The Sift-ta-matron Mark I!

Do not worry, the name is also on Mark I phase, I’ll think of a better name later.

For starters pay attention to the ground beneath; that’s what my soil looks like under the 4 inches of lawn roots. Actually there are bigger rocks down there so imagine larger rocks, about 60% rocks, 40% sand and gravel. All in all is not bad; I dig huge holes so every tree is on it’s own giant in-ground pot, and I add tons of green mulch and compost on top every season. They are actually happy and I have 0 drainage issues.

Anyways: digging and sifting and digging and sifting was just burning too much of my energy. This is a proof of concept that will get build up from here. I’m going to add straps to better attach the top and bottom, make a replaceable system of screens so I can process different material, and add a better chute so rocks fall into the wheelbarrow.

This coming weekend I have four more holes to dig so I’ll see how well it works and just as importantly, how well it perform for the scale of work at hand.

It has to beat doing it by hand.


the gorilla cart tilts so I’ll use that feature to adjust the angle of the top.


40-watt vibrator unit. When I ordered I didn’t realize it was this small, we’ll see if it is suitable.


Springs from a failed attempt to fix a washing machine. I’m glad I kept them.


It will eventually have a different system of screens that are easy to swap, an adjustable bar in the front to hold back large material that should not be discarded (like horse compost nuggets), and a chute to better direct the refuse into the wheelbarrow.

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man i thought i had alot of rocks. i just lay cardboard where i want the tree. put the roots on it, pound in a wood stake to tie tree to, bury with good soil,. tamp. add 5in mulch. tamp and water . done. ill leave the roots to find their way around the rocks. my back hurts thinking of what you do to plant your trees. i thought i had demanding conditions. dont know if i would want to go through all that . think id hire a excavator for a few hours instead. my hats off to you sir!

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It saves me from having to get a gym membership. I would feel mighty dumb to pay somebody to break a sweat and then go home to avoid breaking a sweat.

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That’s an awesome setup. Good work.

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Yours sure looks a lot neater than the one I made years ago

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