Building a Stoneboat

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  • This topic has 6 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years ago by Anonymous.
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  • April 24, 2012 at 4:14 pm #43328
    njfarmer
    Participant

    Hey all. I am working on building a stoneboat and have come into a snag. What is the proper way to attach the metal cladding to the bottom of the stoneboat. I am using 4×4’s for the runners. I was going to bolt them on but then got to thinking that the bolt heads will just wear off and I will have the rest of it stuck into the wood. Any thoughts?

    April 25, 2012 at 12:36 am #71119
    Lanny Collins
    Participant

    I don’t know if it’s proper or not but when I built mine I used lag screws. I used 4×4’s for the runners as well. I had the metal wrapped completely around the front end and up the back end of the runner. The lag screws on the front and back basically hold the metal in place for forward movement. However, since the boat can be twisted around sideways I had 2 lag screws put in the bottom. Basically I drilled a hole big enough to accomodate the body of the lag screw then I put a chamfer around the metal hole making a v-shape all the way around the hole. After the lag screw was tightened in place I cut the head off and welded in the chamfer area. It’s difficult to see where the bolts are. The metal runner is about .125″ thick and I expect by the time I wear the metal out the body of the wood boat will be ready to replace. I am going to try and post some pic’s. This boat is 30″ wide by 4′ long. The front runners stick out about 4″.

    April 25, 2012 at 11:34 am #71121
    njfarmer
    Participant

    Lanny,
    Thank you for the pictures that helps a lot. Your stoneboat came out really nice.

    April 26, 2012 at 12:47 am #71120
    njfarmer
    Participant

    Would 5ft long by 3ft wide be too large of a stone boat for a single horse to pull around? Mainly going to be used to get her into shape for field work and maybe down the road move a round bale down to the fields.

    April 26, 2012 at 1:18 am #71118
    Lanny Collins
    Participant

    I was trying to remember what my 4ft x 30″ boat weighed. It seems like around 168 lbs. Anyway, to your question it is probably not too large for a single to pull but I wouldn’t want anything heavier than what I have simply because when I’m not using it I like to move it underneath a shed and stand it up on ends to protect from weather. If you don’t intend to move it any by hand then you should be OK with a 5 ft. long. For moving hay I once had a 4’x8′ sheet of metal that was galvanized and about .125″ thick. I had a ring welded on the front and back. My hay truck was broke down at the time. I would roll the bales of hay on the sheet metal by hand and take a rope and tie to the rings and over the top of the bale. The metal was thin enough that the front and back edges lifted up and formed a U shape. I could pull a bale all over the place at about any speed up and down hills. I was really proud of my work around when my main hay truck was out of commission.

    October 22, 2012 at 9:49 am #71122
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Thanks for that, I’m looking to do the same thing.

    October 22, 2012 at 2:18 pm #71117
    J-L
    Participant

    I counter sunk the nail heads on my metal shoes for my sled and nailed the bottoms on with ring shank spikes (7″ I think). Worked good for a lot of years. The front and back were bolted through and I welded a few gussets there too. My work sled was 4′ x 10′ but was used with a team. Lasted 20 years or more until my brother run it over with a 100hp Massey Ferguson.
    My runners were 3″x8″ Fir.

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