Landscape Rocks Chicago Suburbs

in-too-deep · Feb 22, 2018

Got a crazy idea today. Anyone know if there's a good market for landscaping rocks/small boulders in western suburbs Naperville
Aurora Dekalb? Got lots of rocks here in MN. Could rent a dump trailer and haul them down and get a tractor from my mom and dad's
back if it fit in the trailer. Not wanting to make a killing, but if I could cover the gas and trailer rental I would smile. I have a
properly equipped tow vehicle. Just crazy or so crazy it just might work?

in-too-deep · Feb 22, 2018

Forgot to add, I would be selling wholesale by the ton to a landscaper or supplier, not to the general public.

marloweg · Feb 22, 2018

in the 80 and early 90 loaded 100s of loads of boulders the bigger the better for Chicago and Rockford cleaned up just about all of them . some loads only had three on a flat bed

RBoots · Feb 22, 2018

Around here in MI, if the landscaping company digs them off your piles, it's about 3-5 dollars a ton. Some guys buy them and are like a broker to the landscaping companies. There is a guy that hauls them to smaller companies according to what size they want (he sorts them by hand), and usually sells 4 or 5 small 5 yard or so loads for $45 a ton.

RBoots · Feb 22, 2018

Forgot to add, most sold around here go to Detroit suburbs.

marloweg · Feb 22, 2018

i was 200 miles north and still see loads going south . we are in Florida now and boulders like the ones i loaded go for big money down in the south

CKain(MI) · Feb 22, 2018

That's not crazy at all. I's a profitable business here in the farm land around Kalamazoo, Mi. Why wouldn't it be even better in a big suburban area.

marloweg · Feb 22, 2018

using a dump trailer you will make no money you cant haul the many and about two dumps your trailer will be junk

in-too-deep · Feb 22, 2018

Didn't think of Rockford. Go right thru on the way down.

in-too-deep · Feb 22, 2018

What do you think the 18-24 inch rocks are worth delivered? Was hoping for $100-200/ton.

marloweg · Feb 22, 2018

when i loaded them they did not want small ones things might heaved changed but back then bigger was better . now if you can find a spliter thats what they want

IanC · Feb 23, 2018

How about this: "You Pick rock Farm, All Organic!"

Traditional Farmer · Feb 23, 2018

Those small dump trailers won't handle even one load of a really big rock it'll bust it up when its dumped in.

Ultradog MN · Feb 23, 2018

If you run out at your place you can stop by my place in Aitkin. I've got a few loads there. A few are 5' in dia.

in-too-deep · Feb 23, 2018

Yeah, I'd hafta set them in gently from the back end.

Leroy · Feb 23, 2018

Local cemetary monmunt place deals in landscape rocks and uses same equipment to engrave momuntes or the landscap stones and uses same truck to set them.

GordoSD · Feb 23, 2018

Granite rock is about 100lbs per cu ft.

Hay hay hay · Feb 23, 2018

Kinda' sounds like going into the septic system installation business with a shovel and a wheelbarrow.

coonie minnie · Feb 23, 2018

Believe it or not, I sold around 3000 ton of rocks out of fence lines, all went to local landscapers etc for around 30 a ton FOB the farm... had one guy I delivered to, he was only two miles from me, and did a LOT of lake shoreline restoration work.

The market dropped out with the housing crisis, and rocks are a bit more out of style now.

I think unless the market is right near you, or you have really pretty ones, it will be a tough sell. Be prepared to sort by size and color if you want more money.

in-too-deep · Feb 23, 2018

I know exactly what you're saying, but I'm going that direction with a trailer anyway, so I'm just brainstorming on how to defray the cost of tractor hauling.

RBoots · Feb 23, 2018

I've got someone coming after our rock piles after the fields dry out, late spring, early summer? They said the 1-2 footers were most valuable, and the small ones least valuable. We settled on $5/ton, but ALL of the rocks go, not leaving any behind. He loads and hauls though. He told me he sells his to the landscaping places and places that use them for riprap for 40-40 dollars a ton. That's what he told me, could be a lot higher, I don't know. Don't really care as long as they are gone. Have lots of 3-4 footers, everyone said those bring the highest price, but don't move very fast and are a pain to load/haul/deliver

JMS/.MN · Feb 23, 2018

Remember when you headed north...along Hwy 15 north of Hutchinson? Rocks on the hill,, west side of road, with a phone number? He deals in them. I sold some to a neighbor who hauled them to Metro, for about $500 per dump truck load. Good market for them there.

Landscape Rocks Chicago Suburbs

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