some places you can’t get in with big machinery and using chains or straps is neither safe nor easy.”
Allpress likens his Rock Claw to the arcade game where a claw picks up a stuffed animal. He wanted a simpler version that was all mechanical.
His solution was 3 arms cut from high-grade steel with curved points or claws at the lower end and connected to a chain at the upper end. Each arm is pinned to a 3-pronged steel plate at a point about 3/4 up the length of the arm. This creates a pivot point for each arm.
The 3 chains gather at a ring on a swivel that can be hooked to a loader arm, blade or other device. With the claws in place around the object to be lifted, the chains are gathered and pulled upward. This forces the arms to pivot at the plate and push the claws against the object being lifted, securing them in place.
“I have started selling them, and the more I sell, the lower the price will be,” says Allpress. “Currently, I have 3 models ranging in price from $320 to $680.”
The Series I Rock Claw has 1 1/2-ft. arms. Series II has 2-ft. arms, and Series III has 3-ft. arms.
“I’ve lifted a boulder that is 3 ft. in diameter and more than 700 lbs. with the Series III,” says Allpress. “It made the backhoe tires squat, but the Rock Claw handled the boulder without a problem.”
Check out a video of the Rock Claw in action at www.farmshow.com.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Albert Allpress, 17287 Hallman Rd. NW, Poulsbo, Wash. 98370 (ph 360 509-3574; deereman52@msn.com; www.therockclaw.com).
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