This video shows the method I used to separate the dirt from the landscape rocks around our house. This was by far the best way I found to perform this task but it was still a lot of work.
I've built something similar to do the same job – only difference was really that it was at the same height as my barrow – means the dirt sifts straight into one barrow, and the rocks fall into another – saves double handling.
This is awesome! Did you make this setup yourself? Could you tell me how I can make a set up like this if so PPPPLLLLLEEEAASSSEEE & THANK YOU! Great video!
I have used this method in the past. Two other great ways to clean the rock are vacuum and blow. If you don't want to move the rock, grab your shop vac and while keeping two to three sections of the hose pipe in the vertical, you will be able to vacuum out the loose dirt and dead matter. The rocks will make it half way up the pipe before falling back to the ground you may have to occasionally reduce the suction to allow the rocks to fall back, but they won't get to the vacuum. I've also taken the dirtiest of river rock in my wheel barrow and spread on the driveway. Hose it down then let it dry in the sun. Run a broom across it for a minute to loosen the dirt off the driveway. Then use a blower straight down to separate the dirt and debris from the stone. Both worked great for me.
Nice work. What if instead of building this you had a big blower constantly running while you scooped up the rocks then let them fall back into the bed? It seems the biomass and dirt would just blow away and leave clean rocks behind.
I used a piece of hardware cloth to clean the rocks in a small area and it worked well. Decided to do the rest of the yard in 3/4 stone … very pretty. But imagine my surprise when the 3 tons was dumped on my driveway and it was covered in sand and coarse sediment … it was unrecognizable. At first I did your big NO and tried hosing down the pile. … doesn't work: the pile was too high and water didn't penetrate – like you said. Then I spread it out on the driveway and washed it with the hose. Didn't work: so much mud and sediment accumulated under the rocks, and the rocks just go roll away. And it was really a chore to sweep all the scattered stones into a pile and shovel it into the wheelbarrow because there was so much mud underneath. I was so frustrated so I used a large household sieve, filled and sprayed with hose. It only takes about 10 seconds to clean each fill bu the the but the mesh was tight and some of the coarser sediment wasn't washed away. Just because it was SO tedious, I timed it. It took 30 minutes to fill a wheelbarrow half way. At 2 inches thick, it only covers about 2.5 square feet. I have 330 square feet. Today I will build a similar hardware cloth frame but I'll elevate it so I can just push the washed stones into the wheelbarrow and deal with the mud as it accumulates. LESSON LEARNED: make sure if you are buying bulk stone, see if they wash it! And if they don't, set aside a many, many sunny days when you could be kayaking instead but hey, think of the muscles you'll build up dealing with the mess!!!.
I love this! I will be copying your design. This is exactly what I needs I don’t have as much rocks as you, just in the front in mostly just one section, and I just can’t see repurchasing the same rocks when the rocks looks good, just crowded with weeds.
Here's a tip that may help your awesome design. I did something similar and had a wheelbarrow underneath but was still doing what you did with the hoe to sift everything. After I'd had enough, I strapped a reciprocating saw to the side, drilled a couple holes in the saw blade, then put bolts through the holes and attached it to the wire. Turn it on and it'll shakeshakeshakeshakeshake it for ya! 🙂
Excellent idea. I already made a 2"x3" frame 20 years ago that I shake on top of a cart to capture the good dirt. Now that I see that one can make a huge frame, I should consider it. I would save a lot of effort and time. BTW why are you putting rocks back? They are your source of problems in the first place. (My rocks were put in by some previous owners in the 70s)
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to do it all? How many days a week did you dedicate to this? I have a big project ahead of me but I think I can do 2-3 times a week for it. Thanks in advance! My rock garden bed is 33 ft x 6 ft.
I just started tilling my yard and quickly realized that the greatest limitation was all the massive rocks in the dirt. I started thinking about something exactly like this to filter out all the rocks. Awesome work!
This is also a VERY good example of why using weed barrier "fabric" is pointless. Dirt and weed seed just get blown in by the wind, they settle ON TOP of the fabric, and grow there instead. Within one year you have the return of weeds, and you are out 100s of dollars.
Weed barrier fabric is good for one thing, and one thing only: preventing stone used in pathways from settling into the soil.
It compresses the soil underneath of it, heats up the ground, prevents nutrients from getting to your plant's roots, and it suffocates your plants. Use mulch or rocks instead, like this fellow. 😉
As a side note, I absolutely feel your pain. I spent almost a year digging red and white lava rock and old landscape fabric out of the top 4 inches of soil in my front yard, and yes. I did sift the rocks from the soil. Using a hand sifter. It has held up really well! But your way is SOOO much more efficient than mine! Very ingenious!
