Stone boats and other old stuff

[mesquite buckeye]

I once posted that I was looking for a stone boat to use to skid logs more easily and with less mud a couple of years ago. For those who have never seen one these are farm tools that allow moving heavy stones without lifting them. Most are 2-4 feet wide and 6-8 feet or so long with several planks attached together with one end up curved to make sliding easier. With this tool you can move very heavy objects with minimal pulling. Devices like this date back to at least the early Egyptian dynasties.

We had a stone boat that we used at our farm in northwest Ohio to get glacial rocks out of our fields in the 1950's and 60's. I have fond childhood memories of rolling stones onto it and riding with the rocks across the field behind the little Ferguson tractor to the stone pile. The smoothed over soil was a joy to walk on with bare feet. When we moved to Minnesota in 1967, the stone boat, long abandoned to the old, unused equipment heap with the advent of stronger hydraulics and tractor front end loaders then used to move rocks, didn't make the trip. I had assumed that it was sold at our moving auction at that time or simply abandoned. It looked something like this:

 

25 years later I bought my father's farm in Missouri and soon after started to harvest the overmature and dying trees and discovered that logs are hard to drag with a tractor since they like to dig into the soil as they are pulled forward, especially flaring butt logs. Dragging logs for a quarter mile through wet/muddy dirt also heavily coats the logs with mud, even in relatively dry conditions just from the dew or moisture present on the herbaceous plants and forest floor litter. Looking at the problem the old stone boat popped up in my mind as something that could be adapted to more easily skid logs and keep them cleaner.

I started looking for stone boats at that time, discovering that people from places without an abundance of field stones, especially any who were born after 1950 didn't even know what one was. Argh.  :( :( :( Seems the vast majority of them either rotted or were long ago tossed on the junk pile and eventually disappeared as scrap.

Fast forward another 23 years to now and a visit to my 88 year old uncle in northwest Ohio just a week ago. We were looking through the barns and his collection of antique farm tools and implements and the history of the construction of the farm buildings over the years and talking about old times. I wanted to find out all I could from my uncle while he is still around to ask about things. The stone boat came up in the conversation and I told him I had been looking for one for a long time and had been unable to find one. He said "Oh, I have that thing sitting out in the chicken coop or the machine shed." Huh? Kidding, right?   "No, I think I still have it if it didn't scrap it. The wood is all rotted away, but I think the head is ok."

A quick trip to the machine shed resulted in more stories.

 
Here is my uncle in his machine shop with his collection of perfectly running antique Minneapolis Moline tractors that he will soon be selling as he feels he can't take care of them properly. He has like 16 of them. Quite sad, really.

This building was bought from the railroad company at Millbury, OH in about 1933 by my grandfather, taken apart and rebuilt piece by piece at the family farm near Graytown. The siding boards were inverted and reused since the bottoms were more weathered than the tops. Many of the interior board sides were covered with writing and pictures. All of the writing is black. I suspect that they used dirty, old grease to produce them. Of course the writing is now upside down and since the boards are not in the same positions, the writing is fragmented. It would be fun to document the writing and reassemble the boards in a computer to see what they looked like originally. The railroad was run through that line in the 1850's and the building was old when my grandfather bought it. That places the original construction somewhere between probably 1855 and about 1900. The largest timbers were hewn while the smaller ones and boards were milled on a circular saw. Here is a view of the ceiling.

 
Relatively standard timber framing, except the position of the king post is replaced by a heavy bolt that runs from the beam to the peak. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of the writing. :(   I will see If I can get one.

I know this is a long way around the mountain, but I'm finally getting to the good part. My uncle walked right over to where he remembered putting the old stoneboat head maybe 50 years ago and found this casting:



 
top



 
bottom

The planks were attached with flat headed bolts that have a square inset like a carriage bolt so they don't turn. Bolts like that are used on plows and other farm implements that run through the soil so stuff doesn't catch as it passes by. I'll be able to gauge the thickness of the original planks from the rusty bolts.

