First-Of-Its-Kind Rock Picker Bucket

1995 - Volume #19, Issue #5, Page #02

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"It's the fastest and easiest way ever developed to pick rocks," says Dale Buysse, inventor of a new-style rock bucket with a rotating reel that pulls rocks into the bucket.
Buysse spent 3 days demonstrating the rock picker at the recent Farmfest farm show held near Redwood Falls, Minn. Crowds gathered around to watch him demonstrate how the bucket effortlessly picks up rocks ranging from 1 3/4 in. dia. up to as big as 30 in. dia.
Buysse, of Ghent, Minn., developed the new rock picker for his own use to mount on his skid steer loader. It worked so well, he hooked up with Loftness Specialized Farm Equipment of Hector, Minn., to manufacture it. Loftness manufactures stalk choppers, snowblowers, truck boxes, and more.
The 6-ft. wide rock bucket has evenly spaced steel rod teeth across the front lip that are angled into the ground. They scoop 1 rocks out of the ground, letting dirt drop out as the rocks slide into the back of the bucket. As needed, the rotating reel I mounted above the front edge of the bucket,
turns down to help pull the rocks out of the field or knock them into the back of the bucket. The reel runs in either direction so if it catches on a rock, you just reverse direction.
"When the bucket's full, I dump the rocks into a trailer or truck, or you could pile them up at the edge of the field. Skid steer loaders are so much more maneuverable than a tractor that I can clear a field with this rig in the fraction of the time of any other rock picker I know of," notes Buysse, adding that the rock bucket could also be fitted to a tractor front-end loader although visibility would not be as good. He's working on a model to fit Ford New Holland "Versatile" bi-directional tractors.
A 6-ft. bucket sells for $2,795. A 4-ft. model sells for $2,495. An auxilliary hydraulic outlet is needed to operate the rotating reel.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Loftness Specialized Farm Equipment, Hector, Minn. 55342 (ph 612 848-6273; fax 6269).

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First-Of-Its-Kind Rock Picker Bucket ROCK PICKERS Rock Pickers 19-5-2 "It's the fastest and easiest way ever developed to pick rocks," says Dale Buysse, inventor of a new-style rock bucket with a rotating reel that pulls rocks into the bucket. Buysse spent 3 days demonstrating the rock picker at the recent Farmfest farm show held near Redwood Falls, Minn. Crowds gathered around to watch him demonstrate how the bucket effortlessly picks up rocks ranging from 1 3/4 in. dia. up to as big as 30 in. dia. Buysse, of Ghent, Minn., developed the new rock picker for his own use to mount on his skid steer loader. It worked so well, he hooked up with Loftness Specialized Farm Equipment of Hector, Minn., to manufacture it. Loftness manufactures stalk choppers, snowblowers, truck boxes, and more. The 6-ft. wide rock bucket has evenly spaced steel rod teeth across the front lip that are angled into the ground. They scoop 1 rocks out of the ground, letting dirt drop out as the rocks slide into the back of the bucket. As needed, the rotating reel I mounted above the front edge of the bucket, turns down to help pull the rocks out of the field or knock them into the back of the bucket. The reel runs in either direction so if it catches on a rock, you just reverse direction. "When the bucket's full, I dump the rocks into a trailer or truck, or you could pile them up at the edge of the field. Skid steer loaders are so much more maneuverable than a tractor that I can clear a field with this rig in the fraction of the time of any other rock picker I know of," notes Buysse, adding that the rock bucket could also be fitted to a tractor front-end loader although visibility would not be as good. He's working on a model to fit Ford New Holland "Versatile" bi-directional tractors. A 6-ft. bucket sells for $2,795. A 4-ft. model sells for $2,495. An auxilliary hydraulic outlet is needed to operate the rotating reel. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Loftness Specialized Farm Equipment, Hector, Minn. 55342 (ph 612 848-6273; fax 6269).

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