I'm writing this to try n get a machine made that picks up and cleans landscaping rocks that have filled in with sand and dirt. Currently there are no machines that so that job. Cleaning the rocks from landscaping in front of most businesses. No one has a machine like that. Why, I don't know why. It's a problem for all landscaping companies. Removing and replacing the rocks that have filled in with dirt. Now and have been allowing the growing grass and weeds that grow out of the dirt. So much it fills in between every rock so much that now they look like dirt. No more does it look like rocks for landscaping. Look like dirt only. Filled in completely to look like ground to help weeds to grow. I hope I've explained my self well enough so inventers know what I'm talking about. To me it's easy to see the problem that NO-ONE has a machine like that. Please make one for the landscaping industry.
This works well for dry matter. Can you suggest an efficient way to follow up with a power washer or other washing step to remove caked soil from rocks previously embedded in soil? The cleaned rocks will be put back in top of a landscaping fabric to prevent this requirement in the future.
Finished making one of these (or similar) today, and it’s working pretty well! I actually had everything I needed around the house except some good screws, so had to pick those up. I have some smaller rocks that I’m trying to save and reuse, so I’m using the smaller 1/4” square mesh that I had. The dirt falls through easily though and it goes quicker as you get the hang of it. I’m actually using a garden rake to stir and pull the rocks. I use the normally used side to pull the bigger, heavier rocks, then flip it and use the flat top side for cleaning the smaller ones off. Thank you for the idea!
Thanks for sharing, I like it, I might try to make one after I run out of milkcrates: I used a milkcrate, lined the inside of the milkcrate with chicken-wire – I fastened the chicken-wire with zip-ties. However, I like your method better because my method was a back breaking workout – squat like a linebacker, lift ~ 30-lbs-to-50lbs milkcrate full of debris and lava rocks and shake, rattle & roll! You can see my milkcrate in this video https://youtu.be/qh38a7FU74g
34 Comments
I've built something similar to do the same job – only difference was really that it was at the same height as my barrow – means the dirt sifts straight into one barrow, and the rocks fall into another – saves double handling.
Just what I needed!
I used a powerful shop vac with a chicken wire screen.. get as much dirt as you want up. If weeds grow back burn them with a torch. Much easier work.
This is awesome! Did you make this setup yourself? Could you tell me how I can make a set up like this if so PPPPLLLLLEEEAASSSEEE & THANK YOU! Great video!
I would just spray the weeds instead of moving all that stone but it looks good either way
It sure does take a long time. 👍✌
i hauled a huge load of river rock today.talk about a tough and hard job,not fun.tip: use power washer to clean off dirt,i do.
Thank you so much for the inspiration. I made a similar one and it works like a charm….. I love it.
Yup – I need to to this. thanks for the video!
Put the frame thing on the wheel barrol 😂😂😂🤦♂️🤦♂️
I have used this method in the past. Two other great ways to clean the rock are vacuum and blow. If you don't want to move the rock, grab your shop vac and while keeping two to three sections of the hose pipe in the vertical, you will be able to vacuum out the loose dirt and dead matter. The rocks will make it half way up the pipe before falling back to the ground you may have to occasionally reduce the suction to allow the rocks to fall back, but they won't get to the vacuum. I've also taken the dirtiest of river rock in my wheel barrow and spread on the driveway. Hose it down then let it dry in the sun. Run a broom across it for a minute to loosen the dirt off the driveway. Then use a blower straight down to separate the dirt and debris from the stone. Both worked great for me.
Nice work. What if instead of building this you had a big blower constantly running while you scooped up the rocks then let them fall back into the bed? It seems the biomass and dirt would just blow away and leave clean rocks behind.
I used a piece of hardware cloth to clean the rocks in a small area and it worked well. Decided to do the rest of the yard in 3/4 stone … very pretty. But imagine my surprise when the 3 tons was dumped on my driveway and it was covered in sand and coarse sediment … it was unrecognizable. At first I did your big NO and tried hosing down the pile. … doesn't work: the pile was too high and water didn't penetrate – like you said. Then I spread it out on the driveway and washed it with the hose. Didn't work: so much mud and sediment accumulated under the rocks, and the rocks just go roll away. And it was really a chore to sweep all the scattered stones into a pile and shovel it into the wheelbarrow because there was so much mud underneath. I was so frustrated so I used a large household sieve, filled and sprayed with hose. It only takes about 10 seconds to clean each fill bu the the but the mesh was tight and some of the coarser sediment wasn't washed away. Just because it was SO tedious, I timed it. It took 30 minutes to fill a wheelbarrow half way. At 2 inches thick, it only covers about 2.5 square feet. I have 330 square feet. Today I will build a similar hardware cloth frame but I'll elevate it so I can just push the washed stones into the wheelbarrow and deal with the mud as it accumulates. LESSON LEARNED: make sure if you are buying bulk stone, see if they wash it! And if they don't, set aside a many, many sunny days when you could be kayaking instead but hey, think of the muscles you'll build up dealing with the mess!!!.
