This stack of boulders has been on my parents property after a guy showed off his skills with a payloader by balancing these one day more than 20 years ago.
For the last couple years I've noticed it start to lean to the right. I can't tell exactly what is happening but I can't think of a good idea to stop it, either. Each one is more than heavy enough to kill a person and I certainly don't have the money to buy a machine that could lift them or the skill with said machine to perfectly balance them again.
I have one bad idea, which is to squish some mortar in between each boulder on the right side, but I bet that the sheer weight of each boulder would just crush the dried mortar as it leans more over time.
It won't hurt anything for them to fall over eventually but it's honestly pretty cool and it's the first thing anyone sees if the drive up here. I don't want it to fall, but I haven't the foggiest idea what I can do on my own.
Is there something obvious I'm missing?
build a windlass.
or a backwoods winch.
see youtube for details.
pull it back into balance -- carefully.
you could try shooting it with a .17hmr, it will be enough power to push it in place
Easy there, Kyle.
He's not Kyle -- I am:
Wow is that you Chris Kyle?
It's probably leaning because the ground under that side is unstable. Either get underneath and jack it up, then fill it in or dig down the opposite side.
>then fill it in or dig down the opposite side.
I think there's a big flat rock on the left side, but if I can move that I can probably try that. Thank you. I'd really not want to dig on the right side because it feels like the top one would wobble off and kill me.
Maybe not steel ibeams but I could cut down some trees for it.
>I think there's a big flat rock on the left side
Well, that would explain why it's settling to one side.
If it's sitting on it, you might be screwed since removing it will only destabilize that side.
those stones dont really look tat big.
looks like you could easily unstack and restack them all by hand
yea use a sledge hammer and some wood wedges
Perhaps bury a couple lengths of I-beams under them for support?
The stack is obviously settling unevenly and beams under it would distribute the weight across a larger area. It could be an opportunity for you balance it again.
you cant replicate it or fix it.
This kinda thing is only done by those who are good with machines with time to waste in the world.
Not a thing for you normies.
>t. maker of stacks
I am simply trying to preserve the handiwork of a Maker Of Stacks.
You cant.
You can only make your own
Cut the brush.
That has many years to go before it topples.
Leave it be
Youre only gonna frick it up
Everything dies
Everything has its moment.
The guy made his point. Was it really a payloader? Like huge ass front bucket and 4 wheels?
Or excavator?
I'm not such a downer. There's no reason not to at least TRY to save it.
>Was it really a payloader? Like huge ass front bucket and 4 wheels?
It was yeah. I remember it was really old even back then. No idea what model or make though.
Neat.
Thats not a downer of a post, thats your interpretation.
Ill say again, I think thats got years left as is.
If you do anything, cut big ass trees and place them at an angle supporting it like they do with boards supporting porch roofs when you replace posts
But dont dig around it or frick with it too much.
Also, the movement is in the ground through the freeze/thaw cycles.
Base rock is slowly rotating underneath.
Restacking is really the only way to safely do it. As you point out, those are big and humans squish real easy
>4 days
>no update
OP got himself squished, didn't he?
Spray them down with water every week or so in the winter, and in the summer put wedges of very dry wood in between the rock before rainstorms.
Water will get in the cracks, freeze, expand, and break chunks of stone off. In the summer the wood will expand and push the stones apart.