Self Propelled Rock Picker

Self propelled rock picker ROCK PICKERS Rock Pickers 9-4-6 "It'll pick up rocks ranging from fist size to 800 lbs., says Minnesota farmer Wayne Juhl, of Greenbush, who built his own self-propelled, hydrostatic-drive rock picker from scratch. "I built it because I wanted a faster machine than the pull-types which are clumsy and leave a lot of tracks in the field. I like the hydrostatic drive for its instant forward and reverse range of speed selection ù from zero to eight miles per hour ù and because there's no clutch to wear out," Juhl explains. The rig has power steering and planetary wheel drive. Tines on the 3-ft. wide front loader are spaced 4-in. apart. The loader bucket dumps rocks into the hopper, made from 5/8-in. thick oil pipeline. Rocks are then dumped from the hopper into the desired spot. The 3-wheeled rig has a 56-hp Isuzu diesel engine and a 30-gal. hydraulic reservoir. The front wheels (15L-16 tires) were purchased new and put on a front axle from a 2-ton truck. The rear wheel (18 by 36 tire) is off a combine. Juhl says it cost about $10,000 to build the picker. He's used it more than 2,000 hours with very few repairs. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wayne Juhl, Greenbush, Minn. 56726 (ph 218 782-2536).

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