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Bigger and Boulder: Why You Should Hire a Crane When Landscaping With Boulders

13 September 2019

Veronica Leon

If you have decided to add a touch of Zen-like tranquillity to your yard by adding boulders to it, consider hiring a crane. Unlike rocks, which come in many shapes and sizes, boulders are usually large and round. This makes moving and manipulating them a challenge.

Although you can move rocks around your yard with a wheelbarrow, you will need something much larger and heavier to move a boulder — such as a crane. In addition, because using boulders in landscaping involves much more than just dumping boulders haphazardly around your yard, a crane and its operator will prove invaluable to you.

Hiring a crane will help you in the following ways.

You Won't Risk Damaging Your Property

If you intend to bring a little of Australia's outback to your yard in the form of boulders and large rocks, you need to evaluate the accessibility of your property. Because of the sheer size of boulders, you need something larger than a wheelbarrow or forklift truck.

However, just how accessible is your yard? Could an excavator or bobcat get close enough to your garden without damaging your landscaping features? Moreover, if you have several boulders to move into your yard, tracked vehicles like these could cause significant damage to your lawn or paving.

However, with a mobile crane, you can raise your boulder over obstacles, bypassing paths and lawns as well as landscaping features, to place your boulder at its destination.

You'll Have More Flexibility When Placing Your Boulders

Boulders tend to be rounded. This means that moving them, especially by pushing or pulling them, will be tricky — not to mention dangerous. This is especially true if you are working on or near a sloped surface. For example, if you push your boulder with too much force, you could send it careening toward your home, crushing your garden as it goes.

Fortunately, with a crane to lower your boulder into position, this won't be an issue. Moreover, you'll be able to get more creative with your boulder placement. If, for example, you want to recreate the look of the Devil's Marbles, the 2 billion-year-old boulders balanced on a rocky outcrop in Australia's Northern Territory, you could use a crane to do that.

Most boulders, however, tend to be buried in mud or sandstone in nature. And if this is the look you want to achieve, a crane can help you with that too.

You Can Lower Your Boulders into Their Holes

In the wilds, like Australia's outback, dirt, minerals or other types of rock cover the bottom portion of boulders. As a result, you could say that this is a more natural look for boulders. Much like icebergs, the upper portion of a boulder is only half the story. To achieve this more natural look in your garden, you'll need to partially bury your boulders.

Obviously, the best way to do this is to dig your holes first, then move your boulders into position before filling in the area surrounding the boulder. Again, rolling a boulder or dropping it from an excavator is a delicate and dangerous task, even for the most experienced and skilled operators. This is why your best option is to use a crane with an experienced operator at the wheel.

Using a crane, a skilled operator can lower your boulder into position without causing it to roll. Then, once settled, you can work with it until you achieve the desired look for your yard. A crane is safer and more convenient overall.

Are you thinking of decorating your garden with a boulder or two? Then consider hiring a crane. With a crane at your disposal, you can move your boulders and adjust them with ease.

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