The big bucket we had was 2.5 yards but we mostly wanted the small bucket and the thumb to pry, push, and pull at the rocks from all angles. Most of the batholith on site is weathered and fractured easily, yielding manageable boulders for the 330. One cool rock (the Picnic Table) is as flat as a sheet of plywood and four feet high-it was strategically placed out back of the shop for either a beer break or yoga session.
Other rocks were not so compliant: the Basement Boulder, the Shark’s Tooth (pictured at the top of the page) and the Thermal Bridge. We did all we could with the Cat 330 including the Egg Drop. Clyde found a very hard boulder of about 10 tons that was easy to pick up and started dropping it to develop fractures in the bedrock. We abandoned the practice after a clean drop produced some frightening shrapnel. The huge excavator made it possible to create the rock peninsula off the patio that will be enjoyable outdoor space.
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