Manual Lifting
Depending on their size and the distance they need to be moved, you can sometimes manually move or drag boulders. You must maintain an excellent grip when moving boulders, leveraging them with a crowbar or pry bar in most cases.
Always keep your leg muscles engaged when lifting a boulder. The lifting posture should consist of a straight back and bended knees. This can lower the odds of accidents, injuries, and pain in the future.
Heavy Machinery
Skid steers, excavators, and cranes are the most common heavy machinery used to move large boulders. Heavy equipment often has attachments and other factors that allow it to dig and lift the boulders or break them, depending on the size of the stone. If you’re not familiar with or properly trained to use this type of equipment, it may be best to leave this part of the landscaping project to the professionals.
Steers are smaller machines that can lift small and medium-sized boulders within the yard and are often a safer choice. This equipment makes it easier to move the smaller rocks in or out of tight spacing.
Safety Tips
The gear you wear is one of the most crucial safety precautions, as it can reduce the risk of broken bones and increase eye protection. Safety gloves will reduce the odds of cuts and abrasions when handling rough boulders. If you were to drop one of these items, steel-toed safety boots can lower the odds of bone-crushing injuries to your feet if a boulder lands on them.
Debris and fragments of boulders have the potential to get into your eyes, leading to vision impairment, bruising, eye lacerations, and more. However, protection goggles will prevent this. Hard helmets should also be worn for head safety.
Replacement
If you’re moving boulders off the lawn, consider replacement options that continue to fill in gaps, control erosion, and increase landscaping flexibility. Most homeowners replace large boulders with beach pebbles or smaller stones such as polished black river rock. This option can continue to enhance design flexibility, functionality, and your project’s overall impact.
When selecting boulder replacements, contact a reputable supplier of decorative rocks, stones, and pebbles. The business will have smaller options to make your landscaping projects more creative.
Boulders have a distinctive, eye-catching look that can upgrade any landscape, and you can enhance their appeal even more by complementing them with a variety of decorative rocks, from pure gold river rock to black polished pebbles. For expert advice on designing your landscape with rocks, reach out to the experts at RS&P Rocks Stones & Pebbles, a premier landscape rock and supply superstore. We specialize in drought-tolerant landscaping materials, including a variety of Mexican beach pebble and river rock. To learn how we can help you create the landscape of your dreams, call us today.
