Pet Wood Extraction Methods

[AngieM357]

This is a long-shot, but I'm going to try it anyway.

 

I've found two very large logs of pet wood that I would like to attempt to extract from a creek bed. The soil is very sandy, at an approximate 50-degree angle covered with vines and saplings. We can clear those; that's not an issue. There are a few small trees. We have several tow straps and a come-along and are considering purchasing a cargo net. The problem comes in where if we finally make it up the bank, how do we get it to the truck, into the truck, and back out of the truck. 

 

These specimens are probably at least 200# and, while my boyfriend is super-strong, he can't do this with brute force alone, even with my wimpy help. 

 

This location isn't a big secret and I'm guessing the reason these specimens have remained in their location is due to our conundrum. Does anybody have any advice as to what methods we might be able to use to get these beautiful logs out of the creek and back to our house? I've seen some pics online showing works in progress but not the full process. We're getting to the point where we're considering going back to archaic methods using a 4X4 plank with the cargo net and still having the issue with getting it loaded up.

 

Are we fighting a losing battle? Is this a situation where nature needs to just be left alone or do y'all think there's a chance for us to remove it? We've even considered donating them to our local historical museum, but we also know they're not going to spend the money using resources to get out specimens that are "that small" compared to some of what they've pulled out of this creek for their displays.

 

Regardless of who ends up with them, they're beautiful logs with branch nodules and wonderful coloration. It would be a shame to let them be completely covered with sediment again (we've dug them out more than once) and hidden from those who find wonder in our natural history.

[ynot]

A dolly with large wheels may help to get them to the truck.

Or You could enlist the help of friends.

Brute strength is probably the best option unless You hire a helicopter.

[snolly50]

Have your boy friend suggest to his friends that they are not as strong as they think they are. If this challenge can "recruit" three other young guys; well four young men should be able to horse 200 pounds with ease. Good luck, have fun, be safe.

Edit: ynot beat me to it. Yep, brute strength is the answer. (Easily acquired from young, foolish guys with offers of beer and pizza).

 

[Raggedy Man]

"Give me a lever and fulcrum and I shall move the world"

 

 

[Kane]

How long are the pieces? Ynot's suggestion of a dolly is probably the best one as you can probably stack the two pieces and wheel it over to the truck. If the piece is fairly long, you could position it vertically against the back of the truck at a 45 degree angle, lift it parallel to the ground like a caber toss, and slide it in. Or, if you can enlist the help of someone else, it might just be a straight lift from the dolly with a person on each end. 100 lbs a person shouldn't be too difficult to apply some brief, explosive power for a single lift.

 

Sans dolly: If the piece has a lot of irregular, jutting parts, I wouldn't try dragging it to the truck as it may just snag. You could always try the viking option like how they were able to portage large boats by getting some similar sized logs lined up to roll the pieces over with the aid of a rope or net, always removing the last log and putting it in front. Certainly a dolly is better, and if the distance from the creek to the truck is a long one, the log-roll will be long and tedious.  

[JohnBrewer]

20 hours ago, snolly50 said:

Have your boy friend suggest to his friends that they are not as strong as they think they are. If this challenge can "recruit" three other young guys; well four young men should be able to horse 200 pounds with ease. Good luck, have fun, be safe.

Edit: ynot beat me to it. Yep, brute strength is the answer. (Easily acquired from young, foolish guys with offers of beer and pizza).

 

Hahaha

[Ptychodus04]

What's the distance up the bank and then to the truck? Do you have a clear shot? I once strapped 2 plaster field jackets containing a fish that weighed over 400# each to a car hood (one at a time) and pulled them about 100 yards out of a creek and up a hill with a heavy rope tied to the truck they were going to be loaded in. Then built a ramp of 2x4s from the ground to the truck and then myself and another guy pushed them up the ramp. We used the reverse process to get them out of the truck.

 

Mischief managed...

[ashcraft]

Get a medical stretcher.  It may take two men, but it can be done.  Drug out a 70 pound stromatolite over a mile doing this.

 

Brent Ashcraft

[FossilDudeCO]

Just a reminder that unless these logs are on private land and you have permission to collect them it sounds like you could be breaking collection laws potentially.

Aside from the 25 pound per day limit pay attention to section 3622.4 in its entirety.

 

I would venture to say that this specimens have remained where they are due to collection laws.

As much as it would be a shame to lose them forever, they may need to stay and you could perhaps take your local museum representatives out to view them.

