"It has just one moving part and does a great job of picking up rocks, especially in fields with a lot of trash," says Larry Omann, St. Joseph, Minn., inventor of a new-style rock bucket with tines that mechanically flip rocks back into the bucket. No extra hydraulics are needed to power the rock forks.

Omann says his patented "PikRite", as he calls it, picks up rocks ranging from 1 in. dia. and up. He developed the new rock picker for his own use to mount on any skid steer loader. It worked so well he's now looking for a manufacturer.

The 6-ft. wide quick-tach rock bucket has evenly spaced teeth across the front lip that scoop rocks out of the ground, letting dirt and trash drop out as the rocks slide onto the teeth. The teeth pivot up on an enclosed steel shaft. Once the rock is on the tines he lowers the bucket until a "knee" lever hits the ground, then backs up. The lever digs into the ground, turning the tines up and flipping the rock back into the bucket. Driving forward again automatically resets the tines.

"I can flip rocks back one at a time into the bucket or gather several at a time on the tines and then dump them all at once," says Omann. "The speed in reverse determines how far back the rock is flipped into the bucket. Rocks are held in the bucket by the housing over the front shaft. As a result, I can dig out rocks even with a full bucket. To dump the rocks I simply tilt the bucket all the way down and shake it.

"Skid steer loaders are so much more maneuverable than a tractor that I can clear a field with this rig in a fraction of the time of most other rock pickers. The rock bucket could also be fitted to a tractor or garden tractor as long as the operator has a good view of the bucket. Each tooth clamps on with one bolt. By loosening all the bolts I can move the teeth over in order to pick up even the smallest rocks.

"My neighbors Eugene and Joe Huls let me use their Case skid steer loader to test the unit."

Omann says he's made five different models for small and big skid steer loaders. One model is equipped with a 5-ft. bucket and 2-ft. long coiled Danish teeth. He's also made a model that can be bolted onto an existing bucket. And he has experimented with buckets that have slotted floors to let more dirt and trash fall through. He's now testing a spring tooth model. It pressures the rock out of the ground and won't dig out rocks over 2 ft. in diameter. If a tine bends it can easily be straightened using an 8-ft. long steel pipe.