I'm at the end of a project in my backyard. It consisted of digging a 4 ft hole, 8 inches wide; which I've done. Problem is, there is a rock in the very bottom which I cant seem to figure out how to get it out.
It's an oval shaped rock (approx 8"x10"). The hole is too deep for me to grab onto it. My breaker bar has a hard time making good contact with it since it has no flat surface, so I can't break it. And my post hold digger is too small to grab a hold of it.
You can try wetting the area around the rock with "hot water" to see if you can dig around it. Could you post a picture with a rule parallel to the rock?
A small person, and hold their feet...or use a hoe like the rest of us.
This is always a hard thing to do, you just need to keep at it , and sometimes you have to dig the hole much wider. This is why we get the big bucks for jobs...the unknown.
Why don't you give this a try. Take a tarp and place the edge of it by the rock, then take a hoe and pull the rock onto the tarp, then you can lift the rock out assuming it is loose.
Last edited by dIyblognowdotcom; 04-12-2011 at 07:43 PM.
Reason: spelling
I ran into the same situation on multiple occassions in my backyard.
I found that the rock was concrete from an old fence post that had been relocated.
There are (2) ways that I know of to get them out.
1. The Easy Way
Rent a Jack Hammer from your local tool rental center.
This will break up the rock very easily.
2. The Hard Way
Purchase a masonary chisel and sledge hammer.
I followed this method. The chisel I used has a rounded point.
This works great for breaking the rock apart until you can loosen it enough
to pull out. Sometimes wetting the hole a day or two before helps to loosen the dirt. Othertimes it makes a big mess and is better just working with the dry dirt. In any case it will usually take you a couple hours, but you will get the rock out.
Removing rock from hole (<--help please)
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