Winches, Wheelbarrows and Rocks

Work has continued on the dry stone wall!

Last Monday, having moved the largest stone we thought possible the previous week, we decided to look for some equipment that might help us move larger ones without killing ourselves. Friend Dave had given some advice, so we went out and bought a hand-operated winch, some steel cable, eyelets, and rope. It proved a struggle to get set up (the winch came with no fittings, and we had to fix the cable to the drum ourselves) and when we finally did get it working we decided it wasn't really necessary for the job. Still, the winch will certainly be needed when we come to move some large 'sitting' stones into place in front of the new wall.

Another new method that we tried was to use rollers, which we cut from old steel pipe using an angle grinder. This worked, but didn't allow us to move any larger stone than by our earlier method (of loading onto a small trolley). Again, though, the rollers will almost certainly prove useful when we come to move the large sitting stones.

In the end, we simply persevered using the tried-and-tested method of hauling stones onto the trolley, running the trolley over planks, and then dropping the stones over the retaining wall. One minor innovation was to roll the stones over and over into final position along two rails -- square section timber rather than planks -- using a long steel bar as a lever. Another novel method was to ask a couple of the builders for help. They loaded enormous stones into a wheelbarrow and literally ran it (for stability) right into position. As a result, we managed to get two of the last large stones into place by sunset yesterday (my birthday).

Two of the cap stones in place

One more large one. We've learned that it's best to use smaller stones at the bottom and larger ones at the top -- contrary to our intuition

It was dusk when we finished work yesterday. Most of the cap stones are in place

In daylight...

The space is taking shape as a sitting area under the orange tree