Most of these were originally made to be pulled by draft animals, then later used with the first, rather small tractors. I found this image on the net on another website, but was unable to determine its original pubilcation date or even what publication it was in, but a very similar design.

 
I followed up with a search of the Beach Manufacturing Company in Lyons, MI and found old government documents from the late 1890's to the early 20th century mentioning this company.

There were a lot of foundries in the upper midwest at that time, and maybe several that made stone boat heads similar to this one. I'm now really curious whether this is a slightly modified Beach design or whether it was made elsewhere. My impression is that this one probably was purchased new, probably by my great grandfather in the late 1800's to early 1900's. It is probably well over 100 years old now.

Finding this tool is a little like finding an old, long, lost friend and has revived a lot of happy childhood memories.

I have a request if anybody can help. I would like to find the operational years of the Beach Mfg. Company of Lyons, Michigan. If anybody recognizes this as a different company's product, I would also like to know that.

Also, if anybody has experience with safely removing heavy rust from old iron, that would be a big help.

My niece is staying at my uncle's house now and will be bringing the stoneboat to Missouri in late October. At that time I will mill the lumber for the new planks, then take it home to restore it. I think with some modifications it will work to haul logs out of the woods. It's no log arch, but still pretty cool. I'm hoping some of the grand nephews and nieces will be able to ride it next year. ;D

[beenthere]

Be a lot of work getting the end(s) of a log on to a stone boat for skidding, but if you want to do it the "old way" for nostalgia, then hope you give us some pics of it.

The last 50-60 years, 3 ph  on tractors has made lifting one end of a log pretty easy for skidding to avoid the end digging into the dirt. In the 50's, an 8N Ford worked well for getting logs out of the woods with a set of tongs or chain on a small arch on the 3 ph.



 

[rasman57]

I enjoyed reading your post.  What a cool project too.  I think the history and restoration are very worthwhile especially since the piece has such great family connection.  Even if you end up not using it much, the saving of the boat head and rebuilding it will be neat stuff.  Good pics!

[mesquite buckeye]

Be a lot of work getting the end(s) of a log on to a stone boat for skidding, but if you want to do it the "old way" for nostalgia, then hope you give us some pics of it.

The last 50-60 years, 3 ph  on tractors has made lifting one end of a log pretty easy for skidding to avoid the end digging into the dirt. In the 50's, an 8N Ford worked well for getting logs out of the woods with a set of tongs or chain on a small arch on the 3 ph.



 

We shall see how tough it is. Shouldn't be any worse than spinning the same big log on the mill or to line it up with peavies. I'm thinking the tough part will be to have a clear spot to plop that heavy stone boat into. I'm hoping to keep the whole log mostly off the ground and clean. Think Think Think. ;D

[WV Sawmiller]

When I first moved to WV and felt led to move some big stones around the place. I went to the local junk yard and got a pick up truck hood with a curved front. Attached a piece of cable (Actually old guy wire) and flipped it over. Was thin and flat, put on downhill side of the stone and flipped it over one time and put the cable over the ball hitch on my little Gravely tractor and pull them to the area I wanted to fill. Would eventually tear up but cheap and easy to make and use.

[Dave Shepard]

I can remember using a stone boat as a kid. It was a steel head with planks that bolted to the back of it, very similar to your cast iron one. I thought it had been lost, but a couple of years ago when I was cleaning up the scrap pile I found the head. I'm going to cut some white oak for it one of these days.

[samandothers]

Great thread.  Love the stone boat idea!  Look forward to seeing it with new life.

WV Sawmiller, using a Gravely!  Work not drudgery!  Great tractors.

[thecfarm]

Ayup,I know what them things are. Never used one,but my Father would talk about it quite often. I think he gave it to my brother,I betcha he has no idea where it is either.  : He would talk alot and that was about it. My brother was going to use it on his land. Probably did 2-3 times and that was it.I am claiming back the old pasture. Guess what I find out there in the old grown up pasture?   Small piles of rocks. Seem like the Crane family would pile small rocks on a stone boat and haul them into the old pasture and dump them. While along come the 3rd generation of Crane to live here and I am finding them. I all ready sent one so called stone wall that never get built out into the bog. But they did make one BIG pile of rocks. Well I really should put a "s" on the end of pile.