Or use a wire shelf. It's rigid so it doesn't need 2×4's.
I love this! I will be copying your design. This is exactly what I needs I don’t have as much rocks as you, just in the front in mostly just one section, and I just can’t see repurchasing the same rocks when the rocks looks good, just crowded with weeds.
Here's a tip that may help your awesome design. I did something similar and had a wheelbarrow underneath but was still doing what you did with the hoe to sift everything. After I'd had enough, I strapped a reciprocating saw to the side, drilled a couple holes in the saw blade, then put bolts through the holes and attached it to the wire. Turn it on and it'll shake shake shake shake shake it for ya! 🙂
Excellent idea. I already made a 2"x3" frame 20 years ago that I shake on top of a cart to capture the good dirt. Now that I see that one can make a huge frame, I should consider it. I would save a lot of effort and time. BTW why are you putting rocks back? They are your source of problems in the first place. (My rocks were put in by some previous owners in the 70s)
maybe add a motor vibrator
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to do it all? How many days a week did you dedicate to this? I have a big project ahead of me but I think I can do 2-3 times a week for it. Thanks in advance! My rock garden bed is 33 ft x 6 ft.
I just started tilling my yard and quickly realized that the greatest limitation was all the massive rocks in the dirt. I started thinking about something exactly like this to filter out all the rocks. Awesome work!
You made my life much easier. I just knew someone out there had a better idea then I had. Thank you thank you thank you!!
This is also a VERY good example of why using weed barrier "fabric" is pointless. Dirt and weed seed just get blown in by the wind, they settle ON TOP of the fabric, and grow there instead. Within one year you have the return of weeds, and you are out 100s of dollars.
Weed barrier fabric is good for one thing, and one thing only: preventing stone used in pathways from settling into the soil.
It compresses the soil underneath of it, heats up the ground, prevents nutrients from getting to your plant's roots, and it suffocates your plants. Use mulch or rocks instead, like this fellow. 😉
As a side note, I absolutely feel your pain. I spent almost a year digging red and white lava rock and old landscape fabric out of the top 4 inches of soil in my front yard, and yes. I did sift the rocks from the soil. Using a hand sifter. It has held up really well! But your way is SOOO much more efficient than mine! Very ingenious!
turn it upside down. the stones will not fall of.
word of advice get rid of the rocks, those are a paint to keep up with once your fabric can't stop weeds and grass from poking through…
WOW! This very similar to what i had in mind. Thanks for the video.
Where do you put the old dirt?
Awesome-thanks!
Why not just spray round up?
I'm writing this to try n get a machine made that picks up and cleans landscaping rocks that have filled in with sand and dirt. Currently there are no machines that so that job. Cleaning the rocks from landscaping in front of most businesses. No one has a machine like that. Why, I don't know why. It's a problem for all landscaping companies. Removing and replacing the rocks that have filled in with dirt. Now and have been allowing the growing grass and weeds that grow out of the dirt. So much it fills in between every rock so much that now they look like dirt. No more does it look like rocks for landscaping. Look like dirt only. Filled in completely to look like ground to help weeds to grow. I hope I've explained my self well enough so inventers know what I'm talking about. To me it's easy to see the problem that NO-ONE has a machine like that. Please make one for the landscaping industry.
This same contraption would cost $200 to build today. Fuck Joe Biden.
This works well for dry matter. Can you suggest an efficient way to follow up with a power washer or other washing step to remove caked soil from rocks previously embedded in soil? The cleaned rocks will be put back in top of a landscaping fabric to prevent this requirement in the future.
Finished making one of these (or similar) today, and it’s working pretty well! I actually had everything I needed around the house except some good screws, so had to pick those up. I have some smaller rocks that I’m trying to save and reuse, so I’m using the smaller 1/4” square mesh that I had. The dirt falls through easily though and it goes quicker as you get the hang of it. I’m actually using a garden rake to stir and pull the rocks. I use the normally used side to pull the bigger, heavier rocks, then flip it and use the flat top side for cleaning the smaller ones off.
Thank you for the idea!
Thats awesome. Cost 20 bucks to build in 2016? Would probably cost 80 bucks in 2022!!!
Thanks for sharing, I like it, I might try to make one after I run out of milkcrates: I used a milkcrate, lined the inside of the milkcrate with chicken-wire – I fastened the chicken-wire with zip-ties. However, I like your method better because my method was a back breaking workout – squat like a linebacker, lift ~ 30-lbs-to-50lbs milkcrate full of debris and lava rocks and shake, rattle & roll! You can see my milkcrate in this video https://youtu.be/qh38a7FU74g