 

Just a friendly reminder, use this information as you wish!

 

Happy Hunting.

 

[Petrified wood is treated as a mineral and falls under mining laws.]

TITLE 43--PUBLIC LANDS: INTERIOR
 
CHAPTER II--BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
PART 3620--FREE USE--Table of Contents
Subpart 3622--Free Use of Petrified Wood
Sec. 3622.1  Program: General.

    (a) Persons may collect limited quantities of petrified wood for noncommercial purposes under terms and conditions consistent with the preservation of significant deposits as a public recreational resource.
    (b) The purchase of petrified wood for commercial purposes is provided for in Sec. 3610.1 of this title.

Sec. 3622.2  Procedures; permits.

    No application or permit for free use is required except for specimens over 250 pounds in weight. The authorized officer may issue permits, using the procedures of subpart 3621 of this title, for the removal of such specimens if the applicant certifies that they will be displayed to the public in a museum or similar institution.

Sec. 3622.3  Designation of areas.

    (a) All public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation are open to or available for free use removal of petrified wood unless otherwise provided for by notice in the Federal Register. Free use areas under the jurisdiction of said Bureaus may be modified or cancelled by notices published in the Federal
Register.
    (b) The heads of other Bureaus in the Department of the Interior may publish in the Federal Register designations, modifications or cancellations of free use areas for petrified wood on lands under their jurisdiction.
    (c) The Secretary of the Interior may designate, modify or cancel free use areas for petrified wood on public lands which are under the jurisdiction of other Federal departments or agencies, other than the Department of Agriculture, with the consent of the head of other Federal departments or agencies concerned, upon publication of notice in the
Federal Register.

Sec. 3622.4  Collection rules.

    (a)  General. The authorized officer shall control the removal without charge of petrified wood from public lands using the following criteria:
         (1) The maximum quantity of petrified wood that any one person is allowed to remove without charge per day is 25 pounds in weight plus one piece, provided that the maximum total amount that one person may remove in one calendar year shall not exceed 250 pounds. Pooling of quotas to obtain pieces larger than 250 pounds is not allowed.
         (2) Except for holders of permits issued under subpart 3621 of this title to remove museum pieces, no person shall use explosives, power equipment, including, but not limited to, tractors, bulldozers, plows, power-shovels, semi-trailers or other heavy equipment for the excavation or removal of petrified wood.
        (3) Petrified wood obtained under this section shall be for personal use and shall not be sold or bartered to commercial dealers.
        (4) The collection of petrified wood shall be accomplished in a manner that prevents unnecessary and undue degradation of lands.
    (b) Additional rules. The head of the agency having jurisdiction over a free use area may establish and publish additional rules for collecting petrified wood for noncommercial purposes to supplement those included in Sec. 3622.4(a) of this title.
 

Title 43, Volume 2
[Revised as of October 1, 2001]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 43CFR3622.1]  [Page 676]
 

Print this page and carry copy with you when collecting Petrified Wood.

Source: http://www.colossal-fossil-site.com

 

 

[Ptychodus04]

There is very little federal land in Texas. Texas law also makes certain waterways open to public use if it meets certain criteria (even if it is on private land). All legal activity is allowed in the bed and on the banks of said waterways. Fossil collecting falls into the legal activities group.

 

More than likely, they are ok from a legal aspect to collect. You get in trouble when crossing property to access said creek without permission.

[Shartay]

I just posted a question on the legality of collecting fossils in Texas so I find this interesting. I'm talking about petrified clam shells and such, from public parkland (NOT state, federal, or private property). About moving large logs -- when ambulance personnel had to take my bedridden mother to the hospital, they picked her up and carried her to a stretcher using her bedsheets. A similar technique uses a sling to transport small whales and dolphins.

 

Maybe you could lift a 200# petrified log with a heavy moving blanket or something similar acting as a sling, with several people holding it by the edges. Or bind ropes around it and hold it by the ropes. 

 

If it's hard to lift onto the truck, use a ramp and slide it up the ramp. People can get motorcycles weighing hundreds of pounds onto a truck with the use of a ramp. Or you could rent a moving van or trailer with a lift or ramp.

 

A dolly is a good idea but may not work well on a river bank. A sling or stretcher made of moving blankets may be better, but you'll need help. Otherwise, drag it. How about using a rope attached to a quad bike or truck winch to haul it out?

My cousins bought some property (in Texas) that practically contains a petrified forest. No hauling is needed, lol.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Shartay