[sawguy21]

I hauled a fair number of rocks with a stone boat behind a Ford N series, great fun for a 12 year old. We also used it to haul water on a gravel road to a house building site to mix concrete, no ready mix available.

[WV Sawmiller]

Sam,

   I finally sold my little Gravely a few weeks ago. It died on me several years ago when I was overseas and it set up for years. Not sure if the motor could have been rebuilt or needed to be replaced so I got rid of it. Had the 50" deck, 30" front mounted bushhog and a blade I never used.

    Sure wish I had it for use with my logging arch around the mill. The extra weight compared to my ATV would have been helpful. Hopefully new owner gets it running and gets many more years of use out of it.

[justallan1]

Mesquite, if that's the long way around the mountain, then you went the right way, Mister! ;D
Definitely an enjoyable post and a little history also.
Thank you

[1938farmall]

In my day, a few old-time sawyers knew how to shift a cant to cut planks that looked like hockey sticks from the edge.  We just bolted 4-5 planks together and the raised front was built in.  Hauled many tons of field rock & blasted stone behind horses & later an Allis Chalmers B.  Good to be a farm boy.

[mesquite buckeye]

My niece has taken photos of the graffiti in the old machine shed. I'll put them up as they come in... ;D

[mesquite buckeye]

I've seen photos of those ramped board types on the net. Looks like they work fine. I'll be making some non stoneboat type modifications of the deck to specialize it for logs. I'm thinking a chain latch to hold logs and maybe some kind of rear lifter to raise the logs that extend past the end of the boat off the ground. Also thinking of some sort of dragback deal to get the boat alongside the logs easily. Stuff is still percolating... ;D 8) 8) 8)

[mesquite buckeye]

Here are some of the pictures. Some are shown both right side up and upside down so it is easier to read the writing.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

[mesquite buckeye]

The second to the last image looks to me like Uncle Sam, a common image seen around the time of WWI. If that is the case that drawing would be vintage 1916-1919. Almost 100 years ago. ;D

[Al_Smith]

We had a simple one made of oak 6 by 6's runners with 2" oak planks that worked great .

[mesquite buckeye]

Sounds kind of like the sled type. I have only seen those in pictures.

Somebody did a power required to move a stone boat study and found little difference between the two types in power requirement except the flat bottomed types did better in soft or muddy ground.

Now they do all the heavy moving with cranes and giant wheeled vehicles, but this method worked and required little equipment cost to do the same job.

More time and effort, though.

[21incher]

Thanks for sharing the story. I would attach a sheet of uhmw truck liner on the bottom to keep rocks from tearing up the oak and lower the friction when rebuilding.

[mesquite buckeye]

What is uhmw?

???

We can't afford rocks at the Missouri farm. Once in a while you can find one at the bottom of a deep draw. ;D

[21incher]

Ultra high-molecular weight polyethylene. It is basically indestructable with a very low coefficent of friction. I have bought the HMWPE from farmtek in the past which costs a little less and is just as tough.

[mesquite buckeye]

Can you buy it in flat sheets?

[joecoin]

I bent the edge of an old satellite dish up, cut a hole in it and ran a chain through. Works for pulling smaller logs up out of a ravine using my 2 wheel tractor.

[21incher]

Can you buy it in flat sheets?

I have  bought a sheet of the HMWPE from Farmtek in the past. It is made to line truck beds and industrial conveyors they sell it by the foot. The biggest problem is it comes rolled up and takes a while to lay flat.

[LittleJohn]

My grandpa had one of those sitting on the pipeline that runs thru his land, except is was only about 3~3.5' wide and 4~5' long and made out of 6" well casing.  Specially designed for dragging the monster white pine out.  Cause it gets real exciting when you are draggin a tree with a 36" butt and she digs in; them front wheel go INSTANTLY to the sky, don't ask how I know