Question
i have a Japanese maple acer in my lawn and it has been there for 10 years. I need to move it further down my lawn will this harm it  and can it be done

Answer
It all depends on the size--a ten tear old tree is more than likely too large to move without professional help/

Deciduous  may be planted either in the spring or the fall. Deciduous plants may be moved in the spring as soon as the frost is out of the ground, up until the time when new foliage is partly unfurled. In the fall, they may be planted once the leaves start to turn color up until the ground freezes.

Digging the root ball:

When you want to dig up a tree or shrub for transplanting, retain as much of the root system as possible. Deciduous trees  can be successfully moved only if a ball of soil is left around the roots. The exposed roots should be protected with moist burlap or newspaper or with polyethylene sheeting. Every effort should be made to reduce root exposure to wind and sun, keeping the ball as moist as possible. It's best to prepare the hole before digging up the tree you wish to move.

Size of the root ball and size of the hole:

For deciduous trees and shrubs the soil ball should be:

Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 6 in./every 1 in. of tree diameter


The new hole should be twice the size of the rootball and as deep and fill with good top soil and mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch not piled up on the trunk.

This will be a large job by hand. There are machines that can move this size tree. One of these machines is called a Vermeer spade. You may want to check locally for a company that will move it. Here is a a web link to one of the machines and their contacts.
http://www.vermeerag.com/dealerlocator/

And the link to their home page.
http://www.vermeer.com/vcom/EnvironmentalEquipment/Line.jsp?PrdlnID=3840